It ended with the biggest moment — and certainly the biggest pay day — of his golfing career.

In between, all Talor Gooch did during the 2023 LIV Golf League season was raise trophies across the globe. Victory in Adelaide. Victory in Singapore. Victory in Andalucía.

On Sunday, it was victory in Jeddah. Not the tournament itself, but as season-long Individual Champion, which comes with a $18 million bonus that should prove quite useful for Gooch’s growing charity foundation in his native Oklahoma.

In a league with 13 major champions on the roster, it was the player who can’t seem to get proper recognition from the majors who set the gold standard.

No wonder Gooch plays with an attitude.

“I think I always play with a chip on my shoulder,” Gooch said in the aftermath of his Individual title at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club. “I’ve gone under the radar, if you will, which is fine. For me, it’s a driving factor.

“Then you circle all the way around to the end of last season with what DJ had said and being on the new team, it’s motivating for sure.

“Yeah, I like the chip on the shoulder.”

DJ is, of course, Dustin Johnson, the 4 Aces captain whose team Gooch played for last season. It was a successful relationship, especially from the team perspective, as the Aces won all five US-based tournaments during the inaugural 2022 LIV Golf Invitational beta-test season. That included the season-ending Team Championship a year ago in Miami.

But when an opportunity on Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats opened up, Gooch jumped ship, wanting to play with his good friend Harold Varner III. Johnson said last year’s podium finish in Miami would be the last one Gooch would enjoy.

It took Gooch just four regular-season tournaments to prove DJ wrong. His twin 10-under 62s in the first two rounds in Adelaide led to his first LIV Golf individual title. The next week, Gooch beat Sergio Garcia in a playoff in Singapore, and this time he had company, as the RangeGoats swept both titles.

In the next event, Johnson seemed to take special pleasure in winning LIV Golf Tulsa, considering Gooch was the hometown host. But Gooch proved the two-week heater overseas wasn’t a fluke, as he held off Bryson DeChambeau in Spain for a third individual win, making a clutch birdie on the final hole.

But he delivered his biggest message in Jeddah.

Three players started the week with a chance to win the Individual Champion crown. Ripper captain Cameron Smith was in the driver’s seat, with Gooch in second place and DeChambeau in third. That’s a sandwich between two recent major winners.

With everything on the line on Sunday, Gooch shot an eight-under 62, rolling in seemingly every decent birdie chance to force a playoff with defending Jeddah champ Brooks Koepka. Meanwhile, Smith and DeChambeau, the two players with more impressive credentials, fell off the pace. Each were frustrated at the end, knowing the opportunity that had slipped away — or rather, that Gooch grabbed.

Even though he lost the Jeddah tournament title to Koepka on the second playoff hole — he took an aggressive line with his approach shot in hopes of forcing the issue, but the ball finished in the water left of the green — Gooch proved his point. He had outplayed Smith and DeChambeau with the season’s biggest stakes on the line while going toe-to-toe with the reigning PGA Champion and five-time major winner.

And in the process, he became the successor to Johnson, last year’s Individual Champion.

How to put it in perspective?

“You’ve got 48 of the best players in the world, with some legends and some current great players, majors champions,” Gooch said. “When you’re playing all kinds of courses across the world in different climates, in different parts of the world and back home in the States and everything over the span of a season — to beat everybody over the course of that, it speaks volumes to the quality of golf that you’ve played.

“For me, it’s a validation to all the hard work, all the patience and the years it took to get my game to this spot to, I think, be considered one of the best players in the world.”

His current captain agrees.

“He’s a young gun,” Watson said while waiting to spray Gooch with some celebratory fizz on the 18th green. “We saw that in his short career on the PGA Tour and when he jumped ship to LIV, you knew he was still going to be one of the best. He’s proven that he is. It’s awesome to watch.

“It’s awesome to learn from, too. The way he goes about his business. Not too many ups and downs. Just straight ahead, no matter what the golf ball does for him.”

His good friend Varner was more succinct.

“I’ve known him a long time,” Varner said. “I knew he was really good. And he just works his ass off.”

Don’t expect that to change just because he’s on top of the LIV Golf world right now. Playing with a chip on his shoulder has worked well thus far. No need to remove it now.

