The final day of the LIV Golf UK tournament was an absolute nail-biter. Andy Ogletree started off strong, just two strokes ahead of Tyrell Hatton and Cam Smith.
Ogletree kicked things off with a bang, birdying the first two holes and setting himself up for a potentially game-changing day.
The crowd was buzzing with excitement as his early performance hinted at a spectacular finish.
Ogletree, displaying remarkable composure, started his round with a flourish. He birdied the first two holes, setting himself up for what could be a defining moment in his career.
The crowd was electric, sensing that Ogletree’s strong start was a prelude to an exhilarating finish.
But the plot thickened as the day wore on. Jon Rahm, a golfer known for his unshakeable confidence and relentless drive, began to make his move.
By the 10th hole, Rahm had birdied to tie for the lead at -12, turning the heat up on Ogletree and sending a clear message: this battle was far from over.
Tyrell Hatton, not to be outdone, showcased his own brilliance. Nearly acing the 5th hole, Hatton was right in the mix, keeping the pressure on his rivals.
The amiable Hatton’s steady play and occasional flashes of brilliance kept him within striking distance, maintaining the suspense.
Cam Smith, on the other hand, struggled to keep up with the pace he had set in the previous rounds.
As the day progressed, Smith’s performance waned, and he slowly drifted away from the leaders, despite his earlier promise.
All eyes were on Jon Rahm, whose form was impeccable. Matching Ogletree stroke for stroke, Rahm’s presence on the JCB course was nothing short of formidable.
His consistency and precision made him a strong contender, and as the final holes approached, the crowd knew they were witnessing something special.
Adding to the excitement, Caleb Surratt and Kieran Vincent displayed exceptional perseverance and tenacity, significantly contributing to Legion XIII’s victory in the team series.
Their combined efforts, along with Rahm’s dominance and Hatton’s resilience, played a pivotal role in securing the team’s success, highlighting the collaborative spirit and high stakes of the competition.
Despite dropping shots towards the end, Surratt and Vincent’s earlier performances ensured the team held on to their win, underscoring the importance of their contributions.
The showdown at the LIV Golf UK tournament exemplified the very essence of competitive golf. It was a day filled with dramatic turns and breathtaking shots, where every putt and drive counted.
As the tournament drew to a close, the anticipation of who would emerge victorious kept fans on the edge of their seats.
With the final moments approaching, the stage was set for Jon Rahm to potentially claim the title.
His unwavering focus and skill under pressure highlighted why he is considered one of the best in the world.
As Rahm approached the 17th hole, a crucial misstep saw him drop a shot, giving Hatton a glimmer of hope.
Rahm finished the 18th hole with a par, leaving the score tied at 13 under with Hatton yet to play the last, notoriously difficult hole.
Hatton’s approach to the 18th left him with an immensely difficult birdie putt to win the tournament.
The 65-foot putt sailed past the hole, leaving a tricky 6-foot par putt to push the round into a playoff. In a heartbreaking turn of events, Hatton missed the par putt, gifting the victory to Rahm.
The day was a testament to the unpredictable and thrilling nature of golf. Rahm’s victory, sealed by Hatton’s unfortunate miss, capped off a tournament that will be remembered for its high stakes, dramatic twists, and sheer skill displayed by all competitors.
Prior to leaving for a four-week stretch of tournaments in Europe, Jon Rahm was told by his wife Kelley that their oldest child, Kepa, had a request. Please bring home a trophy.
After a tie for 10th at LIV Golf Andalucía and a tie for 7th at last week’s Open Championship, Rahm fulfilled his son’s request at LIV Golf UK by JCB on Sunday.
In fact, the 29-year-old Spanish star earned two trophies, claiming his first LIV Golf individual title while also leading Legion XIII to its fourth team victory of the season.
“Just knowing I’m bringing a trophy home for them, it feels good to see that it’s coming home,” said Rahm, who has one more tournament left next week at the Olympics in his busy summer schedule.
It was a victory that had been eagerly anticipated since the two-time major winner joined the league last December.
But it was also a bittersweet win as it came at the expense of his close friend and Legion XIII teammate Tyrrell Hatton.
Rahm, playing in the group ahead of Hatton, finished off a final-round 4-under 67 that left him at 13 under.
Hatton was also at 13 under as he played the 18th hole. The Englishman, playing in front of his home crowd, found the green in two, and then did well to knock his 76-foot birdie putt to 5 feet.
