Bryson DeChambeau Wins LIV Golf South Africa in a Playoff Over Jon Rahm as Crushers GC Sweep Steyn City

The ball was sitting in mud left of the 18th fairway, a packed gallery at Steyn City was holding its breath, and Bryson DeChambeau reached for a 3-wood. From 295 yards out, the shot finished 12 feet from the hole. Two putts later, DeChambeau had beaten Jon Rahm on the first playoff hole to win LIV Golf South Africa.

DeChambeau closed with a 4-under 66 at The Club at Steyn City to finish at 26 under, 258 for 72 holes, and then won the extra hole with a birdie after Rahm, who had stormed home with an 8-under 63, could not get up and down for birdie from a bunker. It is DeChambeau's second straight individual title and fifth in LIV, tying for the second-most in league history. The Crushers GC captain also lifted the team trophy, after a late Crushers charge broke the hearts of the home team, Southern Guards GC, by a single shot.

The Playoff

The par-5 18th decided everything. DeChambeau's tee shot went left into the mud, and after taking relief, the 3-wood from 295 yards was the shot of the week. Rahm found a bunker with the second shot, splashed out to about 15 feet and missed the birdie try. DeChambeau rolled the eagle putt close and tapped in.

It was the second week in a row that DeChambeau needed extra holes to win, following the playoff victory in Singapore. "South Africa was unbelievable. I mean, got to be the best LIV event we've ever had," DeChambeau said afterward.

Rahm's Sunday Charge

Rahm began the day three shots back and played like someone determined to make the 54-hole leader sweat. The Legion XIII captain posted 63, matching the low round of the day, to post 26 under and force DeChambeau to match it. Rahm has now finished inside the top five in all five events this season, and the Spaniard's rounds of 65, 66, 64 and 63 show a game trending sharply upward as April approaches.

DeChambeau's 66 was enough to hang on to a share of the lead but not enough to avoid the playoff, which is exactly what made the 18th so dramatic. For a player who has spent the week leading, the closing stretch asked a very different question, and DeChambeau answered it with one swing.

Grace Falls Short

Branden Grace began the day two back and ended it tied for third at 23 under alongside Thomas Detry and Abraham Ancer, after a final-round 67. Grace played in the final group with DeChambeau and had a 27-foot birdie putt on the last hole that would have forced a team playoff. It missed.

Grace was gracious about the individual result, saying DeChambeau simply got up and down one more time when it mattered. The South African also called it one of the best weeks of a golfing career, and given the crowds, it is hard to argue. Dean Burmester and David Puig tied for sixth at 22 under, Carlos Ortiz was eighth at 21 under, and Crushers teammates Anirban Lahiri and Charles Howell III tied for ninth at 20 under.

The Crushers Comeback

The team race is where Sunday turned into a heartbreaker for the locals. Southern Guards led by nine shots at the midway point of the final round, according to LIV Golf, and looked on course to win in front of more than 100,000 fans across the week.

Then the Crushers found another gear. Lahiri shot a second straight 63 and birdied the final hole. Howell and Paul Casey each played their last 12 holes in 4 under without a bogey, and Casey birdied the last two holes to put the Crushers in front. Charl Schwartzel made a late birdie for the Southern Guards, but the Crushers' 21-under final round against Southern Guards' 15 under was enough to win by one.

The Crushers finished at 76 under, a league record for a team. Southern Guards (75 under) and Torque GC (72 under) also went past the previous mark of 69 under, set by Ripper GC at Riyadh, while the Fireballs matched that number at 69 under for a club best.

Casey summed up the strange feeling of beating the home side: "I love winning but sometimes you feel bad."

A Week That Raised the Bar

The numbers from Steyn City read like a highlight reel. The field set a record with 47 bogey-free rounds, Saturday produced the lowest scoring average in LIV history, and the crowds turned every round into something closer to a Ryder Cup than a regular-season stop. LIV has said it will return to Steyn City in April 2027.

For DeChambeau, it is two titles in two weeks with the Masters waiting in April. For Rahm, the playoff loss stings, but the form is undeniable. For Southern Guards, it was one shot short of a fairy tale, and the kind of week that makes a return trip feel overdue already.

Look back at Round 1, Round 2 and Round 3, and see LIV Golf's final-round recap (opens in a new tab) for the full results.

Sources: LIV Golf (final-round recap), Khaleej Times, Golf Monthly. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: LIV Golf.