Advertisement

LIV Golf LIVE: Leaderboard and Day 3 scores as Branden Grace holds off Dustin Johnson to win in Portland

Branden Grace produced a spectacular final round to win the LIV Golf Portland event and claim the £3.2m first prize. The South African had started two shots back of Carlos Ortiz but a round of 65 saw him storm to victory three shots clear of the Mexican. Former world No 1 Dustin Johnson had been in contention despite a slow start but couldn’t keep pace with Grace on the back-nine, while Patrick Reed’s charge came too late to threaten the top of the leaderboard.

Grace had won twice on the PGA Tour and nine times on the European Tour before defecting to LIV Golf ahead of the inaugural event at Centurion Club last month. He is part of the Stinger GC team that won just outside London as Charl Schwartzel claimed victory. Despite Grace’s performance, it was the 4 Aces team featuring Johnson, Reed, Pat Perez and Talor Gooch that took the prize this time around.

While the action unfolded, LIV Golf also announced their latest new signing in Ryder Cup regular Paul Casey. “LIV Golf continues to attract the best players in the sport as it builds increasingly competitive fields with each event,” LIV Golf’s chief executive, Greg Norman, said. “Paul Casey adds to the growing list of top 50 golfers who are excited to be part of an innovative and entertaining format that is creating something new for golf. His proven track record on a global stage adds another exciting piece to the competition as we prepare for Bedminster.”

LIV Golf Portland

  • -13 Branden Grace

  • -10 Carlos Ortiz

  • -9 Patrick Reed, Dustin Johnson

LIV Golf Portland

02:26 , Tom Kershaw

Thanks very much for joining our coverage of the final round of the LIV Golf Portland event where Branden Grace won the individual event and 4 Aces GC (Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Pat Perez, Talor Gooch) took the team prize.

LIV Golf Portland

02:21 , Tom Kershaw

And Grace tidies up for his par. What a stunning final round from the South African. He started two shots off the lead but finishes two clear thanks to a near-flawless round of 65.

LIV Golf Portland

02:20 , Tom Kershaw

There is still some drama to come on the final green in the team format though. Ortiz might have been unable to catch Grace but a birdie on the last ensures his Fireballs GC have edged Torque GC to third place.

LIV Golf Portland

02:09 , Tom Kershaw

Grace doesn’t shy away from taking his driver at 18 but he’s driven the ball so well it’s hardly a surprise. A safe approach finds the heart of the green and the South African’s victory is a formality now.

LIV Golf Portland

02:01 , Tom Kershaw

And Grace is running away with it now. That’s a brilliant up and down from the rough for birdie at 17 and he’s seven-under-par for his round! Grace leads by three and the £3.2m grand prize is within his grasp.

LIV Golf Portland

01:58 , Tom Kershaw

Here’s another look at that Grace chip-in at 16.

LIV Golf Portland

01:52 , Tom Kershaw

Grace misses the fairway at the par-5 17th and his lay-up is pulled into the rough left of the green. It’s a tricky pitch from there but he still has an outside chance of getting up and down for birdie. Johnson lashed a fierce drive down the middle but his approach finds the front bunker from 211 yards.

LIV Golf Portland

01:41 , Tom Kershaw

Johnson does manage to roll in his birdie putt at 16 and that takes the former world No 1 to -9, three shots back with two holes to play.

LIV Golf Portland

01:39 , Tom Kershaw

Branden Grace was the only one in the final group to miss the green at 16 but the South African chips in for birdie! Ortiz, who’d been eyeing up a two-shot swing, is suddenly left with a must-make birdie putt and drags it low of the hole. Grace leads by two with two holes to play.

LIV Golf Portland

01:25 , Tom Kershaw

It’s two shots now! Grace rolls in a birdie putt at 15 after a wonderful approach to move to -11. He’s five-under-par for his round. Ortiz had a good chance at birdie himself but the Mexican’s putter has gone cold and he stays at -10.

LIV Golf Portland

01:23 , Tom Kershaw

Reed follows up that eagle at 17 with a birdie at 18 and he is now just one shot off the lead.

LIV Golf Portland

01:09 , Tom Kershaw

Patrick Reed hits a stunning approach into the par-5 17th and rolls in the eagle putt. He’s missed from that length almost all day but that propels him to -8 and he’s now just two shots off the lead.

LIV Golf Portland

Sunday 3 July 2022 00:57 , Tom Kershaw

Johnson can’t hole out and slips back to -8 before Ortiz tidies up for his par. He’s not alone at the top of the leaderboard anymore though! Grace drains a long putt for birdie at the 13th and joins Ortiz at -10.

LIV Golf Portland

Sunday 3 July 2022 00:54 , Tom Kershaw

Johnson and Ortiz are both in trouble at the 13th. The former’s approach was sliced and stuck up in the rough, leaving a tricky downhill pitch with the ball above his feet. It’s a good effort to get up onto the top tier of the green but it’s going to be a long putt to try and save par from there.