But with a chance to force a playoff against his captain, Hatton missed the par putt, leaving a muted celebration for the entire team.
“Obviously, you always want to win,” said Rahm, victorious for the first time since the 2023 Masters.
“Selfishly you always want to get that done. But you don’t want to see a teammate and a good friend missing a putt for that to happen for me. It’s a bit of an unusual situation that I don’t think any of us are used to.”
Said Hatton, who shot a final-round 69: “Still pretty raw for me as an individual. It’s kind of hard to put that to one side.
Golf is generally an individual sport, and ultimately your individual results will reflect what happens within the team.
I’m really happy for the guys to have a solid weekend and for us to win our fourth event as a team, but it doesn’t change how I feel towards my own individual performance.
It sucks to bogey the last in front of your home crowd to effectively miss out on a playoff. That’s unfortunately the reality of my situation at the moment.”
Both Rahm and Hatton started the final round intent on chasing down 36-hole leader Andy Ogletree of HyFlyers GC.
Ogletree opened with consecutive birdies and led by four shots at one point before the rest of the field started to chip away at his lead.
Ogletree double-bogeyed the eighth hole but still had a share of the lead with Rahm after consecutive birdies at the drivable par-4 12th and par-5 13th.
But the American followed with consecutive double bogeys on the next two holes to fall out of contention.
Englishman Paul Casey of Crushers GC was also in the hunt until he suffered his own double-bogey at the par-4 15th after an errant drive.
Hard-charging Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann made a spirited run until a late bogey, while Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith battled back from three early bogeys to make his presence felt.
In the end, though, it came down to Rahm and Hatton. The latter, who recently won his first LIV Golf title in Nashville, bounced back from a double-bogey at the sixth and was a bogey-free 3-under on his next 11 holes before reaching the 18th.
Meanwhile, Rahm seemed in command until he opened the door with a three-putt at the island-green 17th.
At that point, Legion XIII was assured of the team title, but a playoff between teammates for the individual trophy seemed imminent – until it wasn’t.
It was an emotional victory on several levels for Rahm, who had finished in the top 10 in each of the previous nine LIV Golf tournaments he has completed.
“Finally got one done,” he said. “You never want to get those feelings to go on for too long, and to get over the hump feels great, incredible.
It’s been a fantastic week and a fantastic year, and just relieved that it happened. … Feels like I got a lot of weight off my shoulders on that one.”
LEGION XIII’S FOURTH WIN:
LIV Golf’s newest team continues to find its way to the top of the podium in its expansion season.
Legion XIII, captained by Jon Rahm, won for a league-leading fourth time this season. It’s the third consecutive year that a LIV Golf team has won at least four times.
In the 2022 beta-test Invitational season, Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces GC won four regular-season tournaments, then capped the year by claiming the Team Championship.
In last year’s first full season, Joaquin Niemann’s Torque GC won four regular-season trophies but not the Team Championship.
And now Legion XIII has won four times, although the team remains in second place in the standings, 15.5 points behind Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC, who have two wins and four other podium results, including a tie for third Sunday.
Although Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton are LIV Golf’s most lethal one-two punch this season, Kieran Vincent and first-year pro Caleb Surratt have produced for Legion XIII when needed, avoiding the crippling high scores that can prove to be the difference, especially when all four scores count in the final round.
“Even though it may not look like we had flashy scores today, we still put in good scores for what we had this week, so I’m proud of Caleb and obviously the rest of the guys,” Vincent said.
While Rahm shot a 4-under 67 to win and Hatton tied for second with a 69, Surratt shot an even-par 71 and Vincent a 1-over 72 in a round that included 17 pars and one bogey.
“When you’re looking at the leaderboard and you see what our team score is and then how these two guys were playing, it just makes you think of how great of an opportunity me and Kieran have to learn and compete with the two best players arguably,” said the 20-year-old Surratt. “That’s a blessing in itself. It was pretty great golf to watch.”
SEVEN HEADED TO OLYMPICS:
LIV Golf UK by JCB winner Jon Rahm and six other LIV Golf players are now headed to France to compete for Olympic medals in next week’s men’s tournament at Le Golf National outside of Paris.
Rahm will represent Spain along with Fireballs GC’s David Puig. Competing for Chile are Torque GC teammates Joaquin Niemann and Mito Pereira.
Another Torque player, Carlos Ortiz, will play for Mexico, as will Fireballs’ Abraham Ancer. Adrian Meronk of Cleeks GC is representing Poland.
