Brooks Koepka, the Captain of Smash GC, recently won the 54-hole $25 million LIV Golf Greenbrier tournament for his fifth individual title, extending his LIV Golf record. This victory marked the third time he won through a playoff, with the most recent win being more special as he defeated Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm on the first playoff hole. This win was considered significant as it was the first time the two players had competed against each other since Rahm joined LIV Golf in the offseason.
Koepka has now accumulated five wins in the 31 LIV Golf regular-season tournaments he has played, making him the player with the highest number of wins in the league. Among these victories, Koepka stated that Sunday’s win was his favorite, emphasizing the competitive edge that he felt against Rahm. Despite his previous losses to Rahm, Koepka expressed his determination to beat him in the tournament.
In addition to his individual win, Koepka’s Smash team also secured the team title by tying a LIV Golf record with a 53 under total counting score, beating Ripper GC by three shots. Koepka and his teammate Jason Kokrak led the team with seven under 63s, with Talor Gooch contributing a 69. John Catlin, standing in for Graeme McDowell, shot a 67 to seal the victory for the Smash team.
The tournament saw Koepka leading by two shots with three holes to play, only to be caught by Rahm with birdies on the 16th and 17th holes. The match ended with a playoff where Koepka’s par secured the win after Rahm failed to save par from the back bunker. Moving forward, Rahm has overtaken Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann in the season-long LIV Golf Individual Standings, setting the stage for a showdown at the 2024 Individual Championship in LIV Golf Chicago. Koepka remains a contender for the bonus-paying third place in the standings.
Furthermore, Dubai-based players Anirban Lahiri (Crushers GC) and Adrian Meronk (Cleeks GC) tied for 42nd place in the tournament, with Meronk ranking 16th and Lahiri 18th in the season-long Individual Standings. The Crushers currently lead the Team Standings by a narrow margin of 0.5 points over the Cleeks team. Overall, the LIV Golf Greenbrier tournament showcased intense competition among top players and teams, setting the stage for exciting matchups in the upcoming championship events.
