Danny Lee claims playoff win at LIV Golf Tucson for first title since 2015 | Golf News

Danny Lee beat Carlos Ortiz, Brendan Steele and Louis Oosthuizen on the second hole of a playoff to win LIV Golf Tucson; it is the New Zealander’s first victory since July 2015; Lee: “I thought winning was just not my thing. Today has changed that.”

Danny Lee celebrates after sinking the winning putt

Danny Lee birdied his final two holes for a final-round 69 before winning LIV Golf Tucson on the second hole of a four-man playoff by making a 25-foot birdie putt from off the 18th green for his first win in nearly eight years.

It was the second playoff in LIV Golf since the Saudi-funded series began last year.

Lee finished on nine under and got into the playoff with Carlos Ortiz (65), Brendan Steele (70) and Louis Oosthuizen (70). Oosthuizen bogeyed the par-five 17th to fall one behind, only to birdie the 18th to join the playoff.

Ortiz was eliminated after the first extra hole when he went long off the 18th green, chipped to six feet and missed the par putt.

Going back to the 18th hole, Lee looked as though he had wasted a good opportunity when his approach from the fairway missed the green to the right, leaving him in a tough spot with the pin all the way to the right side of the green.

After Oosthuizen and Steele both missed long birdie putts, Lee chose to use his putter, even though he was some 10 feet off the green. He gave it a rap and it was going fast when it rattled against the pin and disappeared for the winner.

“I haven’t won since 2015. I thought winning was just not my thing. Today has changed that,” said Lee, who signed with LIV Golf in February when he was No 267 in the world.

It is Lee’s first win since 2015

His last victory was the Greenbrier Classic, which no longer is a PGA Tour event but will be part of the LIV Golf schedule this year.

“It’s good to see I’m capable of playing good golf again,” Lee said.

Ortiz led the Fireballs to the team victory, beating the 4 Aces with Lee’s Ironheads team coming in third.

Charles Howell III, who won LIV Golf’s season opener at Mayakoba, had the lead after a good start. But he took a triple bogey on the par-three eighth, and then failed to birdie the par-five 17th. He shot a 72 and finished one shot off the playoff.

Lee won $4m [£3.28m] from the $20m [£16.41m] purse for individual play, which was roughly as much as he made in his last four seasons combined on the PGA Tour.

LIV Golf now takes a week off before resuming at a new tournament in Orlando on the weekend before the Masters.

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