Main image: Talor Gooch. LIV Golf

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But there was a reason he and his teammates were sat greenside — still clad in their red outfits — watching on as Koepka triumphed on the second extra hole.

Captain Garcia was smiling alongside Abraham Ancer, Eugenio Chacarra and Carlos Ortiz, awaiting their turn to take to the podium as LIV Golf Jeddah team winners.

The Fireballs cruised to victory, finishing the week at 34-under, three shots ahead of Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats and five ahead of Cleeks.

Garcia challenged for the individual title most of the day before finishing two strokes shy and in a three-way tie for third with Scott Vincent and Harold Varner III. Still, he found the top of the podium with his team for their second win of the season and third overall.

Heading into next week’s Team Championship, it is 4 Aces who topped the standings, followed by Crushers, Torque and RangeGoats, and that quartet receive a bye into the semi-finals.

The Fireballs were already eliminated from bye consideration, but with a second-place in Chicago and a win in Jeddah in their last two starts, they will enter the Team Championship with plenty of momentum.

“We’re obviously very excited,” said Garcia on the podium. “With all four of us playing solid in Chicago and here, it’s exciting. We know how much Miami means, so hopefully we’ll be able to keep that going and make it fun.”

Ancer added: “It’s definitely nice to feel the team is in form going to Miami,” while Chacarra said: “I think they said pretty much everything. We’re excited for the week. We’re playing great.”

On this form, the top four will be keen to avoid Garcia and the Spanish-speaking Armada for as long as possible in Miami.

Main image: Fireballs Abraham Ancer, Eugenio Chacarra, captain Sergio Garcia and Carlos Ortiz celebrate after their LIV Golf Jeddah victory. LIV Golf

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For the second year in a row  it seemed like an action replay of 2022 at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club on Sunday — especially the dramatic finale.

Brooks Koepka defended his title. He did it an extended playoff — this time over Individual Championship winner Talor Gooch — on the second extra hole (last year it took four to prevail over then Smash teammate Peter Uihlein) on the Red Sea coast.

The pair finished locked on 14-under, with a crucial birdie putt on the 18^th from Koepka as Gooch waited in the wings ensuring extra-time.

Harold Varner III, another winner on the Royal Greens course in the 2022 Saudi International, finished third on 12-under.

There were differences too, as this was Koepka’s first win as a father, and he snuck into the Individual Championship top-three at old rival Bryson DeChambeau’s expense — $4 million to be exact.

Five-time major winner Koepka was smiling and happy to talk — finally, following a less-than-loquacious week — in King Abdullah Economic City after his overtime win against Gooch.

Koepka held an overnight three-stroke lead, but was pegged back as Gooch and handful of others were landing birdies and he was left frustrated with a string of near-misses before a late rally, including a clutch putt on 18, got him to two-under for the day — good enough to match Gooch, who shot the day’s lowest score with an eight-under 62.

“It’s been a great week,” he said, trophy at his feet. “It’s been fantastic. Anytime you can win, it’s always a good feeling. Super proud of the way I played today. Felt like I was hitting good putts. They weren’t falling, and then it was just a matter of being patient and hanging in there.

“To make that eight-footer on 18 in regulation and then to birdie it twice in the playoff is pretty neat. Very pleased with the way I finished.”

Koepka was ensured the win when Gooch saw his second shot over the pond on their second extra trip down 18 trickle off the green into the water, allowing the defending champ two putts for victory.

Brooks Koepka defends his title in Jeddah ??

It took two playoff holes to secure the victory ?#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/ZojMpnp7zY

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) October 15, 2023

“I knew it was just going to be a matter of time [in the playoff]. I had to birdie it every time I felt like. Talor has been playing so well the whole year, all week. He played a hell of a round today. I just felt like birdie was — you had to make birdie, maybe even a three just to beat him.

“I got super lucky, and I kind of had the same putt I did in regulation, which also helped knowing the speed and how fast it was. Super pumped for that.”

With the win in the bag over the same track as last year, Koepka is raring to go — and set a good example for his baby son, Crew.

