SINGAPORE – Talor Gooch became the first player to win back-to-back LIV golf titles with a playoff victory over Sergio Garcia in the LIV Singapore Championship at Sentosa Golf Club on Sunday.
Gooch and Garcia remained in the shadows for most of the opening two rounds and the final round was no different, with both the American and the Spaniard never more than one stroke away as they finished on 17-under 196 to force a playoff.
In the first 18th playoff, Gooch cleared a water hazard with his tee shot, but played a second near-perfect putt into the heart of the green where he easily put up two putts from a putt.
Garcia’s second putt into the playoff hole found the bunker green and the Spaniard was unable to make his birdie giving Gooch his second consecutive win and $4 million prize.
For Gooch, this is the ninth time he has led or shared the lead after the LIV round, the most of any player. He has now led or shared the lead in the past six rounds.
Two-time LIV golf tournament winner Brooks Koepka fired a 67 to finish third at 16-under 197, one shot ahead of Scott Vincent (67) of Zimbabwe, who briefly threatened to make it a four-way battle for the title before a bogey at the par-4 15 halted his momentum. .
British Open champion Cam Smith (71) finished tied for sixth after mixing the regular birdie with the bogey in an even final round and with an aggregate score of 12-under-201.
Phil Mickelson scored 72 times, with two double bogeys in his final outing, to drop off the leaderboard in a tie for 13th.
Like the first round, Sunday’s final round was delayed by over an hour due to inclement weather in the area after a 13-hole par-gun format.
Garcia, who started his first hole with Gotch, birdied three of the first nine holes to hold the lead with the American, who had four birdies-and-bogeys nine consecutive seasons ago.
Garcia won the Singapore Open in Sentosa in 2018 and played bogey-free golf in the first 47 holes, but two bogeys in the fourth round 12 and 15 hampered his efforts for a repeat win here.
In the 5th of 18th in regulation, Gooch had a 41-foot putt for Eagle that narrowly missed to the left of the trophy. The 31-year-old American easily made his birdie to put the pressure back on Garcia.
The Spaniard responded by calmly making his birdie from 11 feet to force a playoff.
The next event is in Tulsa, Oklahoma, starting May 12th.