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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Max Schreiber

Bryson DeChambeau Tops Jon Rahm in LIV Golf South Africa Playoff After Amazing Shot

LIV Golf’s two Goliaths—Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm—went up against each other in a playoff in South Africa. 

And it was DeChambeau who earned his second win in as many weeks in dramatic fashion. 

After Rahm shot a final-round 63, DeChambeau needed a par on the Club at Steyn City’s par-5 18th, which he’d achieve with a clutch up-and-down. 

Then, in the playoff, DeChambeau had quite the highlight. The two-time U.S. Open champion pulled his tee shot into damp left rough and took relief from temporary water. From there, 285 yards from the hole, he’d stripe a 3-wood that trickled to just 12 feet from the cup. Rahm failed to get up-and-down from the greenside bunker, blasting to 12 feet, and DeChambeau claimed the victory with a simple two-putt. 

MORE: Final results, payouts from LIV Golf South Africa

Afterward, DeChambeau was overcome with emotion. 

"I wish I could tell you [why I’m so emotional],” DeChambeau said on the 18th green. “A lot has happened in the past week. I’m just so grateful for my team, the Crushers [who won the team title], everybody supporting me. It’s so funny, golf is a fickle game, and you work so hard at it your whole entire life, and you realize that golf is just golf and there’s a lot more to life than just golf. I had some things happen in the off time during this week, and I was just praying all day, praying to give me the perseverance to move forward and keep looking forward. 

“I’ve just got to say I love everybody. Thank you for supporting. South Africa was unbelievable. I mean, got to be the best LIV event we’ve ever had. I’ve had you for eight straight days, plus two playoffs. I guess I need to bring you to the Masters or something.”

As for his second shot in the playoff …

“I was fortunate enough to get a good lie,” DeChambeau said. “It was muddy, so I’m trying to aim over there, worst case scenario, and I just pulled it again and I knew I’d be O.K. and get somewhat of a lie. I got a great lie, I dropped it, and I got to place it, luckily, and then had a perfect lie and striped it to the middle of the green, and it fed right over to 12 feet, and I was not going to leave myself a three-footer on that one.”

It was DeChambeau’s fifth LIV title and he’s now the third player with at least five wins on the Saudi-backed circuit, joining Joaquín Niemann (seven) and Brooks Koepka (five), who returned to the PGA Tour this year.

Last week in Singapore, DeChambeau prevailed in a playoff, despite hitting his tee shot in the water, after his opponent, Richard T. Lee, missed a 2-foot par putt. 

Now, DeChambeau heads into his next start, the Masters, riding high.

More Golf from Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bryson DeChambeau Tops Jon Rahm in LIV Golf South Africa Playoff After Amazing Shot .

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