Ortiz’s approach came up well short but his pitch is a lot simpler off the fairway and leaves only around 5ft for par.

LIV Golf Portland

Sunday 3 July 2022 00:44 , Tom Kershaw

It’s been a disappointing day for DeChambeau, who is two over for his round, but the American makes absolute mincemeat of the par-5 17th, fading in what only looked like a short iron and he will now have a great eagle chance.

LIV Golf Portland

Sunday 3 July 2022 00:40 , Tom Kershaw

Johnson moves to -9! After missing two birdie chances, he gets the putter working at the par-3 12th and the two-time major champion is now just one off the lead.

LIV Golf Portland

Sunday 3 July 2022 00:27 , Tom Kershaw

Johnson misreads his birdie putt, again giving it too much credit on the high side, and just like at 11, Grace got a perfect look from behind. This time though the South African’s own effort just runs out of speed and dies away from the hole at the end. Ortiz’s lead stays at one.

LIV Golf Portland

Sunday 3 July 2022 00:22 , Tom Kershaw

Grace steps up onto the 11th tee and flares his drive way right. He gets free relief though and is able to fade his approach around a tree and the ball just trickles onto the front of the green. It’s a great escape and he, Johnson and Ortiz will all have a similar length for birdie.

LIV Golf Portland

Sunday 3 July 2022 00:08 , Tom Kershaw

Oosthuizen has birdied three of his last four holes to move to -7, three shots back.

Back at 10, all three players in the final group have found the green. Ortiz and Johnson make their pars but Grace got a great read off the latter’s effort and rolls in for his birdie. The South African moves to -9 and is now just one shot off the lead.

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 23:53 , Tom Kershaw

After missing a short one on the last hole, Ortiz holds his nerve to save par at 9. He makes the turn in 35 but what was at one stage a four-shot lead has been cut down to two by Johnson and Grace.

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 23:50 , Tom Kershaw

Patrick Reed is two-under for his round so far but a birdie chance sails by at 11 and he remains four shots off the lead.

The lowest round in progress so far is coming from Phachara Khongwatmai. The 23-year-old is four-under through 10 holes, which is quite the turnaround, having shot 77 and 75 on Thursday and Friday respectively.

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 23:35 , Tom Kershaw

Grace drives the green at the 330-yard 8th and two putts for birdie. He moves to -8 and is quickly joined at that mark by Johnson, who stiffed his approach to just a few feet. Ortiz can only make par and the lead is now only two.

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 23:23 , Tom Kershaw

There’s the first chink in Ortiz’s armour. He pulls a short putt to save par at the 7th and slips back to -10. Johnson has almost an identical putt for birdie, knows the line and rolls it confidently into the middle of the hole. Ortiz still has a three-shot lead but there were signs of nerves there from the Mexican and that’s a big momentum shift.

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 23:16 , Tom Kershaw

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 23:07 , Tom Kershaw

Ortiz’s momentum has slowed a little with pars at 5 and 6 but the Mexican is still way out in front with a four-shot lead.

The team event is a little closer, with the 4 Aces (Johnson, Perez, Reed, Gooch) two shots ahead of the Fireballs (Ortiz, Ancer, Garcia, Lopez).

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 23:02 , Tom Kershaw

LIV Golf have just announced Paul Casey as their latest big-name signing. The Englishman, who once said he’d refuse to play in Saudi Arabia due to being a Unicef ambassador, has been absent from the PGA Tour due to a back injury since March.

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 22:48 , Tom Kershaw

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 22:43 , Tom Kershaw

Few saw Matthew Wolff’s slump coming after such an exciting start to his PGA Tour career, with top-five finishes at the US Open and PGA Championship in 2020. He has fallen almost 50 places in the world rankings but a fantastic approach at the 9th serves as a reminder of his talent. That’s a tap-in to make it back-to-back birdies for the 23-year-old. He’s now at -3.

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 22:34 , Tom Kershaw

Ortiz birdies the fourth too! The Mexican is three-under through four holes and, after seeing that putt fall, Johnson misses a short one of his own for par. Ortiz now has a four-shot lead over Harding. Johnson slips back to -6 where he is joined by Reed and Grace.

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 22:29 , Tom Kershaw

Patrick Reed has surged into contention with back-to-back birdies at 5 and 6. He’s now at -6, four shots off Ortiz’s lead.

Ortiz only had one victory on the PGA Tour before defecting to LIV. By a quirk of fate, on that occasion at the Houston Open in 2020, Dustin Johnson was the runner-up.

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 22:19 , Tom Kershaw

It’s been a heck of a start from Carlos Ortiz. He hits a fantastic approach into the 211-yard par 3 that leaves an uphill birdie putt. He rolls it in confidently to move to -10. Johnson can only make par while Grace, after opting to chip off the fringe and catching the downslope, sees his momentum halted by a bogey.

