Gooch birdies final hole to beat DeChambeau and win his 3rd LIV Golf title

By: The Associated Press Posted: 11:51 AM CDT Sunday, Jul. 2, 2023 Last Modified: 1:18 PM CDT Sunday, Jul. 2, 2023

SOTOGRANDE, Spain (AP) — Talor Gooch won his third LIV Golf League title of the year on Sunday when he made a curling 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole at Valderrama for a 4-under 67 and a one-shot victory over Bryson DeChambeau.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/07/2023 (1160 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Gooch won $4 million for the victory in Spain. Along with victories in Australia and Singapore, the former Oklahoma State player now has earned $13,376,583 in eight LIV events this year.

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

Talor Gooch hits his shot from a bunker on the 17th hole during the second round of LIV Golf-Valderrama golf tournament Saturday, July 1, 2023, in Sotogrande, Spain. (Charles Laberge/LIV Golf via AP)

DeChambeau started the third and final round with a one-shot lead and twice 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.

Gooch finished at 12-under 201.

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 British Open in three weeks. LIV Golf moves on to its next event outside London, where the series began a year ago.