Dustin Johnson emerged triumphant from a three-way playoff that additionally featured Chile’s Joaquin Niemann and India’s Anirban Lahiri, each making their debuts in the controversial Saudi-backed collection.
Dustin Johnson of the the United States celebrates after after successful the LIV Golf Invitational – Boston at The Oaks golf course at The International on 4 September 2022 in Bolton, Massachusetts. Picture: Andy Lyons/Getty Images/AFP
NEW YORK – Dustin Johnson rattled in a monster eagle putt on the first playoff gap to win the LIV Golf Invitational Boston, upstaging the raft of newcomers to the breakaway circuit.
Johnson emerged triumphant from a three-way playoff that additionally featured Chile’s Joaquin Niemann and India’s Anirban Lahiri, each making their debuts in the controversial Saudi-backed collection.
All three completed 54 holes at International Golf Club on 15-under par.
World quantity two and reigning British Open champion, Cameron Smith, completed a shot again on 14-under in his LIV Golf debut, tying for fourth with England’s Lee Westwood, who charged into rivalry with an eight-under par 62 however bogeyed his final gap to overlook the playoff.
Johnson carded a five-under par 65 on Sunday, his sixth birdie of the day on the thirteenth, placing him atop the leaderboard at 15-under.
He would not make one other birdie, nevertheless, needing par saves on the par-three seventeenth and 18th to make the playoff.
Johnson did not maintain again on his playoff putt, sending it racing up the hill. The ball hesitated when it hit the lip, then hit the again fringe of the cup and bounced in.
“Yeah, it was going a little fast, but it was a good line,” mentioned Johnson, including he felt the 18th “owed me one” after his second shot in regulation ended up in the underbrush alongside the large scoreboard behind the inexperienced.
Lahiri was first in the clubhouse on 15-under, and will have sealed the win at his last gap of regulation, the 18th, the place his six-foot eagle putt circled the cup however did not drop.
His six-under 64 featured an eagle and 6 birdies, however after discovering the green on the first playoff gap, he missed the inexperienced along with his second shot.
He chipped to 5 ft for a birdie likelihood just for Johnson to seal the win.
Niemann booked his playoff spot along with his fifth birdie of regulation on the 18th. But his tee shot in the playoff hit a spectator earlier than settling in the proper tough, and he was in a greenside bunker from there.
Johnson, who completed eighth in the inaugural LIV Golf occasion in London, fourth in Portland and third at Bedminster, grew to become the primary American to carry the person trophy in the collection.
He pocketed a $4 million first prize together with $750,000 as his share of the staff first prize for his 4 Aces outfit, which completed two strokes higher than Lahiri’s Crushers.
The large purses, together with reported signing bonuses to prime gamers, have the established PGA Tour and DP World Tour scrambling to retain their expertise – the PGA Tour promptly banning any participant who tees it up in LIV Golf at the same time as they transfer to create extra profitable occasions on their very own circuit.
LIV Golf, backed by the virtually limitless sources of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth Public Investment Fund has additionally been accused of “sportswashing” the dominion’s human rights report.
COMPETITIVE TENSION
Despite the critics – and growing unhealthy blood between LIV Golf defectors and PGA Tour stalwarts – Johnson mentioned he was blissful to be part of what he sees as an thrilling new enterprise.
He mentioned the cash on the road made for loads of aggressive stress, regardless of the freewheeling ambiance.
“Especially with that check that you get – you can feel it,” Johnson mentioned.
American Pat Perez, who claimed the newest of his three US PGA Tour titles in 2018, has reaped the rewards of the 4 Aces’ three staff victories thus far, incomes $750,000 for every.
He had a succinct reply for critics who say LIV Golf’s tournaments quantity to exhibitions.
“Exhibition match don’t pay $4.75 million,” Perez mentioned.