DECHAMBEAU DENIES RAHM IN SOUTH AFRICA THRILLER
Individual and Team Crushers GC champion Bryson DeChambeau after the final round of LIV Golf South Africa at The Club at Steyn City. (Photo: LIV Golf)
AS LIV Golf went to South Africa for the latest stop-off, it was a battle of the tour’s two heavyweights before Bryan DeChambeau came out on top against Jon Rahm at The Club at Steyn City.
DeChambeau lived up to his reputation of entertaining spectators. The Crushers GC captain finished the week achieving his goals while sweeping both trophies in the individual and team event – even if it meant breaking the hearts of the locals that embraced him as one of their own.
DeChambeau defeated Legions XIII caption Rahm on the first playoff hole to win his second consecutive LIV Golf individual title via playoff while his Crushers rallied to beat the home favourite Southern Guards GC by one stroke for the team title, their league-record ninth regular-season trophy.
The victory at Steyn City left DeChambeau in tears, a fitting end to an emotional tournament from multiple perspectives, driven in large part by the passionate South Africans fans in a week where 100,000 tickets were sold. South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa was on hand to congratulate DeChambeau.
“Just got to say I love everybody. Thank you for supporting,” DeChambeau said. “South Africa was unbelievable. I mean, it has got to be the best LIV event we've ever had.”
The country and the league plan to build on that momentum as the League announced a return to Steyn City in 2027 (April 22-25).
“This is more than golf. This is about our country,” said Gayton McKenzie, the South African Minister of Sport, Art and Culture who was instrumental in bringing the league to his homeland. “What LIV Golf has done, they've showcased our country like nothing I've ever seen.”
The success of the tournament should help to soothe any disappointment felt by Louis Oosthuizen and his Southern Guards, who seemed poised to win the team title thanks to quick starts by Dean Burmester, who birdied his first four holes, and Branden Grace, who birdied three of his first four. As the midpoint of the final round approached, the Southern Guards led by nine strokes.
But as the South Africans cooled off, DeChambeau and his Crushers heated up. Anirban Lahiri posted his second consecutive 8-under 63, tying for the low round of the day, while Charles Howell III and Paul Casey each played their final 12 holes in a bogey-free 4 under.
When Lahiri ended his round with a birdie and Casey birdied his last two holes, the Crushers took the lead. Schwartzel, who battled back issues all week, provided a last-gasp birdie, but it wasn’t enough. The Southern Guards finished at 75 under – on any previous LIV Golf tournament, it would’ve been the winning score, while the Crushers won with a record 76 under.
“Obviously disappointed finishing second, but this was the reason, all these people here, that we tried to get it here,” Oosthuizen said. “I think we're very proud of what we achieved by getting the tournament here. All in all, it's a week I'll never forget.”
As for DeChambeau, he returned to the 18th to face off against Rahm, who produced a spectacular 8-under 63 to force a playoff at 26 under after starting the day three strokes behind.
DeChambeau once again hit his drive left into the mud but after receiving relief, he hit a spectacular 3-wood from 295 yards to set up an eagle putt from 12 feet. Rahm, meanwhile, found the bunker with his second shot, and blasted out to 15 feet for his birdie attempt. He missed the putt, allowing DeChambeau to two-putt for birdie for his fifth LIV Golf individual win, tying him for second-most in league history.
“It's been a tough few weeks,” said DeChambeau, sitting among his three Crushers teammates in the post-round press conference. “It's not always sunshine and rainbows. But I can tell you that having these three great people up here and my caddie and the team around me really helped me persevere on through tough moments.
“A lot of it was just stuff that I can't really explain, but ultimately, I'll tell you that I'm super-grateful for how this has all played out, and I'm super-emotional.”
Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin finished tied 24th on 14 under after a final round 68.
FINAL LEADERBOARDS
Individual Top 10
1 (-26) – Bryson DeChambeau, Crushers (63-65-64-66)*
2 (-26) – Jon Rahm, Legion XIII (65-66-64-63)
T3 (-23) – Branden Grace, Southern Guards (64-66-64-67); Thomas Detry, 4Aces (66-67-63-65); Abraham Ancer, Torque (66-65-64-67)
T6 (-22) – Dean Burmester, Southern Guards (67-64-65-66); David Puig, Fireballs (66-64-66-66)
8 (-21) – Carlos Ortiz, Torque (67-65-65-66)
T9 (-20) – Anirban Lahiri, Crushers (69-69-63-63); Charles Howell III, Crushers (63-68-66-67)
*-Won playoff on first extra hole
Team Top 3
1 (-76) – Crushers GC (DeChambeau 63-65-64-66, Howell III 63-68-66-67, Lahiri 69-69-63-63, Casey 73-67-67-67; Rd 4 score: -21)
2 (-75) – Southern Guards GC (Grace 64-66-64-67, Burmester 67-64-65-66, Oosthuizen 69-68-64-67, Schwartzel 66-70-65-69; Rd. 4 score: -15)
3 (-72) – Torque GC (Ancer 66-65-64-66, Ortiz 67-65-65-66, Niemann 67-65-67-68, Muñoz 70-67-66-70; Rd. 4 score: -14)