Tom McKibbin came up one shot shy after a superb final round as Patrick Reed triumphed at LIV Golf Dallas, claiming his inaugural individual LIV Golf championship and his first professional victory in Texas through a tense playoff at Maridoe Golf Club.
McKibbin began the day seven shots behind Reed, and after an early bogey, appeared to be playing for minor placings, but after birdieing the sixth – his fourth – he reeled off three-in-a-row from the 13th and suddenly found himself very much in the mix on the tough course.
The fifth birdie that he’d ultimately require didn’t materialise, agonisingly watching as a bunker shot on 18 came to rest inches from the hole, but his tie for fifth was his third top 10 of the season but his best finish to date.
33-year-old Reed, from Houston, outlasted Louis Oosthuizen, Paul Casey, and Jinichiro Kozuma by sinking a crucial 16-foot birdie putt on the playoff’s opening hole. This victory, achieved in his 41st LIV Golf appearance, was a significant milestone for Reed, who had previously secured seven team titles with 4Aces GC.
“I don’t like hearing those numbers, that it took me 41 times just to win out here,” said Reed. “It took too long, I felt, but to achieve two things – to win for the first time on LIV and also doing it in my home state – means a lot.”
Entering the final round with a three-stroke advantage, Reed extended his lead to five when competitors Casey and Abraham Ancer both double-bogeyed the first hole. However, his momentum faltered with five bogeys across seven holes, allowing Legion XIII’s Tyrrell Hatton to briefly take the lead. Reed regained his composure, stringing together nine straight pars on the back nine, including a critical up-and-down on the par-four 12th after a wayward tee shot. His final-round 75 tied him at six under with Casey (72), Oosthuizen (68), and Kozuma (69).
“I looked down at my putter – it’s actually my daughter’s putter, and it says Windsor-Wells all over it,” said Reed. “I looked down and said, ‘Come on, honey, we’ve got to make one.’ For that putt to go in – it meant a lot.”
In the playoff, Oosthuizen’s tee shot found water, Casey’s approach from a fairway bunker missed the green, and Kozuma failed to recover with an up-and-down. Reed, left with the only birdie opportunity, confidently holed the putt to claim the title.
In the team competition, Crushers GC, led by Dallas native Bryson DeChambeau, dominated with an 11-shot victory, marking their third consecutive team win and tying the season’s largest margin of victory. All four Crushers players placed in the top 11 individually, propelling the team to the top of the season-long standings.
“Dallas showed up, and this is what I expected. This is what I thought was possible,” said DeChambeau, who tied for 9th at four under. “I’m super thankful to Dallas and super thankful for the team for playing as well as they did.”
DeChambeau’s promotional efforts drew over 50,000 fans across three days, with Saturday’s attendance exceeding 20,000, setting a new U.S. single-day record for LIV Golf.
The Crushers’ three-win streak mirrors the earlier season success of Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs GC.
Despite falling short of his first LIV title, Casey found comfort in his team’s achievement. “Losing in a playoff, I’m usually a bit annoyed,” he said. “But then you see the joy on these guys’ faces … I’m sitting here smiling because I know what it means for Bryson, the effort he’s put into the week. For us, this was like a little Crushers home game.”
Graeme McDowell had a disappointing final round and finished tied for 35th at +6.
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