Lee and Tavatanakit return to Riyadh with hopes of emulating past glories at Aramco Team Series

Thai golfer Patty Tavatanakit, the World No. 22, said she has a strong connection to Riyadh. (Supplied)
Thai golfer Patty Tavatanakit, the World No. 22, said she has a strong connection to Riyadh. (Supplied)
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Updated 13 October 2024

Lee and Tavatanakit return to Riyadh with hopes of emulating past glories at Aramco Team Series

Thai golfer Patty Tavatanakit, the World No. 22, said she has a strong connection to Riyadh. (Supplied)
  • “Winning in Riyadh last year was a career highlight for me. The energy and support was incredible, and I felt like everything came together perfectly on the course”: Lee

RIYADH: Alison Lee and Patty Tavatanakit are set to go head-to-head as this season’s Aramco Team Series, presented by the Public Investment Fund, draws to a close at the Riyadh Golf Club.

American Lee, who represented Team USA in the 2024 Solheim Cup, will return to the star-studded event from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 as the defending individual champion.

It follows her record-breaking triumph in 2023 in Riyadh, which was sealed when she carded a final-round 65 to finish 29-under-par, setting a new 54-hole scoring record on the Ladies European Tour.

“Winning in Riyadh last year was a career highlight for me. The energy and support was incredible, and I felt like everything came together perfectly on the course,” she said.

“I’m looking forward to bringing that same energy and focus to this year’s event as it’s always special to return to a place where you’ve had such a memorable win. I’m excited to see what this year has in store,” she added.

Thai golfer Tavatanakit, the World No. 22, said she has a strong connection to Riyadh, having won the Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by PIF on the same course earlier this year. The victory was her first since 2021, and she now returns with confidence, eager to replicate her success.

“Lifting that trophy earlier this year in Riyadh was a huge boost for me and a very emotional win,” said Tavatanakit. “It felt like a turning point in my career and gave me the confidence to win another title straight off the back of it.

“Coming back to the same course is something I’m really excited about and I’m ready for the challenge.”

Organized by Golf Saudi, the five events on the Aramco Team Series add an annual $5 million in prize money to the LET, taking its innovative team format to four continents across the year.

The series brings together teams of three professionals and one amateur.

Stops in Tampa, Seoul, London, and Shenzhen have crowned international winners including Ireland’s Leona Maguire, Korean Hyo-Joo Kim, and Alexandra Fosterling of Germany already this year, ahead of the tournament arriving back in the Saudi capital.


Sebastian Munoz wins first LIV event, Jon Rahm clinches 2025 individual title at Indianapolis

Sebastian Munoz wins first LIV event, Jon Rahm clinches 2025 individual title at Indianapolis
Updated 18 August 2025

Sebastian Munoz wins first LIV event, Jon Rahm clinches 2025 individual title at Indianapolis

Sebastian Munoz wins first LIV event, Jon Rahm clinches 2025 individual title at Indianapolis
  • It was Munoz’s first career LIV victory after he previously had six top-five finishes and 13 top-10 finishes over his three years on the tour

