Dustin Johnson Wins LIV Golf Las Vegas By One Shot Over Peter Uihlein and Talor Gooch

HELLO ALL!

Good evening all and welcome to Golf Monthly's final round coverage of LIV Golf Las Vegas! What a final round we have in store, with Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau sharing the lead at 11-under and the likes of Jon Rahm lurking just a few shots behind.

It promises to be a tight affair and, with all four scores counting in the team event, it's set to be an enthralling 18 holes here in Sin City!

LEADERS OUT IN 20 MINUTES

What a final group we have in Las Vegas! Jon Rahm (-9), Bryson DeChambeau (-11) and Dustin Johnson (-11) tee off on the first hole in about 20 minutes, shortly after the shotgun start for the rest of the field at 9.35am local time. Just the five Major titles and 43 PGA Tour titles between the three of them...

The leaderboard heading into the final round

We’re minutes away from the start of the final round of LIV Golf: Las Vegas at Las Vegas Country Club. That's a pretty strong-looking leaderboard right there!

The big names came out to play in round two yesterday, with Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson both shooting eight-under rounds of 62 to sit in a share of the lead at 11 under, while new LIV recruit Jon Rahm will be chasing his first victory on the circuit from two shots back after a second-round, seven-under 63. The trio will make up today’s star-studded final pairing and will tee off at 9.46am local time, shortly after the rest of the field kicks off with the shotgun start at 9.35am. 

And we're off!

Championship Saturday is underway, with most of the players teeing off in the "staggered" shotgun start. The final pairing of DeChambeau, Johnson and Rahm will tee off about 10 minutes after everyone else. A few major winners and other big names will be chasing the leaders today, including Cam Smith (-7), Bubba Watson (-7), first-round leader Paul Casey (-7), and last year's player of the season Talor Gooch (-8). 

The leaders tee off

Time for the final group to tee off from the first hole. Rahm is first up and he fades his drive on the par 5 a bit too much and will have to deal with the bunker on his second shot. Johnson doesn't fare that much better as his drive catches the wind and also leaks right, while DeChambeau goes the other way into the left rough. A lot of power from that final group, but not the best tee shots to start. 

Meanwhile, Casey starts strong on his first hole with a pretty approach into the par-4 second hole to within three feet to leave an easy birdie putt. Jason Kokrak also starts well with a birdie to move up to a share of third at -9. 

Early trouble for Rahm

It's a tough start for Rahm as his second shot from the fairway bunker goes way right and flirts with the out of bounds boundary. He might have some tree trouble on his third going into the par-5 first hole. Both DeChambeau and Johnson get to within about 12 feet after three shots.

Three birdies for Smash GC

Brooks Koepka, Talor Gooch and Jason Kokrak all start with birdies to bring Smash GC to a three-way tie for first in the team standings at -26 alongside Dustin Johnson's Four Aces and Bubba Watson's Rangegoats. Bryson's Crushers are two shots behind.

Jonhson takes the solo lead as Rahm recovers well

The first hole is in the books for the final group of DeChambeau, Johnson and Rahm. Johnson nails his 12-foot birdie putt to edge ahead of DeChambeau, who lips out his birdie putt from a similar distance. Rahm, who was stuck behind a tree on his third shot and nearly went out of bounds, recovers well with a nice low approach into the green and a safe two-putt for par. 

Windy in Vegas

It's windy and chilly out there at Las Vegas Country Club. As seen by the tee shots from the leaders early, the wind will be difficult to navigate, adding another tricky variable that could play into the hands of certain players. After three holes, the Rangegoats' Matt Wolff and Peter Uihlein have both moved into a tie for third at -10 after birdies on their second holes. It has also moved the Goats to first in the team standings. Johnson, Dechambeau and Rahm all stay steady with pars on their second holes.

Gooch almost holes out!

Gooch nearly holes out on the 195-yard, Par-3 fifth hole – his tee shot misses the hole by centimetres to leave him with about a five-footer for birdie that should get him to -10. He's currently in a tie for fifth on -9 alongside Rahm, three behind the lead, after a birdie to start his day. Gooch won three times last year to take out top spot in the season-ending standings.

