Grace closes out victory in LIV’s first USA event
NORTH PLAINS, Ore. — Branden Grace won LIV Golf’s first stop on American soil, an event that drew critics and protestors alike because of the upstart series’ funding by Saudi Arabia.
Grace closed with a 7-underpar 65 on Saturday to finish at 13-under 203 in the 54-hole tournament at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club. The 34-year-old South African won $4 million.
The fledgling circuit, fronted by World Golf Hall of Famer Greg Norman as CEO and funded by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, aims to challenge the PGA Tour. It has lured some players — including major champions Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson — with the promise of big signing bonuses, hefty prize purses and fewer events.
Grace beat Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz by two strokes.
“Played flawless golf, played really, really well when I needed to do something special and came up and managed to pull it out,” said Grace, who has two career wins on the PGA Tour and nine on the European-based DP World Tour. “But just what a great day — it was amazing to come here, this new format, this new everything is amazing, and everybody here is having a blast.”
LIV Golf touts that it’s “golf, but louder.” In addition to the simultaneous team competition, the tournaments feature shotgun starts, interactive fan activities and hip-hop blaring on the driving range.
Ortiz, No. 119 in the Official World Golf Ranking, shot a 69. Johnson (71) finished four back to share third place with 2018 Masters winner Patrick Reed (67).
The 48-man field in Oregon competed for a $20 million purse, with an additional $5 million prize fund for a team competition. As with all LIV tournaments, there was no cut and even the last-place finisher earned a payday of $120,000. Another South African player, Charl Schwartzel, won the tour’s inaugural event last month at the Centurion Club near London (and the team portion) and pocketed $4.75 million.
The Four Aces team, led by Johnson, won the team competition at Pumpkin Ridge.
LIV Golf also announced Saturday that English player Paul Casey has joined the series. Casey, 44, has won three times on the PGA Tour and 15 times on the DP World Tour and is ranked No. 26 in the world. He has not played a tournament round since March because of injuries but is expected to compete in the next LIV competition.
The PGA Tour has responded to the upstart tour by suspending every active member who competed in the first LIV event. Those who played in Oregon were also suspended unless they resign their tour memberships.
LIV Golf has been dogged by criticism since its inception, well before it came to tiny North Plains, about 20 miles west of downtown Portland.
The city’s mayor and 10 fellow mayors from nearby communities wrote the course’s Texas-based owner weeks ago, objecting that the event did not align with community values because of Saudi Arabia’s human rights abuses, including the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
A group of families whose loved ones were killed by the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 — 15 of the 19 hijackers on that day were Saudi citizens — came to North Plains on the tournament’s opening day to protest the event. The group plans a more sizeable demonstration for the next stop on July 29-31 at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
The players faced tough questions before the tournament about their involvement, with most reciting pat answers and maintaining that golf can be a “force for good.” Others complained about the structure and grind of the PGA Tour.
Crowds on Saturday were better than Thursday and Friday. LIV Golf said it was a sellout but would not reveal the number of tickets sold.
Poston still on top
SILVIS, Ill. — J.T. Poston made up for two back-nine bogeys with an eagle on the par-5 17th, shooting a 4-under 67 to take a three-stroke lead into the final round of the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic.
Trying to complete a wire-towire victory after tying for second last weekend in the Travelers Championship, Poston made a 13 1/2-foot putt on 17.
“That was huge kind of going into tomorrow,” Poston said. “I wasn’t quite as sharp today off the tee and had to play a little defensive into some of the greens. Nice to put two good swings on there and make that putt to kind of capitalize and get some ground back that I had lost.”
He was at 19-under 194 through 54 holes at TPC Deere Run. Playing partner Denny McCarthy birdied the final two holes for a 66 to join Scott Stallings (64) and Emiliano Grillo (65) at 16 under.
“Was nice to finish that way,” McCarthy said. “Nice to make a putt on 18. Nice to see something go in going into tomorrow. It’s a good feeling to kind of feel like I got something out of round, birdieing the last two.”
England’s Callum Tarren (65) was fifth at 15 under, with Bo Hoag (63) and Chris Naegel (67) another stroke behind.
Chattanooga’s Stephan Jaeger (69) was tied for 54th at 5 under.
Poston opened with rounds of 62 and 65 to take a four-stroke lead, then played the front nine in 3 under Saturday with birdies on Nos. 2, 5 and 8. He dropped a stroke on the par-3 12th, birdied the par-4 14th and bogeyed the par-4 15th before making the big putt on 17.
From Hickory, North Carolina, the 29-year-old Poston won the 2019 Wyndham Championship for his lone PGA Tour title.
“Just trying to stay patient and composed,” Poston said. “I’m not trying to get too ahead of myself. Just trying to take it one hole at a time. Being in this position, I’m trying to focus especially on the shot in front of me and do the best I can and go from there.”
Pushing for Poland
THOMASTOWN, Ireland — Adrian Meronk will take a narrow lead into the final round of the Irish Open as he bids to become the first Polish winner in the history of the DP World Tour.
The 29-year-old Meronk, who has a trio of top-three finishes this season on the European circuit and missed the cut at the U.S. Open in his first major tournament, shot a 4-under 68 at Mount Juliet Country Club and was at 14-under 202 through 54 holes.
The top 14 players on the leaderboard were separated by four shots.
Meronk’s round included three bogeys and seven birdies, including three straight from the 15th, and put him one shot ahead of Spain’s Jorge Campillo (70), England’s Jack Senior (67) and Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zanotti (69). U.S. player John Catlin — the tournament’s 2020 winner — and Norway’s Espen Kofstad were another stroke back and tied for fifth after each shot a 65.