After a decade without a win on the PGA Tour, Harold Varner III (33-USA) has returned to the top of the game with LIV Golf. And with it, a jackpot worth nearly 5.5 billion won.
Varner III carded five birdies and a bogey in the final round of the seventh tournament of the season at Trump National Golf Course in Washington, D.C., USA, on 29 September to win by four strokes with a 12-under-par 204. He tasted fresh air for the first time since moving to LIV last year, winning by one stroke over Brandon Grace (35-South Africa), who made six birdies on the same day and chased doggedly.
Varner III is well known as a people person. He always has a smile for his teammates and fans, and his witty humour makes him a pleasure to be around. Since joining LIV, he has used these qualities to create a great atmosphere for his team, the Rangers.안전놀이터
But where it matters most, his performance on the field has always been a far cry from his personality. In his 191 tournaments since making his PGA Tour debut in 2012, he’s won every time. One runner-up finish, two third-place finishes, and 16 top-10s were all Varner III could muster.
Eventually, Varner made the switch to the red-hot LIV after the Boston event last September. He didn’t make much of an impact in the early days of his move, but he found his groove with a ninth-place finish in Singapore last month and a fourth-place finish in Tulsa this month, and finally broke through at this event. He took home $4 million for the individual title and $125,000 for third place in the team event, which he split with his teammates, for a total of $4.12 million.
It was a final round with no relief until the very end. While former nine-under-par leader Mito Pereira (28-Chile) dropped a shot early on, the eight-under-par Varner III birdied the third (par-5) and bogeyed the par-3 fourth to move into a share of the lead. He then birdied the par-5 seventh and 11th (par-4) to pull away and Grace closed to within three strokes at the halfway stage. The match came down to the wire. Grace made three birdies on the back without a bogey to take the lead at 11-under. But Varner III, also at 11-under, birdied the final 18 holes to seal the win after holing an eagle putt to the side of the cup.
Varner III said: “I’ve never won in the US before. I’m really happy. I feel like I played well,” he said. “Now I can help more people,” he said, adding that he will donate a significant portion of his winnings to his foundation (HV3).
Earlier in LIV, Taylor Gooch (32-AUS), who plays for the same team as Varner III, emerged as a surprise star. With two wins this season, she has made a name for herself. “I think jealousy is a strong word,” said Varner III. You can’t win with jealousy. I’ve always felt that way,” he said.