Uihlein goes back-to-back

Watch out, here comes Uihlein as he sinks his second birdie in a row after four holes to move into a tie for second at -11. Meanwhile, Rahm gets his first birdie of the day on the Par-4 third to move to -10. Johnson remains the leader after his first three holes, while DeChambeau has three pars to start and shares second with Uihlein.

Meronk and Kokrak making moves

Reigning DP World Tour player of the year, Adrian Meronk, has made back-to-back birdies to move up to -7. Kokrak also has two birdies so far, with a bogey to boot, to sit in solo seventh at -9. The final group of Johnson (-12), DeChambeau (-11) and Rahm (-10) stay steady with pars on their fourth holes. Staying on the fairway looks to be the key today, with the wind moving the ball all over the place. 

On the team front, Smash GC and Rangegoats GC are on top at -27, with the Four Aces one back. 

Marquee group take on their first Par 3

DeChambeau takes out pitching wedge (!) on the 195-yard Par 3 fifth. Yes you read that right, that's a wedge for almost 200 yards for the big American. His shot, however, isn't his best as it dives straight into the left-hand bunker. Johnson also misses the green to leave a tricky chip from the rough, while Rahm hits a solid tee shot to within 20-feet. The par 3s have played under par so far in the tournament, but might not be as easy in today's conditions. 

DeChambeau drops a shot

Missing the green proved costly for DeChambeau, as he drops a shot to fall back to -10. His tee shot left a tricky bunker pitch, which he wasn't able to stop on the fast green to two-putt for bogey. Johnson managed to save his lengthy par putt after also missing the green on the Par 3 fifth to keep the lead at -12. Rahm can't capitalize as he misses his 15-foot birdie putt for a tap-in par to stay at -10. 

'How does that happen?'

Rahm almost shanks his approach into the sixth hole, leaving him completely baffled. His shot went immediately right from the rough and he'll have a tough third going over the greenside bunker. "How does that happen?" he is heard saying on the mic. 

Meanwhile, Uihlein leaves his birdie putt on the Par-4 seventh – which would've put him into a tie for the lead – agonizingly short. He remains in solo second at -11.

Bogeys for Johnson and Rahm

Uihlein (-11) is now tied for the lead after Johnson fails to convert his par putt on the sixth hole. Rahm follows suit with his first bogey of the day as he misses a short par putt to fall back to -9. DeChambeau stays steady with a par to share third with Gooch and Wolff at -10. 

It's a three-way race in the team standings at the moment, with Smash GC and Rangegoats GC on top at -27, and 4Aces a shot behind. A reminder, all four individual scores for each team counts towards the total today. 

Bogeys starting to pile up

The windy conditions remains a major factor out there, with 11 out of the top 13 players with bogeys on their scorecards today. Only Uihlein (-11) and Wolf (-10) are flawless so far in that top group. Another one without a bogey today is first round leader Harold Varner III, who had a poor second round yesterday. Varner sinks his second birdie in a row to bring 4Aces to a tie for the team lead with the Rangegoats. 

We have a new leader!

Uihlein is catching fire and has taken the lead for the first time in the tournament after nine holes in his final round. He makes the turn with his third birdie of the day to take the solo lead at -12, one shot ahead of Johnson. He remains one of the few players to have a clean scorecard so far. 

Gooch struggles

A tough two holes for Gooch on the ninth and tenth holes, as he falls all the way back to -7 after going bogey-double. He shares seventh with Casey, five shots behind leader Uihlein. It also means Smash GC (-24) falls four shots behind the Rangegoats (-28) in the team competition. 

Lefty's still got it

Phil Mickelson shows why he still has one of the best short games in the sport, with a classy bunker shot. His tournament hasn't gone as he would like though, as he languishes in a tie for 36th at -2 and is one-over for his round today. 

Wolff joins Johnson in second

Wolff gets another birdie on the Par 4 10th to get to within one shot of the leader and his Rangegoats teammate Uihlein. Wolff and Johnson share second at -11, while DeChambeau (-10), Rahm (-9) and Kokrak (-8) are within touching distance midway through the final round.

