After 13 events of the LIV Golf season, it was Talor Gooch who came out on top in the individual standings as he picked up an $18 million paycheck in Jeddah! Along with the American, Cameron Smith finished in second, picking up $8 million, whilst Brooks Koepka, who defended his title in Jeddah, sneaked into third position and picked up a $4 million bonus.
Along with the trio, who were in the $30 million prize pool, it was a rather different story for Sihwan Kim, Brooks' brother Chase, James Piot and Jed Morgan, who became the first four players to be relegated from the LIV Golf League, as the quartet occupied the final four places.
There was a lot of drama on the final day and, following the results at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, there were many winners and losers, with a lot of story lines going unnoticed...
Talor Gooch
I guess the first place to start is with the individual winner, Gooch, who fired an eight-under final round at LIV Golf Jeddah to get into a playoff. Although he lost against Koepka at the second playoff hole, the round was good enough to give him a 22-point win over Smith in the individual standings.
Throughout 2023, Gooch has picked up an incredible $34 million, which dwarfs his current best season, with the American securing three LIV Golf titles, all of which were outside the USA.
Going into the Team Championship in Miami, Gooch's RangeGoats GC side managed to claim the fourth and final place, which means they get a bye into the next round. For Gooch, following his win in the individual standings, he has a chance to claim yet more acclaim for his 2023 season, with the 31-year-old stating: "Man, it's awesome. From January 1 until now, that's what we've been working for, so to get here and to be the champion, man, I'm proud, I'm honored, and I'm excited."
Brooks Koepka
Koepka retained his LIV Golf Jeddah title on Sunday, with the American yet again winning the event in a playoff, this time against Gooch. It now means that Koepka has picked up $8 million alone in Saudi Arabia.
Along with the victory, his efforts meant he catapulted into the third place position of the individual standings, with the 33-year-old securing an extra $4 million, much to his surprise.
In his post round interview, Koepka didn't realise he had won the extra money, with the five-time Major winner stating: "Sweet, that’s a good feeling. It's a good feeling, so thanks for breaking that news.”
Scott Vincent
Scott Vincent needed to finish fourth this week to guarantee his status for next season on the LIV circuit. The Zimbabwean has been playing some excellent golf and, after a final round 66, he managed to finish on the magic number to finish inside the top 24.
Those who finish inside the top 24 will keep their place on the LIV Golf circuit for 2024, with Vincent finishing 22nd on the LIV Golf individual standings. After his final round, he stated: "Incredible. Incredible. What an amazing year. What an amazing day. All I can do is just thank God for this amazing opportunity to be here, and how he kept me going today through all the ups and downs, it was just amazing."
Martin Kaymer & Bernd Wiesberger
Going into the final day, there was a chance that Cleeks GC Captain, Martin Kaymer, could relegate his team mate, Bernd Wiesberger, with Kaymer stating: “On one hand, I obviously feel for Bernd, we’ve been friends for many, many years. On the other hand, that’s sports, you know, it is what it is. If you don’t play good enough, you’re not gonna be in the league. It’s unfortunate that right now, I’m the guy who’s kicking him out. But that’s how it works. I hope he shoots a really low score tomorrow, but I’m not the reason. I hope we both shoot a really low score tomorrow and we can both play again together next season.”
On Sunday, both men managed to salvage their positions, with Kaymer shooting level-par and Wiesberger shooting a highly commendable seven-under 63 which, under the circumstances, you have to respect.
Because Kaymer is a Captain of one of the 12 sides, it meant that he can't be relegated and, because Wiesberger vaulted himself up the leaderboard on Sunday, it meant he was finished 41st and in the 'Open Zone'.
Sihwan Kim, Chase Koepka, James Piot & Jed Morgan
Unfortunately, for Kim, Chase Koepka, Piot and Morgan, they will go down as the first players to be relegated from the LIV Golf League, with all four finishing inside the Drop Zone.
The various permeations meant it was going to be an interesting final day but, with Kaymer and Lee Westwood safe due to the fact they captain their sides, it meant the quartet finished over the 44th place threshold.
Bryson DeChambeau
Midway through the second round, Bryson DeChambeau was, in fact, leading the individual standings, with the American enjoying an incredible run of form that saw him shoot a 58 at LIV Golf Greenbrier.
However, Sunday proved to be tough for DeChambeau, with the US Open winner carding four birdies, two bogeys and one double bogey for a level-par 70 and a 16th place finish in Jeddah.
Not only did the 30-year-old fall down the leaderboard, but he also didn't finish inside the top three of the individual standings, with DeChambeau missing out on the bonuses on offer. Literally, 36 hours earlier, he had been on the cusp of the $18 million first prize.
