ADELAIDE, Australia — Three-time PGA Tour winner Brendan Steele held off a fast finishing Louis Oosthuizen to win the LIV Golf Adelaide tournament at The Grange Golf Club by one stoke.
The 41-year-old Steele shot a final round 68 Sunday for a 54-hole total of 18-under 198 to earn his first victory since he won his second Safeway Open in 2017 on the PGA Tour.
Steele had a streak of five consecutive birdies early in the round, before some putting jitters appeared in his back nine to open the door for a fast finishing pack of challengers including Oosthuizen, and previous Masters winners Charl Schwartzel (64) and Jon Rahm (64).
“Yeah, I was telling myself that I knew there was going to be hard moments today regardless of the result and that I just needed to get back in there and start playing with freedom again,” Steele said moments after winning.
“And, and I was able to hit some good shots after that and write the show.”
South Africa’s Oosthuizen shot 65 to finish second at 17-under 199, and had drawn within one stroke of Steele late in Sunday’s final round, only for the American to make some clutch pars in the final holes to clinch victory.
Oosthuizen’s compatriot Schwartzel and Rahm were among a group of five players at 16-under 200, with Joaquín Niemann (66), Andy Ogletree (65) and Dean Burmester (67) in a tie for third.
Former world No.1 Rahm had an eagle and six birdies in his 8-under 64 but had left too much ground to catch up on Steele on the final day to capture his first title since joining the LlV tour in December.
Last year’s winner Talor Gooch shot 70 and finished in a tie for 26th at 10-under.
Some of LIV Golf’s biggest names were also off the pace this week, including Brooks Koepka (-9), Dustin Johnson (-9), Phil Mickelson (-7) and Sergio Garcia (-6).
Australian team Ripper GC, led by local favorite Cameron Smith, with Marc Leishman, Matt Jones and Lucas Herbert, won the teams format on the second playoff hole against the South African-based team, Stingers GC, to the delight of another large and boisterous crowd at The Grange course on Sunday.
The LIV tour remains in the Asia region next week for the May 3-5 Singapore event at the Sentosa Golf Club. Then there’s a month-long break before resuming in Houston from June 7-9.