The scores were high, the field was tight, and two of the world’s best battled it out in an amazing playoff!
Brooks Koepka fought through an extremely competitive field and saved his best performance for Championship Sunday, securing his first victory since LIV Singapore, and his fifth overall since joining the tour!
The rubber match between Koepka’s Smash and Cam Smith’s Ripper ended with Smash pulling away down the stretch and tying a team scoring record of 53-under.
Brooks Kopeka Crowned Champion of Greenbrier
Koepka’s mistake-free Sunday resulted in his second individual championship for the season and played a huge part in securing Smash GC’s second team championship of the season, the last being back in February at LIV Las Vegas.
Brooks finally got the better of Jon Rahm, who led the tournament after Saturday night, as well as a host of other great competitors including Richard Bland (17-under; T4) and Smash teammate Jason Kokrak (18-under; Third Place). Koepka was in command of the field through most of the final nine until a surging Rahm made it interesting with a late birdie to send the two into a memorable playoff on the Par 3 18th.
Rahm fired his first shot too far into the bunker behind the pin and followed up with a substandard out, setting up an improbable, but not impossible putt for par.
Koepka, having landed just off the green, missed a lengthy put for birdie, but set himself nicely with a layup for par.
In what would be Rahm’s last chance to send the tournament into a second playoff hole, the Spaniard missed his putt by less than a centimetre towards the hole, paving the way for Koepka to win with a short putt for par!
“We’ve gone head-to-head a few times, and it’s always a fun one for the spectators,” said a disappointed Rahm.
“It’s fun for us and obviously more fun for whoever wins, but it always seems to come down the stretch.
Last time I had a putt to win it on 18, and this time he was the one that ended up winning.”
2024 Individual Champion Status and Implications for Season Finale
Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm and Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann are atop the Individual points standings after LIV Golf Greenbrier and are the only two players remaining with a mathematical chance of winning the season-long title.
With his runner-up finish, Rahm moved ahead of Niemann by less than three points, 195.17 to 192.20.
It’s the first time any player other than Niemann, who won two of the first three tournaments, has topped the individual standings this season.
Rahm’s Legion XIII teammate Tyrrell Hatton remained in third place at 143.49 points after failing to finish inside the top 24 for the first time this season.
With 40 points for a victory, he’s too far behind to catch the top two.
That means it’s Rahm vs. Niemann at Bolingbrook Golf Club, Sept. 13-15.
“I’m probably going to need to win,” said Rahm, who has finished inside the top 10 in each of his 11 completed LIV Golf tournaments.
“He’s going to be up there. I’m going to need another good week, and hopefully get it done.”
Said Niemann: “He’s been playing great lately, so obviously he’s probably going to keep doing the same.
I’ve got to try to bring my ‘A’ game and try to show some good golf, and hopefully it’ll be enough.”
While those two players are guaranteed to claim the top two bonus-earning positions, third place also offers a season-long bonus.
Hatton has an 8-point lead over Fireballs GC Captain Sergio Garcia, with Stinger GC Captain Louis Oosthuizen, Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith and Smash GC Captain Brooks Koepka – thanks to his Greenbrier victory – still mathematically alive.
Smash Battles Ripper for the Team Win, Ties Low Team Score Record
Cam’s All-Aussie Ripper GC started the day in prime position to make a run at a third-team victory, it was not to be.
Brooks and Smash made birdie after birdie down the stretch whereas Ripper missed nearly every scoring opportunity, settling for par and watching the boys in blue blow past them in the team standings.
While Koepka led the way, the record-tying effort was aided by the superb play of Jason Kokrak (18-under; T3) and a fantastic Sunday effort from super-substitute John Catlin (5-under; T37).
DeChambeau’s Record Safe for Another Year
Bryson’s 58 remains safe for at least one more season. Finishing a respectable 11-under for a T15 finish, the Crushers captain could not recapture last season’s magic, but might take some solace in the fact that nobody in the field came too close to threatening his record, the best being Louis Oosthuizen finishing Sunday with a 60.
DeChambeau will look towards Chicago for a final chance at the individual victory which has somehow eluded him this season.