Johnson bogeys as DeChambeau moves up

After missing the green on the Par-4 ninth, Johnson leaves himself with a tricky par putt and can't convert. His second bogey of the day means he falls back to -10, two shots behind Uihlein. DeChambeau, on the other hand, sinks his first birdie of the round and leapfrogs Johnson to T2 at -11 alongside Wolff. All to play for in the individual competition with nine holes to go.

Three-way tie at the top as Uihlein drops a shot

The hottest player on the course, Uihlein, makes his first blemish of his round at 11 – pushing a short par putt right – to fall back to -11 and share the lead with DeChambeau and Wolff.  The wind looks pretty brutal out there and it's definitely affecting the scoring.

Team competition also in a three-way tie

Smash GC, 4Aces GC and Rangegoats GC are tied at the top of the team leaderboard, just past halfway of the final round. Regardless of what happens on the individual section, a tie in the team competition could lead to a team playoff – which has never happened in LIV history.

DeChambeau follows birdie with double bogey

The leaderboard continues to shuffle around, as DeChambeau has a tough 10th hole and drops two shots shortly after moving to a tie for the lead. He found all kinds of trouble in the hole, including having to hit a shot with a bush in between his legs to fall back to -9. On the same hole, Rahm sinks a birdie and moves up to -10 alongside Johnson. Uihlein and Wolff are still the leaders at -11.

Wolff on top

After a nice approach on 13, Wolff makes no mistake with his 10-foot birdie putt to take the solo lead at -12 for the first time today. Meanwhile, Graeme McDowell makes a big move with three-straight birdies to go to -8. His experience growing up in windy Northern Ireland looks to be paying off. 

DeChambeau falling out of contention

A rough patch for DeChambeau as he drops another shot to sit at three-over for the day after missing a short par putt. He's running out of holes to make a run at the title, and is four shots behind the lead at -8 alongside McDowell, Gooch and Kokrak. Johnson also bogeys the Par-4 11th to drop back to -9.

Wolff gets lucky but drops a shot

Wolff is forced to hit a provisional on 14 after losing his first drive way left. Fortunately for him, he soon discovers that his first ball JUST snuck inside the OB boundary. But he can't sink his fourth shot from just off the green and falls back to -11 with Uihlein. On the same hole, Kokrak holes out his chip to move up to -9. Four holes to play.

Wolff in trouble

Wolff (-11) struggles off the tee once again as he's way right on 15. He looks to be in some tree trouble and will be forced to lay up on the Par 5. Back at 13, Rahm (-10) misses the fairway with his tee shot but recovers well with his approach from the rough to give himself a lengthy birdie putt. It's coming down to the wire. 

DJ in the mix

Johnson birdies 13 to join Rahm at -10, one shot back from the leaders. After his poor tee shot on 15, Wolff misses the green with his third and has work to do to save his par. Uihlein is on the green safely in regulation and could soon be the solo leader. 

The team competition now looks to be a two-horse race, with Smash GC at -29 and Rangegoats at -28. The 4Aces have fallen back to -25. 

Kokrak makes his move

Kokrak has back-to-back birdies on 14 and 15 to join Rahm and Johnson on -10, with three holes to play in his round. Uihlein and Wolff stay steady at the top with pars on 15. Gooch is also back in contention after a birdie on 16. Both Johnson and Rahm, who started slightly later as the final group, have two holes in hand over everyone else. 

Has the door opened for Rahm?

Uihlein and Wolff have both missed the green on the Par-3 16th, maybe leaving the door open for the chasing trio of Rahm, Kokrak and Johnson. Rahm, who is safely on the green at 14, has immediately shown his class in the first two LIV events following his big money move to the league late last year, with a T3 last week in Mayakoba and now well in contention for the title.

Six-way tie at the top!

Both Uihlein and Wolff drop shots on the Par-3 16th, and now all of a sudden we have a SIX-way tie at the top of the individual leaderboard. At -10, the leaders are Uihlein, Wolff, Kokrak, Rahm, Johnson and Gooch – who has three birdies in his last four. 

