Emotional Bryson DeChambeau reveals off-course struggles after beating Jon Rahm in LIV Golf playoff

An emotional Bryson DeChambeau hinted at off-course turmoil after taking down Jon Rahm in overtime at LIV Golf South Africa.

The American found himself in a playoff for the individual title for the second consecutive week on Sunday in front of a raucous Steyn City crowd.

AFP

After pulling his drive into the muddy left rough on the first playoff hole — the par-5 18th — he produced a moment of pure magic and ripped a fairway wood that flew nearly 300 yards and settled just 12 feet from the cup for eagle.

Rahm then failed to get up-and-down from the greenside bunker, and DeChambeau converted an easy two-putt to win in dramatic circumstances.

It was his second consecutive individual victory, after outdueling LIV Golf Wild Card Richard T. Lee in Hong Kong.

Crushers GC battled from nine shots down to take the last-gasp team win, and DeChambeau appeared on the verge of tears as he celebrated with caddie Greg Bodine, and his teammates.

After the win, he was asked why he was so emotional on the green.

Bryson DeChambeau emotional after dramatic LIV Golf South Africa win

The two-time Major champion didn’t reveal the specifics of what was going on, but suggested ‘things’ had transpired in the past week.

“I wish I could tell you. A lot has happened in my life the past week,” DeChambeau, who recently sent a public challenge to Tiger Woods, said.

“I’m just so grateful for my team, the Crushers, and everybody supporting me.

“It’s so funny, golf is a fickle game and you work so hard at it your entire life, and you realize golf is just golf and there’s a lot more to life than just golf.”

The LIV star added that he had been ‘praying’ for the perseverance to move forward after a challenging week.

DeChambeau continued: “I had some things happen during the off time this week and you know, I was just praying all day.

“Praying to give me the perseverance to move forward and keep looking forward.

“I’ve just got to say, I love everybody, thank you for supporting me. South Africa was unbelievable. I mean, it’s got to be the best LIV event we’ve ever had.”

Both DeChambeau and ​Rahm finished on 26 under-par over 72 holes, ​but the American claimed his fifth LIV Golf ⁠title on the first extra hole.

He heads to Augusta National for the 2026 Masters, which begins in less than three weeks, at the top of his game.

The win for the Crushers in South Africa was their ninth regular season victory, giving them the edge over Rahm’s Legion XIII as the winningest team in LIV Golf history.

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“It’s huge. It’s huge for our momentum,” DeChambeau said of team victory.

“I said earlier this week that we just needed a little bit of time, and we’d start showing our true colors, and they went out and played stellar today, and I held it down.”

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