“I definitely feel like I’m back to my old self,” he said. “This one is probably a little different just because it’s the first win as a dad. I’m sure [wife] Jena and Crew are watching. He won’t remember that one, but at least I’ve got something to say, that I did win while he was here.”

Koepka also had the bonus of claiming that third spot on the Individual Championship podium — something he didn’t discover until he was informed after his win.

“I mean, I really didn’t think I had a chance,” he explained. “I don’t know how many points Bryson had to have or to get, but I felt like I had to win, and I did my part. That’s all I can do. Then from there, it’s just up to the guys. But yeah, super fortunate to kind of squeak in there. It’s a good day.”

And what was Koepka thinking as they had to hop on the buggies and play 18 yet one more time?

“Not again,” he laughed. “I don’t think anybody has played the 18th hole more than I have.”

It’s like we had all been here before.

Main image: Brooks Koepka celebrates his LIV Golf Jeddah win with Smash teammate Jason Kokrak. LIV Golf

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If he plays well on Sunday and everything falls his way, the RangeGoats star will earn a memorable season-long title, as well as the $18 million bonus. The final round at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club will complete the regular-season competition for the crown.

“I think everyone knows what’s on the line, and that’s going to build the intensity of it,” Gooch said. “It’s such an incredible opportunity, so you’ve just got to take it in stride and just embrace it. I knew it was going to come down to Sunday.”

Starting the tournament in second place in the overall standings behind Ripper captain Cameron Smith, Gooch is now projected into the top spot after his 64 on Saturday moved him into a four-way tie for ninth on the tournament leaderboard at six-under, six shots behind tournament leader Brooks Koepka.

The Individual Championship as it stands, heading into the Final Round ?

Will @TalorGooch take the W? ?#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/tqWUknwIzq

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) October 15, 2023

Smith is at two-under after his 68 and is tied for 25th, which earns no points and would drop him to No. 2 in the Individual standings.

The other player with Individual Champion aspirations is Crushers captain Bryson DeChambeau, who made a big charge on Saturday with a seven-under 63 that leaves him at eight-under and tied for fourth. DeChambeau needs to finish in the top three to have any chance at the title, but his fate also depends on how Smith and Gooch finish.

“All I’m focused on tomorrow is winning this tournament, and the rest will take care of itself,” DeChambeau said. “The job is not even close to being done. We’ve got 18 more holes.”

Winning the tournament will be a challenge if Koepka continues his impressive play at Royal Greens.

The Smash captain won here last year after opening with a 62. He matched that score on Saturday, shooting a bogey-free eight-under round in which he opened with six birdies in his first eight holes.

At 12-under for the tournament, he leads Fireballs Captain Sergio Garcia and the Crushers’ Charles Howell III by three strokes, with DeChambeau and Scott Vincent — who also shot 62 on Saturday — another stroke back.

Koepka started the tournament too far back in points to challenge for the Individual title, but he does have an opportunity to finish third in the standings and claim a $4 million bonus. He must repeat as tournament champion and hope DeChambeau finishes no better than 14th.

“Just keep doing what I’m doing,” Koepka said. “Seems to be working since I’m at the top.”

Vincent, a member of Iron Heads, also has a huge opportunity on Sunday. He started the week outside the Lock Zone — the top 24 in points who earn guaranteed spots in next year’s LIV Golf League. But his second-round 62 now projects him into 24th in the standings.

“Tomorrow’s a big day,” Vincent said. “You can’t hide from that.”

Meanwhile, team seeds will also be determined, with the top four seeds receiving quarter-final byes for next week’s Team Championship in Miami.

RangeGoats are projected to move ahead of Stinger for the final bye, while DeChambeau’s Crushers are 22-under and have a three-stroke lead on the tournament leaderboard, projecting them to the No. 1 seed ahead of 4 Aces.

“Definitely want to win the team championship and be first in the points list going to Miami,” said DeChambeau, whose Crushers have won twice this year, including the previous LIV Golf event in Chicago. “We’re that good of a team, and my boys have worked really hard this year. If we play well tomorrow, we definitely deserve to be up in that No. 1 spot.”

