Talor Gooch claims third LIV Golf win of the season at Valderrama

Talor Gooch boosted his chances of earning a Ryder Cup team slot after securing his third LIV Golf League season victory on Sunday at Real Club Valderrama in Sotogrande.

Having previously triumphed in Australia and Singapore in consecutive weeks in April, the 31-year-old American emerged as champion at LIV Golf Andalucía by displaying remarkable skill to shoot a four-under 67 to conclude the tournament at 12 under par, narrowly getting the better of Bryson DeChambeau (68) by one stroke and Brooks Koepka (68) by three.

Sebastián Muñoz secured fourth place with a score of six under par, while Patrick Reed, Jason Kokrak and David Puig finished tied for fifth place at four under par.

The historic course in San Roque hosted LIV Golf's eighth event of its 14-event season. It was also the first time that the Saudi-backed breakaway league touched down in Spain.

For Spain’s Sergio García, a key figure in the LIV Golf League as Fireballs GC team captain, the weekend ultimately ended in disappointment on a course with special significance for him

The 43-year-old won three professional titles at Valderrama (the Andalucía Masters in 2011, 2017 and 2018) but his team could only finish sixth on this occasion.

Alongside compatriot Eugenio Chacarra and the Mexican pair Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz, Fireballs GC came in at one under par at the 1997 Ryder Cup venue.

Joaquin Niemann's Torque GC claimed a commanding victory on the team side, finishing at 16 under par, with a five-shot lead over Bubba Watson's RangeGoats GC, who finished at 11 under par. DeChambeau's Crushers secured third place with a score of 7 under par.

Financed by the Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, the LIV Golf League consists of fourteen 54-hole tournaments with no cut.

The schedule has an unparalleled format, with 48 individuals and 12 teams vying for titles, a total of $405 million in prize purses and a team championship event, in Jeddah, at the season’s end.

The next event on the schedule is LIV Golf London, scheduled to take place from 7 to 9 July at Centurion Club in Hertfordshire, England.