SINGAPORE — Taylor Gooch Became the first player in a row to win a LIV Golf title after winning the previous playoff hole Sergio Garcia at the Singapore LIV tournament at Sentosa Golf Club on Sunday.
Gooch and Garcia obscured each other for most of the opening two rounds and the final was no different, as both the American and the Spaniard were never more than a stroke apart when they finished. with a score of 17 under 196 to force the playoff.
On the first playoff hole, par-5, 18, Gooch overcame the water hazard with his tee shot but hit a near-perfect second shot into the center of the green, where he easily scored. two goals to win the birdie.
Garcia’s second shot at the playoff found a bunker on the lawn and the Spaniard was unable to make his birdie, giving Gooch his second straight win and $4 million prize pool. la.
For Gooch, this is the ninth time he has taken the lead or shared the lead after a LIV round, the most of any player. He has now led or shared the lead in the past six rounds.
“It’s one of those days that I’ll remember,” Gooch said. “I grew up with Sergio. He is one of the greatest golfers of this generation. To play with him and rise to the top is something I will never forget.”
Two-time LIV Golf Championship Brooks Koepka shot 67 to finish third with 16-under 197, 1 stroke lead Scott Vincent (67) of Zimbabwe, who once threatened to turn it into a four-way battle for the title before a ghost on the 15th par-4 thwarted his momentum.
Open champion Cam Smith (71) finished in a tie in sixth place after he combined a regular birdie with a bogey for an even final and a total of 12 under 201.
Phil Mickelson shot 72, with two doubles in his final round, to drop down the leaderboard with a draw in 13th place.
Like the first round, Sunday’s final round was delayed by more than an hour due to inclement weather in the area after 13 holes of the pistol format.
Garcia, who started his round on the first hole with Gooch, birdies on three of the first nine holes to maintain his lead with the American, who had four birdies and one bogey first. nine consecutive analysis points.
Garcia won the Singapore Open at Sentosa in 2018 and played bogey-free for the first 47 holes but two bogeys on the 12th and 15th par-4s thwarted his attempt to replicate his victory here. .
On the regular 18th par-5, Gooch hit a 41-foot strike for the eagle, which nearly missed to the left side of the trophy. The 31-year-old American easily made a birdie to put pressure back on Garcia.
The Spaniard responded by calmly performing a birdie from 11 meters to force the playoff.
The next event is in Tulsa, Oklahoma, starting May 12.
