Gooch Steals De-Chambeau’s Valderrama Victory Thunder

2 years ago by Comments Off on Gooch Steals De-Chambeau’s Valderrama Victory Thunder

Back-to-back closing birdies has helped Taylor Gooch steal Bryson DeChambeau’s LIV Golf Valderrama hopeful maiden victory thunder.

Gooch has made it an historic three LIV Golf wins in the past 10 weeks, securing a two-shot success thanks to a closing day three-under 68 for a 12-under total, and with former US Open winning DeChambeau only managing a two-under 69 for his 11-under tally.

Gooch won the back-to-back LIV Adelaide and a week later secured victory in the LIV Singapore, and now a third win and a first in Contiental Europe around the famed ‘Augusta of Europe’ course.

At $4m a tournament win, that’s $12m for Gooch in his hat-trick of triumphs while he’s banked $13,376,583 in eight LIV events this year.

“It’s super special,” Gooch said. “I was just saying earlier, last year I didn’t get a win, so this year I was just so focused on getting an individual win. You don’t think much past the first one until you get the first one.

“I definitely didn’t have three in mind for the season, but it’s cool that we’re here, and it’s especially cool to have the third one here at Valderrama.

Gooch also becomes the first player with three victories in the Saudi-funded rival league. Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson have two wins apiece.

DeChambeau brilliantly set-up his quest for a maiden LIV win thanks to a sizzlin second round 63 and just one off the course record to take a one-shot lead into the last day. Twice he expanded that to a two-shot margin, the last time as they made the turn. Gooch caught him with birdies on the 10th and 13th holes, setting up the big finish.

Both birdied the par-5 17th. And then on the final hole, Gooch rolled in a right-to-left breaking putt to deny DeChambeau, who closed with a 69.

Koepka closed with a 68. He started three shots behind and fell further off the pace quickly. Koepka, the PGA Championship winner, tried to keep in range until a bogey on the 13th hole all but ended his chances.

He previously won by three shots in Australia, and then followed that up with a playoff victory over Sergio Garcia in Singapore. Gooch had not played in a month leading up to Valderrama because he was not exempt and did not enter the U.S. Open.

He is in the field for The Open in three weeks. LIV Golf moves on to its next event outside London, where the series began a year ago.

Overwhelming Spanish favourite Sergio Garcia settled for 11th place at two-under while lone Irishman Graeme McDowell was left short-changed, having opening a level par opener 71 on Friday but then it went downhill with a second round 75 and ending with a 74 for an eight-over tally and a share of 39th place in the 48-player field.

On the team side, Joaquin Niemann and Sebastian Munoz each shot 68 to lead Torque to a comfortable victory.

The LIV Golf League season heads to England next and back to the Centurion Club, the venue for the inaugural event of the LIV Golf Invitational Series last summer, with the event beginning on Friday.



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