Bryson DeChambeau wins LIV Singapore in playoff

Bryson DeChambeau forced a playoff with a birdie on No. 18, then saved par on the first playoff hole to win LIV Golf Singapore on Sunday.

But DeChambeau's joy was Richard T. Lee's heartbreak, a LIV wild card who qualified for the league by winning LIV Golf Promotions in January, who missed a 2-foot putt for par as the duo played the 18th hole again, giving DeChambeau the win after he scrambled for his own par.

Both recorded rounds of 66 to finish at 14-under 270 for the tournament at Sentosa Golf Club.

Delighted by his fourth LIV Golf League victory, DeChambeau also was disconsolate when it came to Lee, a 35-year-old Canadian who has spent most of his career on the Asian Tour.

"It was a bit of shock for sure. I thought he was just going knock it in, and OK, on we go," DeChambeau said about Lee's putt. "He had been playing great golf. He's beaten me numerous times throughout the season already when I've played with him, so he plays great golf, and he deserves to be out here. Honestly, he deserves to be on a team after this performance.

"But it was sour for sure to see him miss that. You never want to see that happen. I wanted to go another hole and have a chance to play great golf on that second playoff hole. Just unfortunately didn't go his way today, and that's just the way the cards sometimes fall."

The weather didn't make it easy for the players, who had to battle heat, humidity and a pair of rain delays.

The stop-and-start nature of the day took its toll on defending champion Joaquin Niemann of Chile, who entered the day atop the leaderboard. After four birdies on the front nine, he struggled on the back nine, with three bogeys leaving him with a round of 70 and a fourth-place finish, three shots back.

England's Lee Westwood carded a 69, which earned him third place at 12-under -- his best finish in his LIV career.

"Really proud," said Westwood, 52. "It's a while since I've been in the final group when it's meant something."

Jon Rahm of Spain finished fifth after his round of 68.

DeChambeau's trip around Sentosa Golf Club was an adventure. After an eagle on the par-5 No. 4, he immediately gave a stroke back with a bogey on the following hole. He finished regulation with four birdies.

And then he arrived at the playoff hole.

DeChambeau hit his drive into the water left of the fairway. After a penalty drop, DeChambeau's third shot found the rough over the green, but he was able to save par.

Lee's drive landed in a fairway bunker on the right, and he laid up his second shot. His third shot landed 10 feet from the hole, giving him a birdie opportunity on the par-5 hole. But he missed and was left with the 2-footer that he couldn't convert.

"There's some slick putts out there. There's some little lies out there," Lee said. "It was a short putt and I wanted to just hit it hard, and I hit it a little too hard. I think the adrenaline was pumping a little bit. Then again, I felt like I had it this week. I played really well."

Lee's showing was the first top-10 result for a LIV wild-card player.

In the team event, captain Dustin Johnson's 4Aces finished first at 27-under, five strokes ahead of Cameron Smith's Ripper GC and six in front of Rahm's Legion XIII.

4Aces have won back-to-back team events and has been on the podium four times this season. The team had not won in 32 weeks before LIV Hong Kong last week.

"Obviously the league gets better every single year. It gets harder to win," Johnson said. "You've got to have four really good players if you want to have a chance to win. Right now, I feel like we do."