Brendan Steele closed with a 4-under 68 on Sunday to hold off Louis Oosthuizen and win the LIV Golf Adelaide championship by one stroke in South Australia.
It was the first victory since the 2017 Safeway Open on the PGA Tour for the 41-year-old American, who carded a 54-hole total of 18-under 198.
Steele began the day with a one-shot lead and birdied five consecutive holes on the front nine at The Grange Golf Club, building enough of a cushion to survive Oosthuizen’s charge. The South African shot a 7-under 65 to lose by one stroke.
“Really surreal,” said Steele, whose trophy is the first for his HyFlyers GC team. “I’m pretty overwhelmed, but to win this event is really special. I can’t say enough good things about the fans and the golf course and the whole experience this week.”
Five players finished tied for third, two strokes back at 16 under, including South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel and Spain’s Jon Rahm who both shot 64 on Sunday. Andy Ogletree (65 on Sunday), Chile’s Joaquin Niemann (66) and South Africa’s Dean Burmester (67) also shared third place.
“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. “And, I was able to hit some good shots after that and write the show.”
Steele shared the credit with HyFlyers captain Phil Mickelson, who finished in a tie for 38th at 7 under.
“He’s the reason that I’m here and the reason that I’m improving,” Steele said. “To be honest, I’m 41 years old and I’m getting better, and it’s mostly because of him.”
To the delight of the record crowds Down Under, the Australian team Ripper GC captured the team championship on the second playoff hole against Stingers GC. Both teams finished regulation at 53 under — a record low for any LIV Golf event.
“This is unreal,” Ripper captain Cameron Smith said while standing on the 18th green holding an Australian flag, surrounded by teammates Marc Leishman, Matt Jones and Lucas Herbert. “It’s a dream come true for us.”
Steele climbed to 13th in the season-long individual championship race. Niemann remains atop the standings.
LIV returns to action next week with the May 3-5 Singapore event at Sentosa Golf Club, where Talor Gooch is the defending individual champion.
–Field Level Media