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Smash siblings Brooks and Chase Koepka are facing that reality right now as elder brother Brooks leads the way after Day 2 of the LIV finale at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in Jeddah, will little brother Chase is in the dreaded Drop Zone, facing the real prospect of losing his playing rights for the 2024 season — and a place on Brooks’ team.

Brooks shot a stunning eight-under 62 to get to 12-under and lead by three from Sergio Garcia and Charles Howell III, and is 18 holes away from defending his LIV Golf Jeddah title.

BK is absolutely locked in ?#LIVGolf @SmashGC pic.twitter.com/f1mirah8l7

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) October 14, 2023

Chase, on the other hand, is two-over, 44^th out of 48 players and looks certain to finish in the bottom four in the year-long  points standings and have to go through a playoff with the finest Asian Tour players to have any hope of making it back in 2024.

Brooks was showing a little less than brotherly love as he spoke following his round on Saturday.

“I mean, there’s nothing I can do,” he said of Chase’s plight. “At the end of the day, it’s up to him. I know he’s working hard. I know he’s been trying. We’ve been practising together quite a bit. Honestly, he’s struggling a little bit. I’ve been there. We’ve all been there. Every golfer has.

“It’s part of it. You look at it, he was playing mini-tour golf 16 months ago. I don’t think the last year-and-a-half has been too bad for him.

“I don’t know what he’s going to do. You’re going to have to ask him. It’s completely up to him whether he wants to keep playing, go play Asian Tour, play if he can play or stop playing. I don’t know. We haven’t had that conversation. That’s for him to decide. I’m not going to force him or encourage him to go one way or another. It’s a big life choice, so I’ll let him decide that.”

After his Jeddah playoff victory last year, Brooks said he had promised to buy Chase a Lamborghini if he won. Things seem to have changed…

“Yeah, he got team money last year, so that was the difference,” Brooks said on Saturday. “He’s doing just fine. He blew his back right tyre out, so maybe he can buy a new tyre. I know he got it fixed a couple weeks ago, so yeah, he’s on his own now.”

Of his own performance on Saturday — eight birdies and 10 pars on a blemish-free card — Brooks was back to his dry-humour best when asked how he thought he performed.

“Made eight birdies, 10 pars,” he said. “I played pretty solid, made a couple good putts early on, which obviously helps with momentum, and drove it pretty well other than my last hole. Never really felt like I had a chance to make a bogey. Pretty pleased with it today.”

So, what’s the game plan to make it back-to-back wins at LIV Golf Jeddah?

“Just got to go play a good round of golf. That’s it. Just keep doing what I’m doing. Seems to be working since I’m at the top. Just go play good, see what happens tomorrow.”

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The Crushers captain shot a seven-under 63 on Saturday to launch himself up to eight-under overall and in T-4 on the leaderboard. That has him lurking just four strokes behind his old rival Koepka.

The pair underwent a back-and-forth verbal feud in 2021, but have since buried the hatchet — as evidenced by the pat on the back as DeChambeau gave Koepka  after the latter’s press conference on Saturday evening in Jeddah.

“It was about shooting low today, as low as I could,” DeChambeau said after that pat on the back. “I knew Brooks and a few others were going to play well, and I needed to get it deep today.  I did that, but I would have liked to have finish off with a birdie or two coming in, have a better chance. But being four back as it is, this golf course, you can definitely do it.”

The Crushers are the trending team at the minute, coming off a win in Chicago and leading at 22-under ahead of the final round in Jeddah ahead of next week’s Team Championship final in Miami, and are second in the standings behind last year’s winners, the 4 Aces. DeChambeau has a simple plan to claim the crown this year.

“I just want the boys [Paul. Casey, Anirban Lahiri and Charles Howell III] to keep playing the way they are,” he said. “They’re a special bunch of guys, and they know how to get the job done when it matters.

“This year is going to be a lot different than last year, I believe, if we bring this form into next week. Very excited for the guys and seeing what we can do next week in Miami.”

DeChambeau was very clear on team-before-individual success.

“It’s about the team,” he insisted. “I definitely want to win the team championship [in Jeddah] and be first in the points list going to Miami. We’re that good of a team, and my boys have worked really hard this year. If we play well tomorrow, we definitely deserve to be up in that No. 1 spot. I’m definitely focused on that, focused on playing well tomorrow individually for the Crushers, and just going to give it my all.”