Colombia’s Sebastian Munoz birdied the final two holes of regulation and won a one-hole playoff over Spain’s Jon Rahm to win the LIV Golf Indianapolis event Sunday in Westfield, Indiana
Rahm, who surged up the leaderboard in the third round by shooting an 11-under-par 60, lost the event but narrowly won his second consecutive LIV Golf Individual Championship over Chile’s Joaquin Niemann.
Munoz entered the day tied with Dustin Johnson atop the leaderboard at 16 under. A bogey on the par-4 15th hole dropped him to 20 under for the tournament while Rahm ended his round on a run, shooting his final six holes at 5 under to get into the clubhouse at 22 under.
After a par on the 16th hole, Munoz rallied with back-to-back birdies on the final two holes to force a playoff and birdied the 18th hole once again to end the playoff after Rahm’s birdie putt drifted just left of the hole.
It was Munoz’s first career LIV victory after he previously had six top-five finishes and 13 top-10 finishes over his three years on the tour.
“There’s no words to describe it right now. I’m proud of myself,” Munoz said. “It’s been a long time coming, six years since my last win, and it’s awesome right now being able to take it in with my daughter, my family, everyone here, it’s great.”
Rahm, who entered the day tied for ninth at 11-under, was sensational throughout the final individual round of the 2025 LIV season. He finished a bogey-free front nine with five birdies. On the back nine, he scored an eagle on the Par-5 13th, and then birdied the final four holes after a bogey on the par-3 14th.
Rahm won the individual title despite not winning a single event this season. He stormed past Niemann at the wire with three second-place finishes in the last four LIV events.
But he admitted the feelings weren’t all joy because he lost a playoff for the second straight tournament.
“Slightly bittersweet. Like I know I’m supposed to be happy. It’s a great moment. But it just doesn’t feel great to finish the year losing two playoffs,” Rahm said. “That part doesn’t feel great, so I’m sure over time I’ll get over that, and I really appreciate what I’ve done this year. To be able to win the season without actually winning a tournament, I know eventually I’ll be proud of that.”
Niemann entered the week No. 1 in the individual championship standings, with five wins in the first 12 events of the season. He finished tied for fourth in Indianapolis to total 223.66 points in the individual standings, just behind Rahm’s 226.16.
“We all know how good of a player he is, and yeah, he played amazing,” Niemann said. “I feel like he didn’t miss many shots, made a lot of putts, left his ball close to the hole pretty much every time. I played good. I started playing my best golf on the back nine, which I’m proud of it, but at the end of the day, the putts didn’t drop, and it wasn’t enough.”
Niemann and Munoz are teammates on Torque GC, which won the team title at Indianapolis with a team score of 64 under, 10 strokes clear of second-place Legion XIII (54 under).
England’s Ian Poulter entered the day in the relegation zone, but he birdied four of his final holes to finish 48th in the LIV individual standings, the final secure spot for the 2026 season.
Henrik Stenson of Sweden, Andy Ogletree, Chile’s Mito Pereira, Yubin Jang of South Korea, Anthony Kim and Denmark’s Frederik Kjettrup are the six players who finished in the relegation zone (49th through 54th in the individual standings). They will have to play their way back onto the tour by winning the International Series or through LIV Golf Promotions.
The 2025 LIV season comes to an end Aug. 22 through 24 with the Team Championship event at The Cardinal at St. John’s in Plymouth, Michigan-Field Level Media.


LIV’s DeChambeau joins Henley and English as US Ryder Cup qualifiers

LIV’s DeChambeau joins Henley and English as US Ryder Cup qualifiers
Updated 18 August 2025

LIV’s DeChambeau joins Henley and English as US Ryder Cup qualifiers

LIV’s DeChambeau joins Henley and English as US Ryder Cup qualifiers

NEW YORK: LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau joined PGA Tour players Russell Henley and Harris English in qualifying for US Ryder Cup team spots after Sunday’s BMW Championship, the last US points event.
World number one Scottie Scheffler, a two-time Masters champion who won this year’s British Open and PGA Championship, US Open winner J.J. Spaun and two-time major winner Xander Schauffele had already clinched berths based on accumulated qualifying points.
US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley will announce his six captain’s picks to complete the squad on August 27, with a major question being whether or not he will pick himself to play against Europe at Bethpage Black next month.
Scheffler, who won his fifth title of the year Sunday at the BMW, is 2-2-3 in Ryder Cup matches.
Spaun and Henley will be making their Ryder Cup debuts.
Schauffele, last year’s British Open and PGA Championship winner, is 4-4-0 in two prior Ryder Cups while English was 1-2-0 on the triumphant US team in 2021 at Whistling Straits.
DeChambeau, a two-time US Open champion, won this year’s LIV Golf Korea title and has a 2-3-1 Ryder Cup record.


Dustin Johnson grabs share of lead in Indianapolis

Dustin Johnson grabs share of lead in Indianapolis
Updated 17 August 2025

Dustin Johnson grabs share of lead in Indianapolis

Dustin Johnson grabs share of lead in Indianapolis
  • Johnson posted a bogey-free round and has not bogeyed a hole since shooting a four on the par-3 second hole on Friday

