Dustin Johnson birdies first playoff hole to beat Cameron Smith, Branden Grace at LIV Golf Tulsa

It’s the second LIV victory for Johnson.

It took an extra hole, but Dustin Johnson did just enough to earn his second LIV Golf victory.

Johnson, the two-time major champion, birdied his final hole in regulation to get into a playoff with Cameron Smith and Branden Grace, and then he birdied the par-4 18th again to win LIV Golf Tulsa at Cedar Ridge Country Club.

Johnson knocked in his putt from just off the fringe, and he was the second player to go. Grace putted first, also from the fringe, and his narrowly missed to the left. Smith was the closest of the three, and his putt was off from the start, missing right.

It’s Johnson’s first victory since winning LIV Golf Boston last year. He led after 36 holes in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, at 14 under, and his 3-under 67 on Sunday was enough to get him in a playoff at 17 under.

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Johnson joins Talor Gooch, who has won the past two events, and Brooks Koepka as golfers to win twice in LIV’s first 14 events.

Smith shot a 9-under 61, tying the lowest round in LIV history, which Grace set Friday. Harold Varner III also shot 9 under on Sunday, placing fourth overall at 13 under.

In the team competition, it was Louis Oosthuizen’s Stinger GC with a one-shot victory over Johnson’s 4Aces GC. Stinger finished at 40 under. RangeGoats GC placed third at 35 under.

The next LIV event is in Washington D.C. at Trump National in two weeks.

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LIV Golf Tulsa first round draws one of largest crowds in league’s short history: ‘Just shows we’re doing something right’

“I think this is probably the best one we’ve had in America, to be quite honest.”

BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — There’s no questioning LIV Golf had its most successful event fan wise three weeks ago in Adelaide, Australia.

However, there may be a new top event in the United States.

Fans came out in droves for the first round of LIV Golf Tulsa. They braved rainy conditions at some times, as well. Golf fans in Oklahoma are one of the reasons LIV Golf decided to come to the state, and they turned out Friday to Cedar Ridge Country Club.

“I think this is probably the best one we’ve had in America, to be quite honest,” first-round leader Branden Grace said of the crowds. “In Australia it was fantastic. Singapore was really good, as well. We came out there with a warm welcome, and you come to Tulsa, the guys are really loving it out here. They’re sport hungry, or event hungry, if I can put it that way.

“I’ve heard for the first time in America where — the U.S. where you see where the guys are going to go this week; are they going to support the PGA Tour or come out to LIV, and I heard a hell of a lot more people saying they’re coming out to the LIV and seeing what it’s all about. Just shows we’re doing something right.”

LIV Golf Tulsa: Photos | Merchandise

There’s no official attendance, but LIV officials estimated at least 10,000 fans were going to be at the tournament each day. The number was that and possibly more during the first round.

Now, compared to the 2022 PGA Championship, which was held about 10 miles away at Southern Hills Country Club, the LIV Golf Tulsa crowd is minuscule, and it’s not quite fair to correlate the 14th event in the league’s history to a major championship. It does, however, compare more to the Senior PGA Championship that was held at Southern Hills in 2021.

It’s a sign of growth and interest, even with all of the commotion and controversy surrounding the league.

“The crowds were amazing, and the energy was great,” Brendan Steele said. “So exciting that everybody showed up and is having a great time out here because we think we have a great thing going, and I love to see people in new places come out and check it out.”

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Playing only 3 ½ hours north of the PGA Tour event in McKinney, Texas, this is the closest the two tours have competed near each other since LIV began play last June. But the location, being in a golf-crazed state like Oklahoma, is pivotal for LIV having one of its largest crowds yet.

Every player who talked with media after the round spoke about the crowds, including former Oklahoma State star Talor Gooch, who has won the past two LIV events.

“For the American events so far, Miami last year might have been the only one that felt like it was bigger than today from a crowd perspective,” Gooch said. “I was happy that Oklahoma turned out today.”

Added Dustin Johnson: “I think the crowds were great today. A lot of fans out there. There was a lot of support.”

