After two flawless days at LIV Golf Hong Kong, Abraham Ancer’s final round turned into a tough, challenging Sunday afternoon in the rain. But with the individual title on the line in a three-man playoff, the Fireballs GC star produced the kind of ball-striking worthy of a champion.

Ancer beat Cameron Smith and Paul Casey with a birdie on the first playoff hole to win his first individual LIV Golf title, while Casey and his Crushers GC teammates won their second consecutive team trophy with another final-round rally for a two-stroke victory over Torque GC.

It was a thrilling conclusion for both titles in front of the large, enthusiastic crowds at Hong Kong Golf Club – although Ancer would have settled for minimal tension after starting out with a five-stroke lead thanks to opening rounds of 63 and 62. He shot a 2-over 72 on Sunday, making his only three bogeys of the week, but he persevered when needed.

“It was definitely a grind,” Ancer said. “I made it a lot more stressful than I envisioned it … I’m really proud of how I felt mentally and how I fought the whole round not having my best stuff.”

Crushers GC won their second team title of the season at LIV Golf Hong Kong. (Photo by Doug DeFelice/LIV Golf)

Casey shot a 6-under 64 and Smith, the Ripper GC captain, shot 66 to catch Ancer. But in the playoff at the difficult par-4 18th at Hong Kong Golf Club, Casey’s drive left him with no chance to reach the green in two, while Smith’s approach found the greenside bunker. Both players ultimately made bogeys.

Meanwhile, Ancer hit a perfect drive with his 5-wood, then followed with an equally sensational approach with his 8-iron inside 5 feet for the winning birdie.

“I think that second shot was even more important than the tee ball just because I haven’t hit one good iron shot all day, and I knew I wanted to pull it off,” Ancer said. “My caddie kind of pumped me up. It’s like, all right, it’s time to hit the shot of the day, and it came out perfect. I couldn’t be happier with how I played that playoff.”

Casey was also seeking his first LIV Golf individual title but could still celebrate a team victory with the Crushers, who last week in Jeddah rallied from 11 shots down entering the final round for the win.

On Sunday, the Crushers were seven shots back of the 36-hole leader Fireballs but shot a collective 14 under in the final round to finish at 35 under. In addition to Casey’s 64, captain Bryson DeChambeau shot 66, Charles Howell III contributed a 67 and Anirban Lahiri added a 68.

Going back to last season, the Crushers have now won four of the last seven LIV Golf events, including the 2023 Team Championship.

“What a great group of guys,” Casey said. “We’ve got something – we spoke briefly about it after Jeddah, that we’ve got something that you can’t measure, and I firmly believe that.”

Added DeChambeau: “We know with four scores counting, we’re going to be in it no matter what the last day. We put the pedal to the metal today and showcased who we are.”

Abraham Ancer of Fireballs GC won the LIV Golf Hong individual title in a playoff on Sunday. (Photo by Chris Trotman/LIV Golf)

TEAM COUNTING SCORES

Standings and counting scores for Sunday’s final round of the team competition at LIV Golf Hong Kong. The three best scores from each team count in the first two rounds while all four scores count in the final round. The team with the lowest cumulative score after three rounds wins the team title.

1. CRUSHERS GC -35 (Casey 64, DeChambeau 66, Howell III 67, Lahiri 68; Rd. 3 score: -14)
2. TORQUE GC -33 (Niemann 63, Ortiz 66, Pereira 68, Muñoz 71; Rd. 3 score: -13)
3. RIPPER GC -32 (Smith 66, Herbert 67, Leishman 69, Jones 71; Rd. 3 score: -7)
4. MAJESTICKS GC -31 (Horsfield 65, Westwood 67, Poulter 68, Stenson 69; Rd. 3 score: -11)
5. CLEEKS GC -29 (Bland 66, Kaymer 67, Meronk 69, Samooja 71; Rd. 3 score: -7)
6. FIREBALLS GC -27 (Puig 68, Garcia 70, Chacarra 71, Ancer 72; Rd. 3 score: +1)
T7. SMASH GC -24 (Gooch 66, McDowell 67, Kokrak 69, Koepka 71; Rd. 3 score: -7)
T7. 4ACES GC -24 (Johnson 63, Reed 69, Varner III 71, Perez 73; Rd. 3 score: -4)
9. STINGER GC -21 (Burmester 68, Oosthuizen 68, Schwartzel 70, Grace 72; Rd. 3 score: -2)
10. IRON HEADS GC -20 (Na 64, Vincent 68, Kozuma 70, Lee 70; Rd. 3 score: -8)
11. RANGEGOATS GC -17 (Uihlein 67, Wolff 69, Watson 70, Pieters 71; Rd. 3 score: -3)
12. HYFLYERS GC -16 (Steele 67, Tringale 69, Mickelson 70, Ogletree 70; Rd. 3 score: -4)
13. LEGION XIII -15 (Surratt 66, Rahm 69, Hatton 70, Vincent 76; Rd. 3 score: +1)

ROUND 3 NOTES

KIM SHOOTS 65: Wild Card player Anthony Kim shot his first sub-par round since returning to professional golf at LIV Golf Jeddah after a nearly 12-year retirement.

