2023 LIV Golf Tulsa: Dustin Johnson 1st victory of the year
Dustin Johnson Outduels Cameron Smith and Branden Grace to Win 3-Way Playoff at LIV Golf Tulsa
Dustin Johnson was looking to cruise to his first win of 2023 at LIV Golf Tulsa on Sunday, but the back nine got a bit dicey for the 2020 Masters winner. Here our 2023 LIV Golf Tulsa Recap
Johnson’s triple-bogey on the par-3 10th hole at wet and muddy Cedar Ridge in Tulsa, Oklahoma, opened the door for Smith and Grace. All three golfers won a LIV event in 2022 and were searching for their first victory of 2023.
Things ended up going to a playoff, and all three faced a similar putt on the 18th hole, which was the first playoff hole. Johnson ended up draining his putt and watched the other two miss for LIV win No. 2 for the 2022 season champ.
“Everything I could do wrong, I did wrong on the hole,” Johnson said about his triple on the 10th. “To fight back and birdie 18 two times in a row when I had to, I’m really happy with that.
“Next time, I’d like to win without going into a playoff. [It] would be a lot less stressful,” Johnson joked.
After the triple-bogey, Johnson birdied three of the remaining eight holes on the back nine, including at 18 after Smith had done the same to take a brief lead. The 2022 Open Championship winner erased a five-stroke deficit on the back nine to card a 61, tying the LIV Golf 18-hole record set by Grace on Friday and also matched by Harold Varner III, who finished fourth.
Smith thought he had forced a second playoff hole when he struck the ball for his putt, but it didn’t work out.
“I thought it was pretty good. Just kind of didn’t come back,” Smith said of his attempt. “I holed a lot of putts today. Can’t really be angry at the greens.”
Grace’s putt also missed, but his Stingers GC team won the team competition and netted an extra $750,000 for him and his South African teammates. It was a fitting tribute to legendary South African golfer John Bland, who died this past week.
“It’s amazing how these things happen,” said Stingers captain Louis Oosthuizen. “Blandy was an inspiration to all of us growing up watching him play … It was just nice to sort of know in the back of our minds that he was there with us this week.”
Six golfers who played at nearby Oklahoma State University were in the field. Eugenio Chacarra was the highest finisher of the bunch, tying for fifth with Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau. Talor Gooch was among that group. He won the last two LIV events but struggled this week to a tie for 36th.
The win is good momentum for Johnson and Smith going into the PGA Championship. When Brooks Koepka won in Orlando last month, he continued his strong play with a runner-up finish at the Masters.
Up Next
A total of 17 LIV Golf members are part of the field at this week’s PGA Championship, including 2021 winner Phil Mickelson, at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York. They will be joined by Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, and defending champion Justin Thomas in the elite field for the year’s second major. The next LIV Golf tour stop will be in Washington, D.C. at the end of this month.
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