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You’ll be shocked to see LIV Golf’s top money earners compared to their earnings on the PGA Tour

LIV distributed $255 million in prize money with 52 players earning more than $1 million.

Pat Perez is unapologetic for joining LIV Golf and cashing in after more than two decades on the PGA Tour. Though no one feels sorry for a man who won nearly $29 million in prize money in 21 years on the tour, Perez wanted what everyone wants: Less work; more money.

He found it with LIV.

“I just couldn’t be happier,” he said Sunday at the conclusion of LIV’s inaugural season. “It’s unbelievable.”

Perez is part of the Dustin Johnson’s 4 Aces, which won LIV’s team championship at Trump National Doral on Sunday. The title pushed Perez’s season earnings above $8 million.

LIV, financed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, distributed $255 million in prize money in 2022, including $30 million in bonuses. In all, 52 golfers earned more than $1 million.

Here are the top 10 on LIV’s money list for its inaugural year and how this year compares to their time on the PGA Tour.

Branden Grace goes low Saturday to win LIV Golf Invitational Series event in Portland

Grace last won at the 2021 Puerto Rico Open and is the second South African to win a LIV Golf event.

NORTH PLAINS, Ore. — The second LIV Golf Invitational Series went down to the wire, with Branden Grace coming out on top.

The 34-year-old South African chipped in for birdie on the par-4 16th to take a two-shot lead with two holes to play and rode that margin to victory at 13 under. Grace shot a 7-under 65 in the final round at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club outside of Portland thanks to just one bogey and eight birdies, including three over the last four holes. Grace, whose last win came on the PGA Tour at the 2021 Puerto Rico Open, followed in the footsteps of fellow countryman Charl Schwartzel, who won the inaugural LIV Golf event outside London last month.

The win earns Grace a whopping $4 million, a third of what he made in his entire PGA Tour career ($12,226,197).

Dustin Johnson and his 4 Aces GC ran away with the team title by seven shots at 23 under. For the team win, Johnson and his teammates Patrick Reed, Talor Gooch and Pat Perez will each take home $750,000 each, on top of their individual earnings. Stinger GC came in second at 16 under, with Fireballs GC taking third at 12 under thanks to a birdie on the final hole from Carlos Ortiz.

LIV Golf’s next event is later this month at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster.

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Best buds go low in best ball: Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele open up 5-stroke lead at Zurich Classic

“It’s the third quarter. We finished a really good three quarters here and we have one more to go.”

Threes were wild on the scorecard for Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele at TPC Louisiana on Saturday.

The American duo only had four threes marked on the scorecard on the first nine holes of their third round at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, but one of them was an eagle by Cantlay. He was just getting started as he poured in five back-nine birdies in the best-ball format for a total of 11 3’s on the card. It added up to 12-under 60 and a 54-hole tournament scoring record of 29-under 187 that shattered the previous record by six strokes and helped them open up a five-stroke lead over the South African pair of Branden Grace and Garrick Higgo.

“In a format like today you’re just trying to birdie every single hole,” Cantlay said, and they nearly did just that on the back nine, settling for eight birdies and a lone par at the par-3 14th.

Zurich Classic: Leaderboard | PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ | Sunday tee times

Cantlay and Schauffele arrived at the first tee to the walk-up music of The Animals hit song, “House of the Rising Sun,” but got off to a sluggish start and were only 2 under through their first six holes thanks to a Schauffele birdie at the second and Cantlay getting on the board at the fifth. But Cantlay heated up quickly, canning a 19-foot eagle at 7.

The back nine was an absolute clinic as they alternated birdies with Schauffele making putts on Nos. 10 and 12 (an 18-footer) and Cantlay at Nos. 11, 13 (from 20 feet) and ramming in a 14-foot birdie putt at 15 that hit the back of the cup. Cantlay broke the even-odd string with a 10-foot birdie putt at 16 and wasn’t done yet, holing a 12-footer at 17.