A win over Koepka probably wouldn’t go amiss either, though …

Main image: Bryson DeChambeau. LIV Golf

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The final 18 holes of the season at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club will now have a shotgun start from 11am local time, with the leading group teeing off at 11.16am.

Fan entrances at Royal Greens will now open at 10am on Sunday.

Main image: LIV Golf

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To kick off this initiative, Majesticks co-captain Henrik Stenson and Smash’s Jason Kokrak, along with Mohammed Ashour, Senior Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility at Roshn Group, welcomed children and young adults from the Help Center Association for a special clinic on Thursday at Royal Greens. The Help Center Association, a Saudi-based philanthropic non-governmental, non-profit organisation, is dedicated to the well-being of individuals with intellectual disabilities. The clinic, coordinated with support from Golf Saudi teaching professionals, included fun golf activities with the LIV Golf stars who delivered inspiration and encouragement to the participants.

“It’s great to be out here,” said Stenson. “Giving these youngsters and young adults a chance to try the game of golf, and to get outside, be active … it’s great to get this going here at Royal Greens. Having played golf for many, many years, that’s always been part of what we do, giving back — and LIV is no different. A lot of initiatives have been done across the areas we play. That’s always been a core thing for golf, and we are keeping that tradition going.”

Kokrak added: “Just to see their smiles when they hit the bullseye or hit the shot solid, is pretty special. My wife is a special needs teacher so it’s very close to home for me. Any chance you get to introduce people to the game of golf — it is a game you’re supposed to have fun with — so we enjoy it. The smiles say it all.”

Ashour said: “We’re proud through the Roshn Group corporate social responsibility programme, Yuhyeek, to co-fund the ‘LIV-Ability’ initiative along with LIV Golf. We’re very happy to see this game growing in the Kingdom and having a positive impact on children with disabilities. For the LIV Golf League professionals to be part of this, give back to the community and transfer their experience and engage with the kids, it’s really motivating. The excitement we saw on the kids’ faces was priceless and we’re happy to see this kick off months of continuous support.”

Main image: Majesticks co-captain Henrik Stenson, Jason Kokrak of Smash and Mohammed Ashour of Roshn host youth from the Help Center Association. LIV Golf

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Cleeks’s Bernd Wiesberger is projected to drop from 44th to 45th, which would put him in the Drop Zone. His captain, Martin Kaymer, could play a part in his fate.

Kaymer entered the week ranked 49th but as a captain, he is exempt from relegation. Kaymer opened with a two-under 68, which left him tied for eighth on the Jeddah leaderboard. That would give him enough points to overtake Wiesberger for 44th in the standings and push his teammate into the Drop Zone.

None of the four players currently in the Drop Zone are projected to finish with points this week. James Piot and Jediah Morgan are tied for 33rd at one-over; Sihwan Kim is tied for 41st at two-over; and Chase Koepka is tied for 46th at three-over.

Time to make a big move!

Main image: Jed Morgan. LIV Golf

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“I thought I played solid,” he said after his 66. “I didn’t birdie any of the par-5s, so that was disappointing, but four-under in this wind, all right. Two three-putts not very good, but I just hung around.”

The highlight of Koepka’s first round was a fairway hole-out eagle two on the ninth. The staid American typically took it in his stride.

“It went in,” he smiled. “I don’t know what else to tell you. It went in. A little bit of luck involved for any shot to go in, but it was a good shot, too, so it was nice.”

Koepka also admitted that golf was the furthest thing from his mind when he and wife Jena’s first child, Crew, was born six weeks premature in July and needed prolonged hospital care.

“It’s definitely changed it [my perspective on golf]” he told Golf Digest Middle East. “I think the first little bit I was not interested in golf at all. Crew was fighting for his life, so golf became very irrelevant for me for a little bit.

“Now that he’s doing well, I’m able to focus a little better, and it’s definitely driven me a little bit to be more dedicated. I just want to show — I know he can’t see it right now, but show him exactly what hard work, dedication, practice — if you do what you’re supposed to do, it eventually will work out for you if you put all the effort in.”

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