Talor Gooch, Torque notch up title hat-tricks at LIV Golf Andalucia

Talor Gooch of RangeGoats GC annexed his third win of the season with a hard-fought one-shot victory over 2020 US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau at Valderrama, Spain, on Sunday.

Gooch – winner of back-to-back series events at Adelaide and Singapore – needed a birdie putt to keep Crushers GC captain DeChambeau at bay on the final hole of regulation at LIV Golf Andalucia.

His closing round of 4 under 67 gave Gooch a 12 under aggregate ahead of overnight joint leader DeChambeau who returned a 2 under 69 on Sunday. PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka took third place on 9 under 204.

Besides a third title for Gooch, Torque GC made it a hat-trick of wins as well. The Spanish-speaking team, led by Joaquin Niemann, returned a final-round best 7-under to finish on 16 under, five shots better than the RangeGoats, while DeChambeau’s Crushers – who also have Anirban Lahiri in the ranks – took third place.

“Just felt like I was going to make it,” Gooch said on the LIV Golf website later. “Before I even hit the putt, I was already visualising the fist pump that was coming with it. I’m glad it went in.”

“Last year I didn't get a win, so this year I was just so focused on getting an individual win,” said individual points leader Gooch, who now has a 27-point advantage over Koepka.

“You don't think much past the first one until you get the first one. I definitely didn't have three in mind for the season, but it's cool that we're here, and it's especially cool to have the third one here at Valderrama.”

DeChambeau struggled to duplicate his form of Saturday that saw him card a bogey-free 8 under par though his 69 on Sunday had just one dropped shot.

“I just didn't hit it well on the back nine today,” DeChambeau said. “I didn't hit it as well as yesterday. If I hit it better, I win by four or five.”

He did though make two great saves on Sunday including taking two “provisionals” on hole 11.

“That's where I started to break down,” the former US Open winner said. “I pulled it a little bit too much, and I've got to work on that under pressure. But I am finally getting back to where I can play and compete under pressure consistently.”

In the team event, Torque’s Niemann and Sebastián Muñoz had 3-under 69s while David Puig contributed a 2-under 69. Taken together, the three played their final three holes in a cumulative 4 under to seal their second win in a row after the Washington DC leg last month.

Torque now trail series leaders 4Aces GC of Dustin Johnson by just seven points. The Aces took fourth place at Valderrama.

The win was special for the 21-year-old Puig, the youngest player on the LIV Golf League roster and one of three Spanish-born players in the field along with Fireballs GC’s Sergio Garcia and Eugenio Chacarra. “It's amazing,” said Puig. “Playing at home is always good, and it's even more special when you get a win and when you get a win with this group of guys. It was a great week.”

Added Niemann: “Having David also the main character of this tournament is really special for us. I think it makes it a lot easier when we do everything together like we are a team. You can see in the results, we're playing great golf, and just looking forward for the rest of the season, try to keep doing the same and having a good time, as well.”

Gooch went toe-to-toe with major champions DeChambeau and Koepka in the final group. After making his only bogey of the day on hole 9, he hit a bogey-free 4 under on the back nine. DeChambeau led by two shots at the turn but Gooch caught him with birdies at 10 and 13. They each birdied the par-5 17th to remain tied.

Gooch then hit an approach shot to 12 feet, while DeChambeau had to navigate trees with his second shot, his ball landing in the rough behind the green. His chip shot set up an easy par, but Gooch sank his birdie putt. “My game is obviously in a good state, and I knew if I could get myself in the fairway a bunch, we were going to have a chance to win down the stretch,” said Gooch.

“We just kept plodding along, plodding along, and didn't really make a bunch of putts. That was the longest putt of the day, obviously, so it was nice to save the best one for last.”

Final team scores

1. Torque GC (-16): Sebastián Muñoz 68, Joaquin Niemann 68, David Puig 69

2. RangeGoats GC (-11): Talor Gooch 67, Harold Varner III 72, Thomas Pieters 73

3. Crushers GC (-7): Bryson DeChambeau 69, Paul Casey 72, Anirban Lahiri 75

4. 4Aces GC (-6): Patrick Reed 67, Dustin Johnson 72, Pat Perez 73

5. Smash GC (-4): Brooks Koepka 68, Jason Kokrak 68, Chase Koepka 75

6. Fireballs GC (-1): Sergio Garcia 70, Abraham Ancer 71, Carlos Ortiz 71

7. Majesticks GC (E): Laurie Canter 70, Ian Poulter 72, Lee Westwood 74

8. HyFlyers GC (+1): Cameron Tringale 69, Brendan Steele 69, James Piot 73

9. Stinger GC (+1): Dean Burmester 69, Branden Grace 69, Louis Oosthuizen 70

10. Rippers GC (+2): Cameron Smith 71, Matt Jones 72, Jediah Morgan 75

11. Iron Heads GC (+13): Scott Vincent 70, Danny Lee 73, Sihwan Kim 76

12. Cleeks GC (+14): Bernd Wiesberger 70, Richard Bland 73, Martin Kaymer 73