Rd. 3 News and Notes: DeChambeau discusses playoff at Valderrama
SOTOGRANDE, Spain – Sergio Garcia and his Fireballs GC swept both trophies at Real Club Valderrama on Sunday after LIV Golf’s first double playoff. Check out the news, notes and stats from the final round at LIV Golf Andalucía.
RELATED: Spanish favorites Garcia, Fireballs win historic double playoff
DECHAMBEAU ON THE PLAYOFF: Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau started Sunday’s final round one stroke better than eventual winner Sergio García. An even-par 71 left him in solo ninth at 1 under, and his errant tee shot on the first team playoff hole led to the decisive bogey that opened the door for the Fireballs to win with two pars.
“I was hitting it terrible all day,” DeChambeau said. “I thought I'd be OK hitting a 3-wood out there, and I just blocked it, and the wind didn't take it back, and it was really weird, the wind just didn't help us today. We got it to a couple ahead and we had it. We just didn't finish it like we normally do.
“We just didn't get the job done. I think we'll learn from that, and we're going to come back working harder and hopefully we'll not have those mistakes ever happen again, because we're too good of a team to have those stupid mistakes happen.”
After the team playoff finished, DeChambeau remained at the 18th hole to watch teammate Anirban Lahiri on the second individual playoff hole. After Lahiri lost with a bogey, the captain gave him a long hug.
Asked what he told Lahiri, DeChambeau said: “You're playing great golf. I know you've had some weird stuff happen. Keep your head high. You're a great player. It's going to happen. Two weeks from now, we've got another tournament. You've got to focus up and get ready for the next one. Don't reminisce.”
GARCIA ON THE ‘15TH CLUB’: Fireballs GC Captain Sergio Garcia credited the huge fan support at Valderrama as playing a part in the double trophy victory. He was asked if the fans were the 15th club in his bag.
“Without a doubt. 15th, 16th and 17th. It was unbelievable the whole week. To have my kids here and my wife and my parents and everything, it's a dream come true,” he said.
PLAYOFF HISTORY: Both Sergio Garcia and Anirban Lahiri had participated in previous LIV Golf playoffs.
Garcia was 0 of 3, including playoff losses this year at Mayakoba (to Joaquin Niemann in four holes) and Miami (to Dean Burmester in two holes). Last year in Singapore, he lost to Talor Gooch on the first playoff hole.
Lahiri lost to Dustin Johnson in a three-man playoff in his first LIV Golf start in 2022 in Boston.
HATTON ONE SHOT SHY: Legion XIII’s Tyrrell Hatton won the previous LIV Golf tournament in Nashville and came within one shot of having the chance to extend that streak at Andalucía.
Hatton shot a 2-under 69 to finish at 4 under. He put together three consecutive birdies early in his round but did not take advantage of the par 5s on the back nine, suffering a bogey at the 11th and parring the 17th.
“It's more frustrating in the end to miss the playoff by one,” Hatton said. “A few mis-hits on the back nine, which is easy to do around here, but I won't be too disappointed with that. But you always want more.”
Hatton will now turn his attention to next week’s Open Championship at Royal Troon. He’ll enter in terrific form as he seeks his first major championship.
“You just go out there and try your best, and just try and take some momentum into it,” he said. “We'll have a few days to get used to the conditions. Hopefully the forecast will change and it stays dry for the week. But yeah, I think that's all we can hope for at this moment.”
SPEAKING OF THE OPEN: 17 players in this week’s field – 16 full-time LIV Golf members and reserve player John Catlin, who has started the last three tournaments in place of injured Crushers GC’s Charles Howell III – will compete at Royal Troon for the final major of the season, The Open Championship.
How those 17 players fared at Valderrama: 3-Tyrrell Hatton, T4-Louis Oosthuizen; T6-Cameron Smith, Joaquin Niemann; 9-Bryson DeChambeau; T10-Jon Rahm; T17-Dustin Johnson, Dean Burmester; T23-John Catlin, Sam Horsfield; 26-Abraham Ancer; T27-Henrik Stenson, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, David Puig; T42-Adrian Meronk, Andy Ogletree
ROUND 3 STATS LEADERS
Driving accuracy: John Catlin, Branden Grace, Henrik Stenson, 78.57% (11 of 14 fairways hit)
Driving distance: Brendan Steele, 339.3 yards avg.
Longest drive: Jason Kokrak, 352.6 yards, 17th hole
Greens in regulation: Patrick Reed, 72.22% (13 of 18 greens)
Scrambling: Sergio Garcia (7 of 7), 100%
Putting: Mito Pereira, Peter Uihlein, 1.22 putts per hole
Bogey-free rounds: none