WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Virginia: Brooks Koepka picked up his second LIV Golf League victory of the year Sunday when he shot 7-under 73 at The Greenbrier and beat Jon Rahm with a par on the first playoff hole.
Rahm, who lost a four-shot lead on the back nine at the Olympics two weeks ago, started the third and final round with a two-shot lead and closed with a 65. He birdied two of his last three holes to match Koepka at 19-under 191 and force a playoff.
In the playoff at the par-3 18th, Rahm went over the green and into the bunker, a tough shot in which one one foot was in the sand. He blasted out to about 25 feet, and his par putt to extend the playoff caught the edge of the cup.
Koepka also won LIV Golf Singapore this year. He picked up his fifth career victory since the Saudi-funded league began in June 2022.
Jason Kokrak shot 63 to finish alone in third.
Richard Bland, the 51-year-old from England who won two senior majors this year, needed a birdie on the 18th to tie for the lead. He made bogey for a 65 and finished two behind.
Koepka’s four-man squad, Smash, won the team title by three shots.
Brooks Koepka wins LIV Golf Greenbrier in a playoff over Rahm
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Brooks Koepka wins LIV Golf Greenbrier in a playoff over Rahm
- Koepka also won LIV Golf Singapore this year. He picked up his fifth career victory since the Saudi-funded league began in June 2022
Al-Ahli confirm Asian Champions League Elite progress with emphatic 5-0 win over Al-Shorta
- Al-Ahli are joined in the next round by Tractor, who claimed a 2-1 win over Qatar’s Al-Duhail through a late goal by Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh
- The first eight finishers in the league phases in east and west Asia advance to the round of 16, which will be played in March, with the quarterfinals, semifinals and final in Saudi Arabia in April
BAGHDAD: Defending champions Al-Ahli cruised to a 5-0 win over Al-Shorta in Baghdad on Monday as the Saudi Pro League side confirmed their progress to the knockout rounds of the Asian Champions League Elite alongside Iran’s Tractor FC.
Goals from Roger Ibanez, Ivan Toney, Galeno, Saleh Abu Al-Shamat and Ziyad Al-Johani sealed a comfortable win for Matthias Jaissle’s side, who moved on to 13 points from six matches to guarantee a top-eight finish in the 12-team standings.
“We did well today and we go home with three points,” Ibanez said. “That’s the important part.”
Ibanez gave Al-Ahli the lead when he converted Toney’s cut-back in the 30th minute and the former Brentford striker doubled the lead when he raced onto a pass through the middle by Galeno soon after the restart.
Galeno converted from a tight angle and Al-Shamat and Al-Johani netted in the closing stages as Al-Ahli bounced back from a surprise loss to Sharjah FC last month.
Al-Ahli are joined in the next round by Tractor, who claimed a 2-1 win over Qatar’s Al-Duhail through a late goal by Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh.
Benjamin Bourigeaud had given Al-Duhail a 35th-minute lead from the penalty spot but Shojae Khalilzadeh levelled the scores and Hosseinzadeh hit the winner two minutes into stoppage time.
Tractor moved on to 14 points and second in the table behind Al-Hilal who recorded a sixth consecutive win in the competition with a 1-0 victory over Sharjah in the UAE.
Simone Inzaghi’s side had already confirmed their place in the next phase and picked up another three points when Malcom struck with nine minutes remaining.
Al-Gharafa kept their qualification hopes alive through a 1-0 win over Al-Wahda from the UAE with Seydou Sano scoring an 87th-minute winner for the Qatari side.
Al-Gharafa climbed to six points and ninth in the table while Al-Wahda, who have qualified, dropped to fourth.
The first eight finishers in the league phases in east and west Asia advance to the round of 16, which will be played in March, with the quarteRfinals, semifinals and final in Saudi Arabia in April.
