On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
Marc Leishman of Australia came from behind to prevail at LIV Golf Miami on Sunday, finally capturing his first LIV Golf title.
Leishman began the final round three shots off the pace set by Bryson DeChambeau, but a 4-under-par 68 with four birdies and no bogeys vaulted him into first place and also helped his all-Australian team, Ripper GC, claim the team title.
Leishman finished the weekend at 6-under 210, one better than a hard-charging Charl Schwartzel. The South African posted a 66 to finish alone in second.
Leishman was among the early players who left the PGA Tour for the Saudi-backed upstart league in 2022, yet the now-41-year-old hadn't won a LIV event until Sunday.
"Of course you doubt yourself, especially after a week like I had in Singapore," said Leishman, who tied for 51st in Singapore in the most recent LIV event. "I played terribly. I've played well in a lot of LIV events. I've had chances to win, haven't won. You wonder if you're going to win again.
"It's been the greatest. I've been so happy. I've been the happiest person out here."
Sergio Garcia made things interesting when he birdied the 17th to get to 5 under for the tournament, but the Spaniard put a ball in the water on the par-4 18th and closed with a bogey, placing third at 4 under with a 71.
"I knew he'd birdied 17. I always watch the leaderboards," Leishman said. "I saw that. I'm like, ‘Wow, I need to birdie this.' I knew Charl had one to play, so that was a birdie hole today."
Leishman, in fact, made pars on his last eight holes after making four birdies through the first 10, but that was enough.
Leishman, captain Cameron Smith, Lucas Herbert and Matt Jones combined to go 5-under-par in the third round to post a winning team score of 4 over, eight shots better than DeChambeau's Crushers GC in second place.
"It just goes to show the player he is," Smith said of Leishman. "I think he's been knocking on the door now for a few years, and whether things haven't gone his way or he hasn't had the greatest back nine, it was nice to see him out there in really tough conditions today on probably the toughest golf course we've played and get it done."
Schwartzel, who hadn't had a top-10 this season before Sunday's second-place finish, will head to Augusta National next, making the Masters field thanks to his 2011 victory.
"It's the first time in a long time I said to the guys that I actually feel very optimistic," Schwartzel said. "I feel quite confident about it. The last few years I've either had injuries or the game is not in great shape. If you're going to win a major, you don't need any flaws of any sort.
"This year so far, I've put in a lot of effort in the off time. Lost over 10 pounds of weight, got fit, started practicing harder, and the biggest thing is I have no injuries. So I've been swinging the club freely."
DeChambeau fell out of contention with a 74 and placed fifth at 2 under.
More must-reads:
- Rory McIlroy's controversial decision leaves PGA Tour 'very concerned'
- Padres already demoting one of their trade-deadline acquisitions
- The 'NBA minutes leaders by season' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
TODAY'S BEST
LIV Golf star expects Official World Golf Ranking 'to do the right thing for golf'
Joaquin Niemann expects the Official World Golf Ranking "to do the right thing for golf" as it reviews LIV Golf's latest submission to receive world rankings points for its events. The Chilean star has won a third of the 15 tournaments he has teed it up in worldwide this year and is by most accounts among the top tier of golfers on the planet. But Niemann is currently No. 103 in the OWGR because his five wins in 11 LIV Golf events in 2025 haven't accrued any rankings points. He was No. 68 after a tie for third in an Asian Tour event in February and he also tied for eighth at the PGA Championship before missing the cut at the year's final two majors. Niemann will not have an opportunity to earn more rankings points until playing a few tournaments on other tours after LIV's season concludes later this month. Niemann, 26, is among those who are hoping the OWGR softens its stance and allows players to earn points thru LIV events beginning next year. "I feel like the ranking system is not up to me, it's up to them. I'm expecting that they're going to do the right thing for golf," Niemann said on Wednesday ahead of this week's LIV Golf Chicago event. He reached as high as 15th in the OWGR before signing with LIV, but Niemann added that the world rankings don't factor into how he views himself among the game's elite players. "No, not really. It's not something that I think about to tell myself in the mirror, 'Joaco, you are No. 5,' — no, I don't do that. That's not my job," he said. "I feel like I'm just here to do my best and try to make as many birdies as possible and to make the crowd enjoy us playing golf around the world." Despite having won five of LIV's first 11 events this year, he can still be caught by Spain's Jon Rahm for the individual title over the next two events. Rahm beat Niemann by three strokes in Chicago last year, but has yet to claim an individual title in 2025. Rahm has stayed consistent throughout the season, consistently posting top-10 results. He was among the proponents to have scores from all players count in the team competition, which Rahm's Legion XIII leads, and said the league needs to evaluate other ways it can evolve to create world rankings points opportunities. "There's a process to hopefully enter those world ranking points and at least get our foot in the door," Rahm said. "And then once we're allowed, we can see what changes can be made to earn as many as possible, keeping the integrity of what LIV Golf is about." Rahm said he hasn't been involved in conversations about further format changes, but mentioned concepts such as adding a fourth round to events and expanding the number of teams to make a cut-line more feasible "There's many possibilities that I can think of," Rahm said, adding that his ideas were purely hypothetical. "There's things we could do I think to add more world rankings points if we need it, and I'm sure there's more that I can't think of that the folks at OWGR and maybe (LIV CEO) Scott (O'Neil) or the front of the LIV office can probably tell us about to give us a little bit more of strength of field." For now, Rahm is focused on trying to track Niemann down for the individual title while having Legion XIII lock down the team title. Oh, and a little thing called the Ryder Cup, for which Rahm remains hopeful of being selected by European captain Luke Donald. "There's nothing I can confirm nor deny. But I think he has been texting me like he has been texting quite a few other players that are on that list of the possibility of getting picked," Rahm said. "Luke is extremely dedicated and very well-organized as a captain, so I think there's probably — six automatic and then six picks, right, so there's probably about at least 10 names on top of those guys who are qualified that he's probably constantly texting. "I don't think he's actually told anybody they're in yet because it's too early. He's probably waiting until the end of August through the (FedExCup) playoffs and our events to maybe start making statements like that. In my case, I think I'm just one more of those many names."