Kim had seven birdies and two bogeys in shooting a 5-under 65 Sunday at LIV Golf Hong Kong in just his sixth round since his comeback. He finished at 3 over for the tournament after previous rounds of 76 and 72.

“I knew something good was coming,” said the 38-year-old Kim. “It’s hard to stay patient when you feel like it’s right there, and I’m really happy that it hasn’t taken me one more round to get here. I’m just happy about the progress I’m making and the confidence I’m building going into the next few weeks.”

The most impressive part of his game thus far is his putting. Kim led the entire 54-man Hong Kong field in putting, and on Sunday he rolled in more than 150 feet of putts.

“The first two days I didn’t feel like I made a lot of putts, but today I putted really well,” he said. “Saw the line well and just trusted my reads.”

Kim hopes to ride the momentum into the upcoming International Series Macau on the Asian Tour before his next LIV Golf start in Miami on April 5-7.

“It’s just one round,” he said of his 65. “It’s just one round of golf. But I played the right way. I played the right way, and I didn’t do anything extraordinary. I just played like I know how to play.”

DOUBLE ACES: Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann, the individual points leader, added another highlight to his already impressive season with a hole-in-one at the 189-yard eighth. It’s the sixth hole-in-one of his career.

Cleeks GC’s Kalle Samooja soon followed with another ace at the 131-yard second. It’s the 10th hole-in-one of his career.

There have now been six aces in LIV Golf League history.

CAM’S POSITIVE STEP: Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith has started slowly this season, but left Hong Kong encouraged despite not coming away with the individual title.

“It was a step in the right direction this week,” said Smith, whose 4-under 66 got him into the playoff after he started the day six strokes back. “Played some really patient golf over the weekend. A lot different than the first few weeks.”

Smith was seeking to become the first LIV golfer to win four individual titles, but instead lost in a playoff for the second time. Last year in Tulsa, he was part of a three-man playoff won by Dustin Johnson.

Smith’s approach shot in the playoff landed in a greenside bunker, virtually giving him no chance once Ancer followed by knocking it close for an easy birdie.

“Just right in between numbers,” Smith explained about his approach. “Had to hit a perfect shot. That’s kind of the shot I’ve been struggling with.”

BRYSON ON CASEY: Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau and his teammate Paul Casey were in the same group Sunday, with both chasing Abraham Ancer. Casey shot 64 to make the playoff while DeChambeau shot 66 to miss out by two strokes.

“First of all, I’m super pissed I didn’t beat him today,” DeChambeau said of Casey. “Second, I’m super proud of him for being tied for the lead and going down into a playoff. I had a chance today. I had so many lip-outs today, but that’s the crazy dynamic about it.”

THE BUZZ IN HONG KONG: The big crowds at the historic Hong Kong Golf Club on Sunday made an impact on the players. Not even persistent rain late in the afternoon could dampen their spirits.

“It was incredible,” said individual winner Abraham Ancer. “Even when we were getting the trophy, it was pouring rain outside, and everybody was out there, which has been really nice. Everybody was extremely supportive.

“Every hole I felt like there was great energy. Today was pretty packed out there, and it was exciting. It was a privilege feeling those nerves throughout the round. That’s kind of the way I looked at it. Tried to channel that into something positive.”

Said Paul Casey: “An absolute joy. It was a buzz. Adelaide is probably the one that we’re all measuring things by, but Hong Kong should be very proud of themselves.”

SEASON’S BEST: Four teams had their best results of the season in Hong Kong. Torque GC finished second, and now has two podium finishes in the first four events (the team finished third in Mayakoba). Ripper GC finished on the podium for the first time this season in third place. Majesticks GC finished fourth, bouncing back from a last-place finish in Jeddah. Cleeks GC finished an encouraging fifth, and even held the lead for an extended time early in Sunday’s round.

JOACO STRETCHES LEAD: Joaquin Niemann increased his lead in the individual points standings with a tie for fourth in Hong Kong. He now has 97 points and is nearly 40 points ahead of No. 2 Jon Rahm. With a tie for second, Paul Casey moved to fourth in points while Hong Kong winner Abraham Ancer is now fifth.

ROUND 3 STATS LEADERS
Driving accuracy: Joaquin Niemann, Louis Oosthuizen, Dustin Johnson, Marc Leishman, 92.86% (13 of 14 fairways hit)
Driving distance: Bryson DeChambeau, 330.2 yards avg.
Longest drive: Bryson DeChambeau, 382.9 yards, 11th hole
Greens in regulation: Sam Horsfield, 94.44% (17 of 18 greens)
Putting: Anthony Kim, 1.28 putts per hole

TOURNAMENT STATS LEADERS
Driving accuracy: Kevin Na, Marc Leishman, 83.33% (35 of 42 fairways hit)
Driving distance: Bryson DeChambeau, 336.9 yards avg.
Longest drive: Bryson DeChambeau, 382.9 yards, 11th hole, Rd. 3
Greens in regulation: Paul Casey, Carlos Ortiz, Kevin Na, Richard Bland, Sam Horsfield, 81.48% (44 of 54 greens)
Putting: Anthony Kim, 1.39 putts per hole

Images: LIV Golf