Cameron Smith, left, and Dustin Johnson, right, line up their shots on the second green during the final round of the LIV Golf Team Championship at Trump National Doral Golf Club, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022, in Doral, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
DORAL, Fla. (AP) — Dustin Johnson watched the final putt of his season roll in, pumped his right fist and waited for the party to begin. Another big celebration. Another big check, too.
Johnson drove the green on the 370-yard par-4 16th to set up an easy birdie that provided a bit of breathing room, Patrick Reed birdied his last hole to put their squad ahead for good and 4Aces GC captured the season-ending LIV Golf team championship at Trump National Doral on Sunday by one shot over Cameron Smith and Punch GC.
The victory capped a monster earnings year for Johnson, by far the biggest money winner in the first year of Saudi-funded LIV. Including his $18 million for winning the season-long individual title, Johnson finished with $35,637,767.
Johnson (70), Reed (70), Talor Gooch (71) and Pat Perez (70) were a combined 7-under 281 and split the $16 million.
Cameron Smith (65), Matt Jones (70), Wade Ormsby (73) and Marc Leishman (74) finished at 6 under, splitting $8 million. Smash GC — Brooks Koepka (74), Peter Uihlein (75), Jason Kokrak (68) and Chase Koepka (75) — ended 4 over and split $6 million.
Stinger GC, the South African team of Louis Oosthuizen (71), Charl Schwartzel (71), Hennie du Plessis (76) and Branden Grace (80), finished at 10 over and split $4 million.
PGA TOUR
SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda (AP) — Seamus Power did enough right and left all the mistakes to PGA Tour rookie Ben Griffin on Sunday to win the Butterfield Bermuda Championship for his second tour title.
Power took the lead for good with a 25-foot birdie putt at the 14th. A bogey on the final hole gave the Irishman a 1-under 70 and a one-shot victory over Thomas Detry, who earlier had holed a bunker shot on the 18th for birdie and a 67.
But it was Griffin who had the best chance.
Just more than a year after Griffin was working as a loan officer, he had a shot at winning on the PGA Tour and going to the Masters. He started the back nine at Port Royal with back-to-back birdies, putting him at 5 under for the day and with a two-shot lead over Power.
And then it all fell apart. Griffin bogeyed four straight holes, followed by a double bogey on the par-3 16th that effectively ended his chances.
The turning point came at the 14th when Griffin hooked his tee shot, had to take a penalty drop and make his third straight bogey, while Power holed his birdie putt for a two-shot swing and his first lead of the day.
Power was the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 48 in the world. The victory moves him to No. 32.
EUROPEAN TOUR
VILAMOURA, Portugal (AP) — Jordan Smith led from start to finish to win the Portugal Masters on Sunday for his first European tour victory in more than five years.
Smith shot an 8-under 63 to finish the tournament at 30 under. The Englishman ended three shots ahead of Gavin Green, who was trying to give Malaysia its first European tour win.
Smith’s winning total was one better than the European tour record set by Ernie Els at the 2003 Johnnie Walker Classic, but due to preferred lies this week, Smith’s score will not count in the record book.
Smith had two runner-up finishes this season, but had not won on the European tour since earning his first victory in 2017.
The top 117 players in the DP World Tour rankings kept full cards for next year. Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez of Spain missed the cut and still held down to the final spot by just over two points ahead of Renato Paratore, who birdied his last hole for a 66 to tie for 18th.
ASIA-PACIFIC GOLF FEDERATION
CHONBURI, Thailand (AP) — Harrison Crowe of Australia won the Asia-Pacific Amateur on Sunday by saving par from behind the 18th green, sending him to the Masters and the British Open next year.
Crowe closed with an even-par 72 at Amata Spring Country Club to hold off Bo Jin of China, who was poised to win until he missed the island green on the par-3 17th and made double bogey.
That gave the 21-year-old Aussie a one-shot lead going to the 18th. His approach on the 477-yard closing hole was headed left, but he hit it well enough that it narrowly cleared the water. Crowe played a superb pitch just onto the green, and it rolled out to a few feet that set up the winning par.
OTHER TOURS Rikuya Hoshino closed with a 7-under 63 for a five-shot victory over Chan Kim to win the Heiwa PGM Championship on the Japan Golf Tour. … Combrinck Smit birdied the 18th for an even-par 72 to force a playoff and then defeated Jake Redman (68) on the second extra hole to win the Vodacom Origins of Golf Final on the Sunshine Tour. … So Mi Lee closed with a 4-under 68 for a five-shot victory over Hyun Kyung Park in the SK Networks Seoul Economics Ladies Classic on the Korea LPGA. … Kumiko Kaneda closed with an even-par 72 for a two-shot victory over Haruka Kawasaki in the Mitsubishi Electric Hisako Higuchi Ladies on the Japan LPGA.
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