In one of the most highly anticipated final round showdowns of the 2024 LIV Golf season, Brooks Koepka emerged victorious after a dramatic playoff against Jon Rahm to claim his second individual title of the year. The tense battle between these two championship caliber players at The Old White TPC course had fans on the edge of their seats right until the very end.
Koepka had been dissatisfied with his play throughout much of the new LIV Golf season. However, fueled by his desire to turn it around, the four-time major champion shot a blistering 7-under 63 to cut Rahm's two-shot lead.
At 19 under total, Koepka's charge up the leaderboard set the stage for an epic showdown between himself and Jon Rahm down the stretch. After trading birdies on the front nine, Koepka seized momentum by responding to a rare Rahm bogey with back-to-back birdies of his own to pull ahead.
But Rahm refused to back down, sinking incredible putts including on the final two holes to catch Koepka and force an immediate playoff. With tension hanging in the air, Koepka stepped up calmly to seal the win on the first extra hole when Rahm was unable to save par from off the green.
The milestone victory marked Koepka's fifth individual title on the LIV Golf circuit, pulling him ahead of all others this season. Adding to the triumph, his Smash GC squad captained by Koepka also prevailed in the team competition. He called it "probably my favorite" given the high-quality opponent in Rahm.
"I think this is probably my favorite one," Koepka said. "It's always good when you battle good players. I battled Gooch for a while last year, felt like every tournament, but yeah, Jon is a hell of a player. For whatever reason, he's always got the better of me a little bit as of late. So, it feels nice just to get one."
This close to keeping the playoff going… @BKoepka wins LIV Golf Greenbrier with a par on the first playoff hole 🏆#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/FIEeL5F5Sh
— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) August 18, 2024
Entering the final round with momentum as the defending LIV Golf United Kingdom champion, Rahm shot out of the gates early. The Spaniard birdied his opening hole to take the sole lead, with Koepka immediately matching him to set the tone for a two-man battle.
Koepka kept pace through some brilliant iron play of his own, matching Rahm's birdie and then adding two more to tie for the top spot. Sensing an opportunity, he pounced when Rahm suffered a rare bogey at the par-4 6th.
With the lead, Koepka kept the pressure on Rahm and the chasing pack. This included major winners like Richard Bland and Marc Leishman, along with Koepka's teammate Jason Kokrak who were all within striking distance. Rahm held steady but continued getting reeled in, falling two back with time running out.
Showing his championship mettle, Rahm surged back by drawing even with back-to-back birdies on 16 and 17. A playoff was required when both players parred the final hole, but it was Koepka who stepped up calmly on the first extra hole when Rahm found trouble off the green and couldn't save par. Koepka had turned the tables on Rahm in dramatic fashion to win LIV Golf's penultimate event.
"It was just one of those things - just go play golf and go get it in the hole as quickly as possible," Koepka said. "Played really well today. I'm proud of myself for that. It's a good win. I'm ready to get home and go see my wife and kid."
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