Talor Gooch Win the Second Straight LIV Golf Championship in Singapore
After defeating Sergio Garcia in a playoff hole at the LIV Singapore tournament at Sentosa Golf Club on Sunday, Talor Gooch became the first player to win back-to-back LIV Golf championships.
Since they finished at 17-under 196 to force a playoff, Gooch and Garcia closely followed each other in the final round, just as they had done for the majority of the first two rounds.
Gooch blasted a near-perfect second shot into the center of the par-5 18th hole, his first playoff hole, where he comfortably two-putted for a birdie after his tee ball skirted the water hazard.
Garcia’s second attempt at the playoff hole struck the greenside bunker, and the Spaniard was unable to make his birdie, giving Gooch the victory and a $4 million bonus.
The most of any player, Gooch has either taken the lead or shared the lead after a LIV round nine times. In the last six rounds, he has now held the lead or shared it.
Brooks Koepka, who has won two LIV Golf tournaments, scored a 67 to finish third at 16-under 197, one stroke ahead of Zimbabwean Scott Vincent (67), who had briefly threatened to establish a four-way tie for the lead before a bogey at the par-4 15th halted his progress.
Cam Smith (71) of the British Open, who combined routine birdies with bogeys for an even final round and a total score of 12-under 201, tied for sixth place.
Phil Mickelson finished the tournament in a tie for 13th place after shooting a final-round 72, which included two double bogeys.
Oklahoma’s Tulsa will host the following event beginning on May 12
Due to bad weather in the vicinity, the final round on Sunday was postponed after 13 shots of the shotgun format for more than an hour.
Following a shotgun start, Garcia started his round with Gooch and birdied three of the first nine holes to maintain a one-shot lead over the American. Gooch had four birdies and a bogey before making nine straight pars.
Garcia had played bogey-free golf through the first 47 holes of the Singapore Open at Sentosa in 2018, but two bogeys at the par-4 12th and 15th holes prevented him from repeating that feat.
Gooch had a 41-foot putt for eagle at the par-5 18th hole in regulation, but it came up just short to the left of the cup. Forcing Garcia to play under more pressure, the American, 31, made his birdie with ease.
Talor Gooch:
Taylor Gooch is a professional golfer from the United States. He was born on March 15, 1991, in Midwest City, Oklahoma. Gooch played college golf at Oklahoma State University and turned pro in 2014.
He has competed on the Web.com Tour and the PGA Tour, earning his first win on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019. Gooch has also played in major championships, including the 2021 Masters Tournament.