2022 LIV Golf in Jeddah leaderboard: Brooks Koepka takes victory on third playoff hole over Peter Uihlein

For the primary time in greater than a yr, Brooks Koepka is victorious. Capturing the 2022 LIV Golf in Jeddah occasion on Sunday, Koepka completed at 12 below and wanted three playoff holes to overhaul his teammate and 36-hole chief Peter Uihlein at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club. Playing alongside one another on the ultimate day, up-and-down rounds had been skilled by the 2 members of Smash GC.

Beginning the day one stroke off Uihlein’s tempo, Koepka rapidly went in entrance as his enjoying competitor carded a double bogey and bogey in his first three holes. The four-time main champion remained regular on his outward half, and in the end turned in 1 below earlier than including one other birdie on No. 10 to command a two-stroke lead over Uihlein, Sergio Garcia and a big forged of pursuers.

Only then did Koepka start to expertise some troubles of his personal. Making three consecutive bogeys from Nos. 11-13, the 33-year-old’s identify plummeted down the leaderboard. An unlikely birdie from the desert on the par-4 fifteenth put Koepka again on the straight and slim earlier than he added one other birdie on the 54th hole alongside Uilhein to knock Garcia and Joaquin Niemann out of competition at 11 below.

The two traded birdies on the primary two additional holes, however catastrophe struck for Uihlein on the third playoff hole when he hit his third shot from the greenside bunker into the water. Leaving the door open for Koepka, the Smash GC captain marched on by and secured his first win on LIV Golf with one more birdie.

“The last two years, they haven’t been fun. It’s been a long road, I am super excited,” mentioned Koepka. “My whole team, we got the band back together, literally. We got Claude [Harmon] on the team, Peter [Cowen] — I’ve worked with Pete very, very hard — and Jeff [Pierce] as well, so shoutout to them, this is for them.

“I did not know if my profession was over for a half second. I advised Claude that I wasn’t positive if I used to be going to play. It’s good to have the ability to come again and to have the ability to win.”

Koepka not solely triumphed individually but additionally led his workforce to its first victory. While Brooks was the star of the present, it was youthful brother Chase who supplied the regular hand as his scores had been used in every of the three rounds. With the victory, Smash GC moved as much as fifth in the workforce standings — narrowly lacking out on a bye in the primary spherical of the Team Championship — and would be the first to choose their quarterfinal opponent for the LIV Golf finale in two weeks.

Team leaderboard

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What is subsequent for LIV Golf?

The Team Championship is ready to happen Oct. 28-30 at Trump National Doral in Miami. The 4 Aces, Crushers, Fireballs and Stingers have all secured a bye on the primary day of competitors whereas the groups ranked 5-12 will partake in the quarterfinals. 

Koepka’s Smash GC is the fifth seed, and as such can have the primary alternative to pick the opponent it needs to face. This choice course of will proceed for the Majesticks, Torque GC and the Hy Flyers. Teams will compete in three matches — two singles and one alternate shot — on the primary two days of the championship earlier than taking to stroke play the place all 4 members’ scores will depend.