Golfers were greeted with a trademark tropical Singapore welcome on Championship Sunday at the LIV tournament, when a barrage of showers midway through the round swelled into a full deluge that forced two suspensions of play.
Just as the torrential conditions were a surprise after three days of fair weather at Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong course, eventual winner Bryson DeChambeau snuck up on overnight leaders Joaquin Niemann and Lee Westwood, besting wild card player Richard T. Lee in a playoff.
Describing the win as an “incredible relief”, DeChambeau said, “I haven’t won in four rounds since the 2024 US Open. Being able to come through on a golf course like this that’s super brutal and demands precision on every single shot, especially with the conditions changing, I couldn’t be happier for my team.”
“It was huge for me, especially with it being wet conditions and thick blades and struggling with my wedges.”
DeChambeau and Lee sat tied-third heading into Sunday (Mar 15) on nine-under, a stroke behind Niemann and Westwood, but the Torque GC captain’s challenge faded in the back nine after a promising start with four birdies in the front.
The untimely rain suspensions seemed to take the wind out of the Chilean’s sails as he added three birdies on the 12th, 15th and 18th to shoot a one-under 70 and finish fourth (-11).
Meanwhile, Westwood’s charge, which ended with a birdie on the 18th, was all but over after a bogey on the par-four 16th.
Birdies on the four of Lee’s last six holes, posted the clubhouse target of 14-under, which DeChambeau gamely matched, setting up the grandstand finish under grey, sodden skies.
A wayward tee shot by the two-time major winner saw him find the water, and it looked like it was curtains for DeChambeau until a botched putt by Lee for par gave the American his fourth LIV victory.
“To get it done was quite memorable and one that – even hitting it in the water on the last hole for the playoff, G-Bo is like, Bryson, just go make par, that’s all you can do. And we went and did that,” the 32-year-old said, referring to the encouragement he received from caddie Gregory Bodine.
But DeChambeau conceded that watching Lee’s missed putt was not the way he would have wanted to secure victory.
“Absolutely hated it for Richard. He’s been playing some unbelievable golf. He’s beaten me in a few of the rounds I’ve played with him, and he’s a stellar player. I wanted to go another hole with him. As much as winning is great, I have a lot of respect for Richard and the way he golfs his ball out there,” he added, with his hands on his head after witnessing Lee’s agonising miss.
Despite his late fumble, Lee’s runner-up finish also meant he eclipsed the best-ever finish for a LIV Golf Wild Card player (T12).
Having earned a spot on the 2026 season by winning the Promotions event, Lee credited his newfound self-belief to his performance at the qualifier event.
“LIV Promotions, there are only three spots, and you’ve got to play lights out. Yeah, I just played the best I could and don’t look back.”
But for all his good work leading up to the final hole, the Canadian admitted experiencing nerves on the playoff hole.
“There are some slick putts out there. There are some little lies out there. It was a short putt, and I wanted to just hit it hard, but I hit it a little too hard. I think the adrenaline was pumping a little bit. Then again, I felt like I had it this week. I played really well. Hopefully, next week I can try again.”
Rightfully, Lee’s performances have also drawn praise from DeChambeau, who described him as a “superstar”.
“Seeing Richard go and play the way he did finishing out, he’s a real superstar, and the league should be really proud to have him on as a wild card.”
4Aces GC (Dustin Johnson, Thomas Pieters, Thomas Detry, Anthony Kim) pulled clear to win the team competition comfortably, marking their first back-to-back victories since LIV Golf’s inaugural campaign in 2022.
Captain Johnson said, “I feel like we got four really good players, so that’s what it takes out here. Obviously, the league gets better every single year. It gets harder to win. You’ve got to have four good players if you want to have a chance. Right now, I feel like we do. I’m excited for the rest of the year and see what we can do.”
LIV heads to South Africa this Friday for its Mar 19-22 tournament.