Jerry Jones takes another jab at Micah Parsons over contract stalemate
The Dallas Cowboys have a big problem on their hands right now. Micah Parsons has formally requested to be traded, and he took to social media to vent his concerns and frustration with his contract extension situation. However, team owner Jerry Jones isn't ready to budge. If anything, the controversial business mogul doesn't sound too worried about that. Talking to the media, he implied that he had already shaken hands on an extension with Parsons, so he just has to wait now: "I bought the Dallas Cowboys with a handshake," Jones said, per The Athletic's Jon Machota. "It took about 30 seconds. I gave the number, shook hands, the details we worked out later." Jones, one of the most successful businessmen of his generation, pretty much stated that he wouldn't change the way he does business. "Just so you understand the way that I communicate with people that I negotiate with. Let's leave it at that," Jones continued. "There's is no question that in the case of a player contract, you have to have it in writing. All parties do. We have a contract in writing, yet we're still talking about renegotiating, so so much for that." Parsons has every right to feel frustrated. He's one of the best pass-rushers in the game, and he's the youngest in the short list of superstars at the position. The Cowboys have a long history of dragging out negotiations for as long as they can, and that's usually rubbed their players the wrong way. Parsons is still under contract, and the Cowboys can technically wait to give him an extension because the market isn't likely to go any higher after T.J. Watt already got a deal done. But sometimes, it's not just about money, and these power struggles are terrible for team morale.
Sophie Cunningham, Sparks HC react to third incident of object tossed onto court
Over the past couple of years, the WNBA has seen a major uptick in ratings and overall fan engagement. Unfortunately, that has also come with negative attention. It may have reached a new low, as there have now been three separate incidents in which a fan has thrown a sex toy on the court. This time, it nearly hit Indiana Fever veteran Sophie Cunningham during a matchup with the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday. Cunningham had already joked about it on social media, and given her outspoken nature and reputation as a bit of an instigator, she didn't shy away from it: She also laughed it up on her Instagram story: Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts, however, didn't think it was a laughing matter. Following the game, she put the fans on blast for their "stupid" behavior. "It's ridiculous. It's dumb. It's stupid," Roberts said, per Yahoo Sports. "It's also dangerous, and you know, player safety is No. 1, respecting the game, all those things. I think it's really stupid." There's no place for any of this in sports, much less in women's sports. The league needs to crack down on this and take the necessary measures to prevent it from happening ever again. The WNBA is finally thriving after years of surviving, and while the fans will eventually grow to respect the product, not all publicity is good publicity.
Green Bay Packers: Slo-Mo Video of Jordan Love’s Insane 55-Yard TD Bomb to Romeo Doubs Goes Viral
Angel Stadium experiences embarrassing issue after game
Angel Stadium is apparently doing its best impression of Oakland Coliseum. The Los Angeles Angels hosted the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday afternoon for a game at their Anaheim, California, home. It was the Rays who emerged victorious by a 5-4 final score, turning in some impressive plays along the way as well. After the loss by the Angels, the baseball gods continued to rain on them … literally. While reporters were gathered in the media room waiting for Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery to give his press conference, the roof in the room was noticeably leaking, resulting in water puddling on the floor and on a nearby trash can. Sam Blum of The Athletic shared the footage, noting that Montgomery’s press conference was ultimately moved to a different room. Angel Stadium opened back in 1966 and has served the home of the Angels ever since (also notably housing several other professional and collegiate teams, including the Los Angeles Rams from 1980-94). But it is clear that some renovations are badly needed at this point (beyond the trash can that appeared to have been intentionally placed under the leak to deal with the dripping water). Angels owner Arte Moreno, who has owned the team since 2003, is often accused of penny-pinching, particularly when it comes to resources and accommodations. Now that Angel Stadium looks to be slowly falling apart as well, perhaps Moreno will call for cups to be taped to the ceiling like other MLB teams have done before to stop leaks.
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
