SAN ROQUE, Spain – On a beautiful Sunday at LIV Golf Andalucía, Smash GC’s Talor Gooch narrowly hung on to his 36-hole lead to earn his fourth individual LIV Golf title and his first since 2023. Gooch, who won the league’s Individual Championship in 2023, has now won two of the three events played at Valderrama on LIV Golf.
The 33-year-old followed his Saturday 5-under 66 with a 1-under 70 to hold off a hard-charging back that was headlined by Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm. Rahm shot a 6-under 65, tying him with Ripper GC’s Matt Jones for the low round of the day.
Rahm was able to celebrate a win, however. His Legion XIII shot 5 under for the week and took the team title, edging Fireballs GC (3 under).
Rahm tied Gooch at 7 under when Rahm had one hole to play and Gooch had two, including the par-5 17th. Gooch would make birdie after an excellent lag putt from off the green, and Rahm drove it left into the trees on the 18th. After a punch out and a wedge shot that left him close to 20 feet, Rahm made a momentum-saving putt on the last hole followed by an enormous fist pump to keep his hopes of the individual title alive. However, Gooch played the 18th hole brilliantly, leaving himself a tap-in for par and the win.
Legion XIII was led by fantastic rounds from Rahm and Tom McKibbin (5-under 66). Caleb Surratt came up clutch for Rahm, making birdie on five of his last nine holes after playing his first nine at 4-over par. Surratt finished with a 1-under 70. Teammate Tyrrell Hatton shot even-par 70 to help his team to the hardware.
The win marks the third of the season for Legion XIII, with all three victories coming outside the United States (Riyadh and Mexico City).
For the Fireballs, Abraham Ancer finished in third place, shooting a 5-under 66 to achieve his best finish since LIV Golf Adelaide where he finished tied for second.
For the third consecutive tournament, 4Aces GC failed to convert a 36-hole lead into their first victory since 2023. The 4Aces finished in a tie for third alongside Smash GC, who were led by Jason Kokrak’s 2-under 69.
Branden Grace of Stinger GC shot a 2-under 69 to finish tied for fourth, which was an important result for his place in the standings as the 37-year-old projects to move from 49th in the individual standings to 34th, well inside the Drop Zone.
The third round was the easiest round of the week with a scoring average of –0.58 after playing +0.57 in Round 2 and +2.46 in Round 1.
This piece is courtesy of Mike McAllister in partnership with LIV Golf.
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