While Talor Gooch stood above a 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole of regulation Sunday afternoon at LIV Golf Andalucia, his confidence level was sky-high. In addition to doing the slam dunk, imagine celebrating afterwards when the slam dunk lands.
“I felt like I was going to do it,” Gooch said. “Before I even got hitched, I was already imagining the fist pump that comes with it. I’m glad he got in.”
Real Club’s dramatic birdie Gooch gave Valderrama a one-stroke victory over a battling Bryson DeChambeau and made the RangeGoats GC star the first three-time singles winner in LIV Golf’s young history. Gooch shot a final round 4-under 67 to finish on 12-under, with Crushers captain GC at 11-under after a 2-under 69. Smash GC captain Brooks Koepka was third at 9-under.
Gooch’s three wins in 2023 have all come outside his native United States, where he previously won back-to-back events in Adelaide and Singapore to become the first player to win back-to-back LIV Golf events.
“I didn’t get a win last year, so this year I’ve been focusing on getting an individual win,” said Gotch, who now leads the individual champion’s race by 27 points over Koepka. “Don’t think too much about going over the first until you get the first. I certainly didn’t have three in mind for this season, but it’s great that we’re here, and it’s especially great that we have the third here at Valderrama.”
Gooch wasn’t the only three-time winner on Sunday. Spanish-speaking Torque GC, led by Joaquin Niemann, also won their third team title of the season with a best count of 7-under in the final round to finish at 16-under, five strokes ahead of RangeGoats, with Crushers GC finishing third. . Niemann and Sebastián Muñoz scored 3-under 69s while David Puig contributed 2-under 69. These three played the last three holes of their rounds at 4-under cumulative.
It’s the second consecutive win for Torque, who won last month in the capital. The Torque is now just seven points behind the 4th-placed Aces GC leader, who finished fourth last season, at Valderrama.
The victory was particularly remarkable for 21-year-old Puig, the youngest player on the LIV Golf League roster and one of only three Hispanic players on the field alongside Fireballs GC’s Sergio Garcia and Eugenio Chacarra.
“It’s amazing,” Puig said. “Playing at home is always good, and it’s even more special when you win and when you win with this group of players. It was a great week.”
Said Niman: “Having David also the main character in this tournament is really special for us. I think it makes it a lot easier when we do everything together as if we were a team.
“You can see in the results, we’re playing great golf, just looking forward to the rest of the season, try to keep doing the same and have a good time too.”
Gooch certainly plays great golf as he went toe-to-toe with main champions DeChambeau and Koepka in the final group. After making his only bogey of the day in the ratings ninth, Gooch was clear of a bogey 4-under at the back nine.
DeChambeau was two strokes ahead on the turn but Gooch caught him birdie at 10 and 13. Gooch then hit a terrific close from 12 feet, while DeChambeau had to cruise into the trees with his second shot, as his ball landed in the rough behind the green. His chip putt set up an easy par, but Gooch made it a moot point by draining his birdie.
“Obviously my game is in good shape, and I knew if I could get myself in the right lane, we’d have a chance to win down the stretch,” Gooch said. “We just kept plodding along, not making a bunch of putts. That was the longest pitch of the day, so it was good to save the best for last.”
RD 3 state leaders
Driving Distance – Peter Uihlein, 340.5 yard average
longest drive — Peter Uihlein, 382.7 yards (17th hole)
Driving accuracy – Cameron Smith 86% (12 out of 14)
Greens in organization — Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka 78% (14 of 18)
scramble – Bryson DeChambeau 100% (4 of 4)
The lowest number of strokes David Puig, 22 ball
Most of the birds – Tallor Gooch, 8
Hassle-free tours – Bresson Dechambeau, 63 years old