LIV Golf Singapore winner Bryson DeChambeau celebrates the victory with his caddie at Sentosa on Sunday. Image courtesy LIV Golf.
From a Correspondent
Singapore: Bryson DeChambeau defeated Canadian wild card Richard T. Lee in a sudden death playoff In the final round of Aramco LIV Golf Singapore at Sentosa on Sunday.
“Incredible relief,” said DeChambeau. “I haven’t won in four rounds since the US Open 2024.
“Being able to come through on a golf course like this that’s super brutal and demands precision on every single shot, especially with the conditions changing, I couldn’t be more happy for my team.”
DeChambeau began the round one shot back of co-leaders Joaquin Niemann and Lee Westwood and shot a 5 under 66 amidst multiple rain delays to come away with the victory.
DeChambeau was even par through his first three holes, and Niemann began with two consecutive birdies on holes 1 and 2, stretching his lead to three shots over DeChambeau and two over Westwood.
On the par-5 fourth, DeChambeau got a jolt of momentum when holing out from the greenside bunker for eagle.
After making bogey on the fifth, the Crushers GC captain made birdies on holes 8 and 9 before the horn blew, and an almost two-hour weather delay ensued. At the time of the delay, Niemann had a two-shot lead.
Niemann came out of the delay with his momentum noticeably halted. DeChambeau and Lee took advantage.
DeChambeau shot a bogey-free 2 under on the back nine and Lee shot a bogey-free 4 under.
Meanwhile, Niemann limped to the finish. The defending champion went on to make three bogeys without a birdie after the delay.
Lee’s final birdie came at the par-5 18th, giving him the outright lead at 14 under. DeChambeau would follow suit, resulting in a winner take all playoff.
Clutch par
Despite pulling his tee shot in the water, DeChambeau managed to get up-and-down for a clutch par. Lee had about 10 feet for birdie, but raced it by, resulting in a shocking three-putt that gave DeChambeau the victory.
“Absolutely hated it for Richard,” said DeChambeau of Lee’s short missed putt.
“He’s been playing some unbelievable golf. He’s beat me in a few of the rounds I’ve played with him, and he’s a stellar player. I wanted to go another hole with him.
“As much as winning is great, I have a lot of respect for Richard and the way he golfs out there.”
Although Lee didn’t come away with the individual trophy, his second-place finish was the best ever by a LIV Golf wild card.
“There’s some slick putts out there,” Lee explained. “There’s some little lies out there. It was a short putt and I wanted to just hit it hard, and I hit it a little too hard.
“I think the adrenaline was pumping a little bit. Then again, I felt like I had it this week. I played really well. Hopefully next week I can try again.”
Westwood ultimately finished in solo third place after shooting a 2 under 69. The 52-year-old made a strong run at becoming the oldest LIV Golf player to win a tournament but fell short in a gutsy effort.
“I felt like I was swinging it well but little golf coming into Hong Kong. I played well last week and then followed it up by playing great this week.”
“Really proud,” said Westwood of his performance. “I’ve obviously had a few things to deal with.”
Good rounds
Westwood, who turns 53 next month, missed the first two starts of the season with a wrist injury, yet still found himself in the hunt to win on the back nine on Sunday against some of LIV’s biggest stars.
“It’s a while since I’ve been in the final group when it meant something,” reflected the 44-time winner.
“I was just really trying to play my own game because I’m out there with Bryson and Joaco, two of the longest hitters in the world.
“So I’m playing first a lot and just trying to win really, which made it a little bit easier because I just tried to hit as many fairways and as close to the flag as possible to give myself chances because I know I’m not going to overpower this golf course playing with the two guys that I did.”
In the team competition, the 4Aces GC pulled away for a comfortable victory, and won for the second consecutive week, going back-to-back for the first time since LIV Golf’s inaugural season in 2022.
Vital inputs
Every 4Aces GC player came up big on Sunday, with Anthony Kim and Thomas Pieters shooting bogey-free rounds to give the 4Aces a five-shot victory over Ripper GC.
“It’s been fun,” said Kim. “I get to hang out with my family and I get to play some practice rounds with the boys. Great group of guys. I’m excited to be on the team and looking forward to some more wins.”
Team captain Dustin Johnson made two double-bogeys, but they were offset by six birdies and an eagle on the par-5 18th to cap off a 2 under 69.
Kim had a 2-under 69, Detry was 1-under 70 while Pieters shot a 6 under 65, tied for the round of the day.
“I feel like we got four really good players, so that’s what it takes out here,” Johnson said.
“Obviously the league gets better every single year. It gets harder to win. You’ve got to have four good players if you want to have a chance. Right now I feel like we do.” (courtesy LIV Golf)
Also read: Westwood, Neimann share lead as 4Aces look for another win
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