Tearful DeChambeau Makes It Back-to-Back: LIV Golf South Africa

Back-to-Back in Johannesburg

Bryson DeChambeau etched his name further into LIV Golf folklore on Sunday, winning consecutive titles after a dramatic play-off victory over Jon Rahm at Steyn City, Johannesburg. The American, 32, claimed his fifth individual LIV title — and his second in as many weeks following his Singapore triumph — prompting an emotional breakdown that stopped a sold-out South African crowd in its tracks.

Winning Score

-26

DeChambeau LIV Wins

First Prize

$4m

Crushers Team Titles

The Play-Off Moment

Both DeChambeau and Rahm finished regulation at 26 under par, setting up a sudden-death decider on the par-five 18th. After pulling his tee shot into muddy rough, DeChambeau conjured a moment of sheer brilliance — lashing a fairway wood to within 12 feet of the cup. Rahm, starting from the fairway, found a greenside bunker, and his subsequent birdie attempt slid right. DeChambeau needed two putts from eagle range and duly obliged, tapping in for the title and a winner's cheque of £3m.

The Tears Behind the Trophy

"I wish I could tell you why I am so emotional," DeChambeau told the crowd, visibly shaking. "A lot has happened in my life in the last week. Golf is a fickle game — you work so hard at it your whole life and then you realise golf is just golf." It was raw, unscripted, and genuinely moving. Whatever one's view of the breakaway circuit, moments like these are what sport is made of.

Statistical Standouts

DeChambeau led the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, gaining 5.77 strokes — nearly a full stroke clear of the field. His opening-round 8-under 63 set the tone for the week. Anirban Lahiri provided the crucial team backbone, firing back-to-back 63s over the weekend to help Crushers GC edge Southern Guards by a single shot — their ninth regular-season team title, the most in LIV Golf history.

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