Ancer tops LIV Hong Kong as the Crushers repeat Jeddah result

From a Correspondent

Hong Kong: After two flawless days at LIV Golf Hong Kong, Abraham Ancer’s final round turned into a tough, challenging Sunday afternoon in the rain.

But with the individual title on the line in a three-man playoff, the Fireballs GC star produced the kind of ball-striking worthy of a champion.

Ancer beat Cameron Smith and Paul Casey with a birdie on the first playoff hole to win his first individual LIV Golf title, while Casey and his Crushers GC teammates won their second consecutive team trophy with another final-round rally.

The 2023 team champions and winners at LIV Golf Jeddah last month beat out Torque GC by two strokes in yet another come-from-behind victory charge.

Said team captain Bryson DeChambeau: “We know with four scores counting, we’re going to be in it no matter what the last day. We put the pedal to the metal today and showcased who we are.”

Thrilling finish

It was a thrilling conclusion for both titles in front of the large, enthusiastic crowds at Hong Kong Golf Club – although Ancer would have settled for minimal tension after starting out with a five-stroke lead thanks to opening rounds of 63 and 62.

He shot a 2-over 72 on Sunday, making his only three bogeys of the week, but he persevered when needed.

“It was definitely a grind,” Ancer said. “I made it a lot more stressful than I envisioned it … I’m really proud of how I felt mentally and how I fought the whole round not having my best stuff.”

Casey shot a 6-under 64 and Smith, the Ripper GC captain, had a 66 to catch Ancer.

But in the playoff at the difficult par-4 18th, Casey’s drive left him with no chance to reach the green in two, while Smith’s approach found the greenside bunker. Both players ultimately made bogeys.

Meanwhile, Ancer hit a perfect drive with his 5-wood, then followed with an equally sensational approach with his 8-iron inside five feet for the winning birdie.

Critical shot

“I think that second shot was even more important than the tee ball just because I haven’t hit one good iron shot all day, and I knew I wanted to pull it off,” Ancer said.

“My caddie kind of pumped me up. It’s like, all right, it’s time to hit the shot of the day, and it came out perfect. I couldn’t be happier with how I played that playoff.”

Casey was also seeking his first LIV Golf individual title but could still celebrate a team victory with the Crushers, who last week in Jeddah rallied from 11 shots down entering the final round for the win.

On Sunday, the Crushers were seven shots back of the 36-hole leader Fireballs but shot a collective 14 under in the final round to finish at 35 under. In addition to Casey’s 64, DeChambeau shot 66, Charles Howell III contributed a 67 and Anirban Lahiri added a 68.

Going back to last season, the Crushers have now won four of the last seven LIV Golf events, including the 2023 team championship.

“What a great group of guys,” Casey said. “We’ve got something – we spoke briefly about it after Jeddah, that we’ve got something that you can’t measure, and I firmly believe that.”

Kim finds form

Meanwhile, wild card player Anthony Kim shot his first sub-par round since returning to professional golf at LIV Golf Jeddah after a nearly 12-year retirement.

Kim had seven birdies and two bogeys in shooting a 5-under 65 Sunday in just his sixth round since his comeback. He finished at 3 over for the tournament after previous rounds of 76 and 72.

“I knew something good was coming,” said the 38-year-old Kim.

“It’s hard to stay patient when you feel like it’s right there, and I’m really happy that it hasn’t taken me one more round to get here. I’m just happy about the progress I’m making and the confidence I’m building going into the next few weeks.”

The most impressive part of his game thus far is his putting. Kim led the entire 54-man Hong Kong field in putting, and on Sunday he rolled in more than 150 feet of putts.

“The first two days I didn’t feel like I made a lot of putts, but today I putted really well,” he said. “Saw the line well and just trusted my reads.”

Kim hopes to ride the momentum into the upcoming International Series Macau on the Asian Tour before his next LIV Golf start in Miami on April 5.

“It’s just one round,” he said of his 65. “It’s just one round of golf. But I played the right way. I played the right way, and I didn’t do anything extraordinary. I just played like I know how to play.” (courtesy livgolf.com)

Final counting scores 

1. Crushers GC -35 (Casey 64, DeChambeau 66, Howell III 67, Lahiri 68; Rd. 3 score: -14)
 
2. Torque GC -33 (Niemann 63, Ortiz 66, Pereira 68, Muñoz 71; Rd. 3 score: -13)
 
3. Ripper GC -32 (Smith 66, Herbert 67, Leishman 69, Jones 71; Rd. 3 score: -7)
 
4. Majesticks GC -31 (Horsfield 65, Westwood 67, Poulter 68, Stenson 69; Rd. 3 score: -11)
 
5. Cleeks GC -29 (Bland 66, Kaymer 67, Meronk 69, Samooja 71; Rd. 3 score: -7)
 
6. Fireballs GC -27 (Puig 68, Garcia 70, Chacarra 71, Ancer 72; Rd. 3 score: +1)
 
T7. Smash GC -24 (Gooch 66, McDowell 67, Kokrak 69, Koepka 71; Rd. 3 score: -7)
 
T7. 4Aces GC -24 (Johnson 63, Reed 69, Varner III 71, Perez 73; Rd. 3 score: -4)
 
9. Stinger GC -21 (Burmester 68, Oosthuizen 68, Schwartzel 70, Grace 72; Rd. 3 score: -2)
 
10. Iron Heads GC -20 (Na 64, Vincent 68, Kozuma 70, Lee 70; Rd. 3 score: -8)
 
11. RangeGoats GC -17 (Uihlein 67, Wolff 69, Watson 70, Pieters 71; Rd. 3 score: -3)
 
12. HyFlyers GC -16 (Steele 67, Tringale 69, Mickelson 70, Ogletree 70; Rd. 3 score: -4)
 
13. Legion XIII -15 (Surratt 66, Rahm 69, Hatton 70, Vincent 76; Rd. 3 score: +1)

Also read: Ancer takes big advantage into LIV Golf Hong Kong final round