“It’s a little reminiscent of the way he putted at the BMW when he got on that hot little run,” said PGA Tour Sirius/XM Radio’s Dennis Paulson, referring to Cantlay’s record-setting performance at the BMW Championship en route to the FedEx Cup title. “They haven’t been as long, but they’re going in the middle.”

Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele fist bump on the 17th hole during the third round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports

Schauffele complained at the start of the week that his game hasn’t been up to snuff this season, but he was smiling after a birdie at 18 (even hole so it was his turn) as the duo shot 59 on Thursday and 60 on Saturday in the best-ball format. After the round, Schauffele was asked if he had turned a corner. “Yeah, I did the right thing and I found a really good partner. So yeah, I feel great right now.”

The South African pairing of Grace and Higgo, who weren’t even planning on playing this week, shot 63 with an eagle at 7 but also made a costly bogey at 12.

“The morning after Bourbon Street feels worse than a bogey in this format,” CBS’s Colt Knost said.

Grace was going to sit this week out to be home for his son’s birthday, but he ended up suggesting to Higgo that they both had been playing better than their scores indicated and perhaps they could find something. So far, so good.

Three teams are tied for third a shot farther back, including Sam Burns and Billy Horschel.

“We haven’t played a clean round yet this week, and I think if we do that tomorrow, we give ourselves a chance,” Horschel said.

On Sunday, the format switches back to alternate shot, which is a much tougher format than best-ball, and it could be even tougher if gusting winds expected to reach 25 miles per hour have anything to do with it.

“That’s even more conducive to having a chance to make up those (six) shots a little bit easier,” Horschel said.

Jason Day plays his shot from the 17th tee during the third round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports

But Jason Day, who is playing with fellow Aussie Jason Scrivener and tied for third, knows they are trying to chase down two of the best players in the game and best buds who are very comfortable playing together.

“Patrick and Xander, they’re playing some phenomenal golf, so they’re going to be very difficult to catch and to pass tomorrow,” Day said.

Schauffele, No. 11 in the world, won the Olympic gold medal in men’s golf in August, but his last official PGA Tour victory is the 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions in January of that year in Hawaii. He would love nothing more than to hold a trophy again on Sunday.

Cantlay, World No. 4, hasn’t endured much of a drought, having won the Tour Championship in August, but he’s twice been a hard-luck playoff loser this season: at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February and the RBC Heritage last week. He’d like to get out of his recent rut of being close but no cigar.

Given how well Cantlay and Schauffele have teamed so far, it’s not surprising that the game plan for Sunday is simple.

“We’re going to try and do exactly what we did on Friday, which is sort of plot along, play our games, leave each other in good spots, and try and hole some putts,” Cantlay said.

The Team of Cantlay and Schauffele are on target to shatter the tournament 72-hole scoring record as well as aiming to become the event’s first team to win in wire-to-wire fashion. Moreover, their five-stroke margin is the largest after 54 holes in tournament history. But Schauffele, who is winless when holding the 54-hole lead on Tour in four previous attempts, isn’t looking ahead to trying on the winner’s silver belts.

“It’s the third quarter,” he said. “We finished a really good three quarters here and we have one more to go.”

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Kevin Kisner wins Wyndham Championship in six-way playoff

Kevin Kisner birdies the second playoff hole to win on the PGA Tour for the first time since 2019.

It took six playoff participants and two extra holes to reach an outcome, and in the end it was Kevin Kisner winning the Wyndham Championship, the final regular-season event on the PGA Tour’s 50-event “super season.”

On the second playoff hole, Kisner, the last to hit his approach shot among the six, stuffed a 9-iron to 4 feet on No. 18 at Sedgefield Country Club. He watched as the other five settled for par before stepping up and drilling his birdie putt for the win.

It was Kisner’s third PGA Tour win and first since the 2019 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. His last stroke-play victory was at Colonial in 2017. It was also his first playoff victory on Tour after five previous defeats.

Kisner outlasted Si Woo Kim, Adam Scott, Roger Sloan, Kevin Na and Branden Grace in the 12th playoff this season.

Wyndham: Leaderboard | Photo gallery

The win moves Kisner into the top 30 in the FedEx Cup Playoffs standings.