Smash GC rush out to a big lead

Smash GC, comprised of Koepka, McDowell, Gooch and Kokrak, have rushed out to a seven-shot lead in the team competition. The foursome are -10 today, with the other 12 teams shooting a combined +60. The only player realistically not quite in contention is Koepka who is at -6, four shots behind the lead. Incredible.

Rahm shanks it

Rahm has had another strange shank on his third shot on the Par-5 15th, and will be fighting for par as he looks to be in the trees. Johnson, from the fairway, hits a nice approach to leave a 15-footer for birdie. Just a reminder, six players are currently tied for the lead. A wild finish to come, no doubt. 

Uihlein and DJ move to the top

Uihlein is ice cold on 17 as he nails a 15-foot putt for birdie to break the six-way tie at the top. Back on 15, Johnson responds by sinking his birdie putt to join Uihlein on -11. Rahm is fortunate to have a clear shot at the green after finding the trees on his third on the Par 5 and he sticks one close to give himself a good chance at par. 

Rahm can't save par

Rahm misses a six-footer after finding trouble on 15 and he's now fallen back to -9, two shots behind the leaders. Might be a similar story to his Mayakoba finish last week, but he's still got three holes to play. 

Smash GC looks close to securing the team title at -33, with 4Aces GC and Rangegoats GC nine shots back.

Drama set to continue in wild finish

The golf on display is, well, all over the place. It's windy, but conditions don't look too bad – it's no Pebble Beach from last week on the PGA Tour. And yet, everyone, including the leaders, is struggling out there. Scoring is significantly lower compared to the first two rounds. 

I can't remember seeing Rahm hit a fairway all day. He's got a tough par putt coming from just off the green at 16. Uihlein is in the bunker on the 18th. Kokrak hit a branch. Who knows how this will finish...

Clutch par save for Uihlein!

Uihlein is the man to beat as he gets into the clubhouse at -11 thanks to a clutch, 10-foot par putt. A big fist pump from the American. Wolff (-10) and Kokrak (-9) – both at one stage tied for the lead – also finish their rounds. All eyes will soon turn to the final group with DJ (-10) and Rahm (-9) both in contention with two holes to play. Gooch is also in the mix at -10 on his final hole. Will we get another playoff?

Gooch joins Uilhein with the clubhouse lead

Gooch finishes strong and puts himself with a chance at another LIV title with a birdie on the first hole to share the lead with Uilhein and Johnson. He had a long eagle putt, but just missed it to card a three-under 67 for his round. DJ and Rahm, both on their 17th hole, are the only ones now who can take the outright lead. 

Johnson takes the lead with one to play!

Johnson has responded like a champ and has taken the solo lead with one to play at -12. He played the Par-4 17th expertly to leave a 12-footer for birdie, which he converted with aplomb. He needs a par on his last to win his third LIV title. Rahm, meanwhile, has fallen out of contention with a par at 17 to stay at -9. Uihlein, who is in the clubhouse at -11, is seen watching the action on his phone at the practice range. 

Johnson misses the fairway

Johnson is in the rough after his tee shot and looks like he's getting free relief. But he's still got a tough 180-yard shot into the 18th green. Once again, all he needs is a par to win. 

DJ hits a beauty!

It's now Dustin Johnson's tournament to lose as he absolutely flushed his approach into the 18th green from deep rough to within 25-feet. He should be able to two-putt from there for the victory. That's the type of shot that won him two majors. Uihlein has left the practice tee, possibly knowing it might be all over. 

Dustin Johnson set to win his third LIV title

It's not quite done, but Johnson has about two feet for par to win his third LIV title in Vegas. He will now wait for Rahm and DeChambeau to finish. 

Dustin Johnson wins in Vegas!

Dustin Johnson has won his third LIV Golf victory in Las Vegas. He makes no mistake on his short par putt to finish with a one-under 69, beating out Talor Gooch and Peter Uihlein in tricky conditions at Las Vegas Country Club. Rahm finishes with a bogey to fall back to -8 in eighth, while DeChambeau ends a shot back at -7. In the team competition, Smash GC took out the title at -33.