JOHANNESBURG: An emotional Bryson DeChambeau beat Jon Rahm on the first play-off hole to claim the inaugural LIV Golf South Africa title at Steyn City in Johannesburg on Sunday, claiming back-to-back victories on tour after winning in Singapore the previous week.
Both DeChambeau and Rahm finished on 26 under-par over 72 holes, but the American claimed his fifth LIV Golf title on the first extra hole with a birdie.
A tearful DeChambeau revealed he has faced challenges off the course this week without elaborating.
“A lot had happened in my life in the last week, I am so grateful for my team and everybody supporting me,” he said.
“Golf is a fickle game, you work so hard at it your whole life and then you realize golf is just golf.”
DeChambeau’s quartet, the Crushers, which also includes Paul Casey, Charles Howell III and Anirban Lahiri, won the team event as they beat South Africa’s Southern Guards by a single shot with 76 under-par.
Officials on Sunday announced the event in South Africa would be staged again in 2027, though with revised dates of April 22-25.
“South Africa was unbelievable, it has to be the best LIV Golf event we have ever had,” DeChambeau said.
In women’s golf, World No. 7 Hannah Green stormed to her third title in succession on Sunday, a rare feat no Australian woman golfer has achieved before.
The major winner carded a 69 to finish 16-under at the Ladies European Tour co-sanctioned Australian WPGA Championship to win by four shots from Germany’s Alexandra Forsterling and South African Casandra Alexander.
It followed her victory at the Australian Open in Adelaide last week, which came on the heels of her seventh LPGA title at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore.
No Australian has ever won three tournaments in succession on international tours, not even the legendary Karrie Webb who accumulated 56 career titles including seven majors.
“It feels really amazing. Again, hasn’t really sunk in, but it’s been a really crazy month,” said 29-year-old Green at the Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club on the Gold Coast.
“I guess it’s been four weeks since I won Singapore. But it’s been really special to be able to do this in Australia.”
Green skipped two LPGA tournaments to be able to compete in her homeland.
She began the day two strokes clear and briefly had a six-shot buffer before successive bogeys saw that advantage reduced to just two.
But she held her nerve on the back nine and headed to the 18th with a three-stroke lead before ending with a birdie to complete a dominant win.
Green will seek a fourth straight win at the LPGA Aramco Championship in Las Vegas from April 2.
