Two-time main champion Dustin Johnson nabbed his second LIV Golf title Sunday, edging Cameron Smith and Branden Grace in a playoff at Cedar Ridge Country Club close to Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Johnson birdied his last gap in regulation to get into the playoff then birdied the par-four 18th with a putt from off the inexperienced.
South Africa’s Grace had putted first within the playoff, additionally from the perimeter, narrowly lacking.
Australia’s British Open champion Smith was closest to the opening, however his putt was by no means on observe.
Johnson scooped the $4 million first prize from the $25 million purse and joined Talor Gooch — winner of the earlier two occasions — and Brooks Koepka as two-time winners within the Saudi-backed breakaway circuit’s first 14 occasions.
The former world primary had claimed his first LIV title at Boston final 12 months.
Atop the leaderboard going into the third and last spherical, Johnson shook off triple-bogey on the tenth gap to card a three-under 67 to hitch Grace and Smith on 17-under.
“Obviously after I made seven on 10 — everything I could do wrong I did wrong on the hole –but to fight back and birdie 18 two times in a row, I’m really happy with that,” Johnson mentioned.
Smith, 5 again with 9 to play, carded a bogey-free nine-under par 61 whereas Grace — who shot 61 within the first spherical — closed with a five-under 65.
Grace helped South Africa’s Stinger staff, headed by Louis Oosthuizen, to seize the staff title with a 40-under par complete.
The subsequent LIV event is at Trump National in Washington in two weeks. But subsequent week Johnson and Smith shall be amongst 18 LIV rebels teeing it up within the second main of the season, the PGA Championship at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York.
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LIV, bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, cut up the game final 12 months by luring away prime stars from the US PGA Tour and the DP World Tour with profitable contracts.
Amid the acrimony, organizers of the main championships have maintained qualifying requirements that permit LIV golfers to compete, setting the stage for them to tackle loyalists together with Masters champion Jon Rahm of Spain and world quantity two Scottie Scheffler at Oak Hill.
“I’m really playing well,” Johnson mentioned. “Got a lot of momentum going into next week.”