Scott had a chance to win it on the first playoff hole but missed a 4-footer for birdie. All six golfers parred the first extra hole.

Sunday’s final round was moved up a few hours as PGA Tour officials were looking to avoid potential weather delays.

Five things to know about Branden Grace (who’s challenging at the PGA Championship)

Branden Grace is having a day (so far) at the 103rd PGA Championship.

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – Branden Grace is having a day at the 103rd PGA Championship. One day after turning 33, the South African was going low at the windswept Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Resort until finding the water on the tricky No. 17.

Here are five things to know as Grace finishes up his second round near the top of the leaderboard after the early wave of players.

Winner’s Bag: Branden Grace, Puerto Rico Open

A complete list of the gear South Africa’s Branden Grace used to win the PGA Tour’s 2021 Puerto Rico Open.

A complete list of the golf equipment Branden Grace used to win the PGA Tour’s 2021 Puerto Rico Open:

DRIVER: Callaway Epic Speed (9 degrees), with Mitsubishi Diamana TB 60 shaft

FAIRWAY WOOD: Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero (16.5 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus 6 Blue shaft

IRONS: Callaway Apex UT (3), with Fujikura prototype shaft, X Forged CB (4-PW), with Project X 6.5 shafts

WEDGES: Callaway JAWS MD5 (52, 56, 60 degrees), with Project X 6.5 shafts

PUTTER: Odyssey 2-Ball Ten

BALL: Titleist Pro V1x

GRIPS: Golf Pride MCC (full swing) / SuperStroke Taxion Claw 1.0 (putter)

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Just weeks after his father’s death, Branden Grace finishes eagle-birdie to win Puerto Rico Open

Branden Grace made an eagle and a birdie in his final two holes to win the Puerto Rico Open for his second PGA Tour victory.

Branden Grace sure has a flair for the dramatic.

Back in 2016, Grace won his first PGA Tour event with a final-round 66 at the RBC Heritage. On Sunday afternoon, he did the same, holing-out for eagle on the par-4 17th and then making birdie from the sand on the par-5 18th to reach 19 under and claim the trophy at the 2021 Puerto Rico Open at Grand Reserve Country Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.

Jhonattan Vegas made birdie on the par-5 18th to reach 18 under, briefly tying Grace for the lead and ultimately finishing second. Rafael Campos, who was born in San Juan and now resides in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, fell short once again in his home country, earning a third top-10 finish at the tournament.

Puerto Rico Open: Leaderboard

Campos and Grayson Murray finished T-3 at 16 under, while Brice Garnett and Andrew Putnam round out the top five at 15 under.

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Branden Grace WDs from Barracuda Championship after positive COVID test

Branden Grace has withdrawn from the Barracuda Championship after testing positive for COVID-19 before the third round.

Branden Grace has withdrawn from the Barracuda Championship after testing positive for COVID-19 before the third round.

Grace was tied for second through two rounds with Matthias Schwab and Robert Streb, each having +20 points in the event’s Modified Stableford scoring system.

“I felt great all week,” Grace said in a statement released by the PGA Tour. “Last night, I was tired and thought it had to do with the altitude. This morning, I notified the PGA Tour about my symptoms before going to the golf course. I wanted to get tested out of respect for my peers and everyone involved with the tournament. While it is unfortunate given my position on the leaderboard, the most important thing is our health.”

Barracuda Championship: Leaderboard | Best photos

The Tour also says it has implemented its response plan in consultation with medical experts, which includes identifying individuals with whom Grace might have come into contact. After conducting the necessary contact tracing, the Tour’s medical advisors are not recommending any additional testing at this time.

The Tour reports that Grace’s caddie tested negative for COVID-19, but in accordance with CDC guidelines and Tour health and safety protocols, he will still quarantine for a period of 14 days.

Grace, a South African, has made six starts since the Tour restarted in June. He was T-19 at the Charles Schwab Challenge and 61st at the RBC Heritage, but has missed the last four cuts.

He becomes the 10th player, or caddie, to record a positive test for COVID-19 since the Tour’s restart.

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