White Sulphur Springs – Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka had seen this Sunday scenario before, only in reverse.
At the 2023 Masters, Koepka entered the final round with a two shot lead over Rahm, only to see the two-time major winner rally and grab the green jacket.
Sunday on the Old White Course at The Greenbrier, it was Rahm with the two shot advantage on the five-time major champion.
When the final putt dropped, it was Koepka’s day to finally get the best of his nemesis.
Firing a 7-under par 63, Koepka bested Rahm in a one-hole playoff for his fifth win in 31 LIV Golf regular season events.
“This one was good. I think this one just meant a little more for the last few years playing Jon. Obviously he got the better of me at Augusta,” Koepka said. “I just wanted to beat him. The way he finished today was pretty clutch and it was fun to watch him this week.”
Rahm landed the first blow with a birdie on the first hole, but Koepka answered in kind with three birdies in his first four holes to move within one shot of the lead.
Koepka pulled even with Ram when an errant approach shot on No. 6 left him chipping on the short side of the pin, costing him his only bogey of the day.
The two-time U.S. Open champion then took the lead a hole later.
Nearly driving the green, Koepka chipped his ball tight to the pin for a short birdie, giving him his first lead of the tournament.
With Koepka struggling to cash in on a couple of good looks over the next three holes, Rahm rolled in a birdie No. 10 to move back into a tie for the lead.
At this point however, the tournament was far from a two-man race.
While much of the focus was on the duel between the Spaniard and the American, the field was stalking the two leaders.
Through 11 holes four players had moved within one shot of the lead including Mark Leishman and Richard Bland.
Five straight birdies from Leishman moved him into a tie for the lead before Bland wowed the crowd to move into first place all by himself.
After holing a sand shot for a birdie, Bland rolled in a long eagle putt on the par-5, 12th hole for a one-shot lead with six holes to play.
Over a four hole stretch, the reigning U.S. Senior Open champion recorded three birdies and an eagle to surge in front.
Koepka answered Bland with a two-putt birdie on 12 before regaining the lead with a lengthy birdie on 13, which played as the toughest hole on the course over the three-day event.
Although he seemed lost in the shadows of the wild back and forth action in the early holes of the back nine, Rahm stayed within a shot of the lead by capping Koepka’s birdie on 13.
Jason Kokrak added his name to the list of contenders one shot back by draining a birdie on the par-3, 15th hole, but the margin was short lived.
Koepka eased a in putt on hole 14 to move to 19-under par, two clear of second place.
Leishman’s hopes for a Greenbrier championship faded when he could not make up ground on the par-5 17th, leaving him three shots back.
Although the two-shot lead appeared to be safe with three holes to play, that did not prove to be the case.
Birdies on 16 and 17 pulled Rahm even with the iconic par-3 18th hole left to play. While the two leaders were battling each other, Kokrak had pulled within one shot with a birdie on 18.
Kokrak still had hole No. 1 to play in the shotgun format, but could not manage a birdie to tie for the lead, leaving him in third place. Rahm and Koepka also parred 18 to force a sudden death playoff.
“I gave myself a lot of chances and I was really please with how I finished,” Kokrak said. “I would have liked to be in the playoff with those guys, but none the less, I was pleased with how I played today.”
Returning to 18, Koepka played first putting his ball about 20 feet right of the pin.
Rahm was not so fortunate.
Hitting his tee-shot long, the ball bounced into the back bunker on a down-slope. Rahm played his second shot onto the green, but still had roughly 20 feet for par.
Koepka then narrowly missed his birdie attempt and tapped in for his par. Rahm’s putt rimmed the edge, but did not fall, handing the win to his American rival.
In the team competition, Smash CG (Koepka, Kokrak, Talor Gooch, John Catlin) roared back to beat Ripper GC by three shots. Smash GC shot a team total of 53 under par to tie the best team score in LIV Golf history.
“It was really good conditions for scoring and we have a lot of firepower on this team,” Gooch said. “When everyone is clicking we are going to get some low scores. It is nice when click on the same week.”
