Bryson breaks through: DeChambeau and Crushers GC dominate at LIV Golf Korea

Bryson DeChambeau finally ended his streak of Sunday heartbreaks, converting a 36-hole lead into victory at LIV Golf Korea presented by Coupang Play. But it wasn’t without a fight—his teammate, Charles Howell III, made him earn every bit of it.

DeChambeau shot a 6-under 66 to finish at 19 under par, holding off Howell’s electric 9-under 63 in a gripping final-round battle at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea. The win marked DeChambeau’s third LIV Golf individual title, but his first while leading into Sunday—a hurdle he hadn’t cleared in recent attempts at LIV Miami, Mexico City, or even last month’s Masters.

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“Charles and I had a great battle out there,” DeChambeau said. “He never wavered today. It was fun and we had a great time today, but it was intense. Super-intense.”

Starting the day with a four-shot cushion, DeChambeau saw his lead quickly shrink. Howell came out firing, birdieing his first three holes and going out in 32. Meanwhile, DeChambeau posted a rare bogey—his only one of the tournament—at the sixth, making the turn at even par with his lead trimmed to just one.

From there, the showdown turned into an all-Crushers duel. Both players caught fire on the back nine: DeChambeau rattled off four birdies in six holes, while Howell delivered a stunning five-birdie streak to draw even by the 15th.

With three holes to play, they were tied at 17 under—until a misstep from Howell. A wayward tee shot into a fairway bunker on 16 led to his only bogey of the round. Then came the moment of the day: DeChambeau buried a 48-foot birdie putt on 17, unleashing a roar and fist pump that signalled the win was within reach.

On 18, Bryson sealed it with a birdie and a sigh of relief.

“I feel like I’ve been playing some great golf, but I just haven’t gotten the job done,” DeChambeau said. “That was a lot of tension. Just glad I was able to step up to the plate and get it done … I was personally pretty nervous on the front nine for whatever reason … Finally on 17, the bubble burst and I felt really good.”

Howell’s runner-up finish is his best result since winning at Mayakoba in 2023, a major confidence boost after a stress fracture in his tibia sidelined him last season.

“I knew today would be a tough day to catch Bryson and even to try to beat him, but I gave it my best,” said Howell. “I definitely would’ve thought 9-under would have done it, and clearly it didn’t. … Any time you shoot 9-under par in the last group, and you still don’t win, it’s a tough day.”

“I’m so proud of Chuckie, the way he fought out there today,” said DeChambeau. “Seeing that type of grit, oh my gosh, that’s why I have him on the team. That’s why I love every one of them.”

It was a banner day for Crushers GC, who swept the team event as well. Their combined 20-under team score on Sunday was 12 shots better than any other team, powering them past Smash GC by nine strokes. Howell and DeChambeau carried the momentum, while Paul Casey rebounded from a tough start to shoot 67, and Anirban Lahiri ground through a 72 after battling brutal luck in the second round.

“I really wanted to get on that podium for the team,” Lahiri said. “I had a tough weekend, but Paul and I were both grinding out there.”

Casey added with a grin, “Charles and Bryson won this for us. Our job was to not mess it up, if I’m being honest.”

When asked about the significance of the team’s first win of the season, DeChambeau summed it up with characteristic energy:

“The future’s bright for the Crushers. I’m just excited to be part of this story. This is so awesome. That’s what LIV is all about.”

TEAM SCORES 

LIV Golf’s new scoring format this season now involves all four scores now counting in every round in the team competition. (Click here for more on the new format). Here are the final results and scores for each team after Sunday’s Rd. 3 of LIV Golf Korea presented by Coupang Play. 

1. CRUSHERS GC -35 (Howell III 63, DeChambeau 66, Casey 67, Lahiri 72; Rd. 3 score: -20) 

2. SMASH GC -26 (Gooch 66, Koepka 70, McDowell 70, Kokrak 77; Rd. 3 score: -5) 

3. TORQUE GC -18 (Pereira 69, Ortiz 71, Muñoz 72, Niemann 73; Rd. 3 score: -3) 

4. RANGEGOATS GC -14 (Wolff 67, Uihlein 72, Watson 73, M. Kim 77; Rd. 3 score: +1) 

T5. RIPPER GC -13 (Leishman 69, Smith 69, Jones 70, Herbert 72; Rd. 3 score: -8) 

T5. LEGION XIII -13 (Rahm 70, Hatton 71, McKibbin 72, Surratt 72; Rd. 3 score: -3) 

T5. STINGER GC -13 (Catlin 69, Oosthuizen 72, Schwartzel 73, Burmester 74; Rd. 3 score: E) 

8. 4ACES GC -12 (Reed 65, Pieters 68, Johnson 74, Varner III 74; Rd. 3 score: -7) 

9. MAJESTICKS GC -7 (Poulter 68, Stenson 70, Horsfield 71, Westwood 78; Rd. 3 score: -1) 

10. FIREBALLS GC -5 (Garcia 69, Masaveu 69, Ancer 71, Puig 73; Rd. 3 score: -6) 

11. HYFLYERS GC -2 (Ogletree 67, Tringale 67, Steele 75, Mickelson 78; Rd. 3 score: -1) 

12. CLEEKS GC +4 (Kaymer 70, Bland 73, Kjettrup 75, Meronk 76; Rd. 3 score: +6) 

13. IRON HEADS GC +8 (Kozuma 70, Jang 74, Na 75, Lee 78; Rd. 3 score: +9) 

Wild Cards: C. Lee 70. A. Kim 74