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 22:10 , Tom Kershaw

Johnson can’t get up and down at the 2nd after that errant approach and he slips back to -7. There are no such problems for Branden Grace, though, who drains a birdie putt to join Johnson at that mark. Ortiz has a nervy putt to save par but he holes it to ensure his lead is now two shots.

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 22:02 , Tom Kershaw

Koepka makes a fantastic par at the 3rd. His tee shot stopped just on the lip of the bunker, leaving an awkward chip shot straight down the hill. He opened the face, took a confident swing at it and the ball bounced no more than a couple of feet in front of him, rolling down and very nearly catching the lip. He holes the return putt up the slope to remain at -5.

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 21:55 , Tom Kershaw

Johnson and Ortiz are both wayward off the tee at the 2nd, dragging their drives left and leaving themselves blind approaches.

Ortiz has 172 yards in and finds the middle of the green but it’ll be a long two-putt from there.

Johnson is on an upslope out of the rough and flies it long of the green. That’ll be a tricky up and down.

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 21:46 , Tom Kershaw

Ortiz rolls in that short birdie putt at the 1st. He played the hole to perfection and now has the outright lead, with Johnson having to settle for par.

Justin Harding has made a terrific start to his round with back-to-back birdies and he’s at -7, two shots back.

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 21:42 , Tom Kershaw

Oosthuizen couldn’t take advantage of the par-5 1st but a fine approach into the 2nd leaves him a good look at birdie.

Yuki Inamori, the world No 73, hits a terrific approach with a 3-wood into the 18th green and will have nothing more than a tap-in to move into the red for the tournament.

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 21:38 , Tom Kershaw

Johnson is forced to lay up quite a way back but a great approach leaves him a long look at birdie. Ortiz only needs to flick a wedge in there and he has a much better chance of taking the outright lead.

Elsewhere, Bryson DeChambeau opened with a bogey but a huge drive sets up a fine birdie at the 4th which takes him back to -3.

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 21:30 , Tom Kershaw

Up ahead on the green at the first, Justin Harding makes a perfect start, rolling in a tricky left-to-right slider for birdie. That takes him to -6, just two shots off the lead. Brooks Koepka matches him with a birdie to move to -5.

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 21:27 , Tom Kershaw

Patrick Reed was in fine form yesterday, shooting a 68, and he’ll have a look at birdie on his first hole of the day. He’s four shots back.

It’s time for the leaders to get started now. Carlos Ortiz hits a perfect fade down the first and he’ll have a good chance of getting to the green in two at the par-5. Dustin Johnson pulls his drive into the bunker, though, and he’ll almost certainly need to lay up.

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 21:19 , Tom Kershaw

The horn goes and we’re underway. The leaders, remember, will tee off just afterwards at the first. Greg Norman, meanwhile, has been set loose on the mic and is delivering his usual bluster.

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 21:11 , Tom Kershaw

We’re just five minutes away from the shotgun start at Pumpkin Ridge. Bryson DeChambeau is talking up his chances of a late charge. The former US Open champion starts five shots off the lead.

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 20:55 , Tom Kershaw

Here’s a look at what Dustin Johnson and Carlos Ortiz had to say after finishing in a tie for the lead yesterday.

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 20:49 , Tom Kershaw

There are several English players in the field although few have fared too well. Sam Horsfield is the only one with an outside chance, starting five shots off the lead. Lee Westwood is at +3, with Richard Bland and Laurie Canter one short further back. Ian Poulter meanwhile is really plumbing the depths of the leaderboard at +8 after two torrid rounds.

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 20:41 , Tom Kershaw

To understand more about who is benefitting most from the bottomless pit of money behind LIV, read this great report from Alan Shipnuck who spoke to players and agents on-site in Portland.

How the Money Works on LIV Golf | The Fire Pit Collective

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 20:31 , Tom Kershaw

One man who won’t be in contention this evening is Phil Mickelson. The 52-year-old produced a miserable performance at the US Open and there’s been little joy to take from Pumpkin Ridge either. A pair of 75s has him at +6, some 14 shots off the lead.

 (Getty)
(Getty)

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 20:18 , Tom Kershaw

If you missed yesterday’s action, you can catch up on the highlights below. Dustin Johnson was threatening to run away with it at one stage, with eight birdies propelling him to -10, but a late blip has left it very much an open race.

LIV Golf Portland

Saturday 2 July 2022 20:13 , Tom Kershaw

Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the final day of the LIV Golf event in Portland.

Dustin Johnson and Carlos Ortiz share the lead at -8 ahead of the 9.15pm BST shotgun start at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club. Branden Grace is two shots back but Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed remain in outside contention at -4.