Dustin Johnson shot a 7-under-par round of 64 and tied Columbia’s Sebastian Munoz at the top of the leaderboard at the LIV Golf Indianapolis in Westfield, Indiana
Both players are at 16-under 126 through two rounds at the par-71 Club at Chatham Hills Course.
Johnson posted a bogey-free round and has not bogeyed a hole since shooting a four on the par-3 second hole on Friday. He birdied six holes in an eight-hole stretch in the middle part of the round, posting a score of 32 on both the front and back nines.
Munoz, who shot a 12-under 59 on Friday, looked like he would run away with the tournament after birdieing six of the first seven holes to reach 18 under. He was erratic on the back nine, playing even-par golf until hitting a poor tee shot on 18 and ending up with a double bogey to fall back into a tie with Johnson.
“I had a really great start,” said Munoz. “I kind of kept myself flowing from the momentum from yesterday. Got to, I think it was 6-under through 9, and then just a couple mistakes. Misjudgment of speed on 10 and then a really bad lie on 15 and unfortunately a bad swing on 18. I had my fair share of mistakes on that back nine. But yeah, looking forward to tomorrow.”
Johnson discussed trailing his playing partner by seven shots on the front nine.
“Obviously, he got off to a great start, I got off to a slow start, and I was seven back,” said Johnson. “But you’ve just got to keep trying to make birdies. Get it in the fairway and just get looks. That’s what I did. I did that from about 6 on in. I played really well.”
Six players are tied for third place at 12 under. Of those, Poland’s Adrian Meronk and Spain’s David Puig posted the best rounds of Saturday, each 8-under rounds of 63.
Meronk eagled the par-5 seventh and 13th holes.
Also tied at 12 under are Thomas Pieters of Belgium, Patrick Reed, Chile’s Joaquin Niemann and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson. Spain’s Jon Rahm, South Africa’s Brandon Grace and Bubba Watson are one stroke behind that group of six in a three-way tie for ninth.
Johnson is also looking forward to the challenge of what could be a match-play situation on Sunday.
“You’ve just got to play from the fairway here,” said Johnson. “If you can play out of the fairway, you get a lot of good chances, you can attack the golf course. But if you’re in the rough or fairway bunkers, it’s tough. But yeah, as long as I drive it well tomorrow, I think I’ll contend.”


LIV Golf confirms return to Indianapolis in 2026

LIV Golf confirms return to Indianapolis in 2026
Updated 16 August 2025

LIV Golf confirms return to Indianapolis in 2026

LIV Golf confirms return to Indianapolis in 2026
  • The Indiana course made its debut on the league’s calendar this week, drawing record attendance for the 2025 championship

LONDON: LIV Golf confirmed on Saturday it will return to The Club at Chatham Hills in 2026, with the venue set to host the LIV Golf League Individual Championship for a second consecutive year.

The event will take place August 21 to 23.

The Indiana course made its debut on the league’s calendar this week, drawing record attendance for the 2025 championship.

LIV Golf Executive Vice President and Head of Events Ross Hallett praised the community’s response. 

“From the course’s outstanding design to the record attendance and fantastic energy throughout the community, this week’s Indiana debut has exceeded our high expectations. We’ve already begun planning for next year, and we can’t wait to raise the bar in 2026,” he said.

Local officials also welcomed the announcement.

Westfield Mayor Scott Willis described the tournament’s return as “an outstanding opportunity to showcase our community, hospitality, and quality of life,” while Hamilton County Tourism President Karen Radcliff said the event had already provided “remarkable” exposure for the region.

The 2026 edition will again feature many of golf’s biggest names, including Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, and Cameron Smith.

LIV Golf Indianapolis is the ninth event confirmed for the 2026 season, part of the league’s 14-event global schedule.

Other stops already announced include Riyadh, Adelaide, Singapore, South Africa, Mexico City, Virginia, Andalucía, and the UK, with further venues to be revealed.


Burmester wins playoff to capture LIV Golf Chicago crown

Burmester wins playoff to capture LIV Golf Chicago crown
Updated 11 August 2025

Burmester wins playoff to capture LIV Golf Chicago crown

Burmester wins playoff to capture LIV Golf Chicago crown
  • Burmester’s Stinger beat Niemann and Ortiz’s Torque in a playoff for the team title

CHICAGO: South Africa’s Dean Burmester sank a six-foot birdie putt on Sunday’s first playoff hole to beat Spaniards Jon Rahm and Josele Ballester and win the LIV Golf Chicago title.
Burmester, who squandered a two-shot overnight lead with three bogeys to start his round, battled back to shoot a par-71 final round to match Rahm and Ballester on nine-under 204 for 54 holes at Bolingbrook Golf Club.
“This has been emotional,” Burmester said. “Since before Virginia (in June) I’ve been going through a bit of a rough time, personal stuff. I’ve just been grinding and trying to get better, thinking about my wife and my kids back home, and I’m just trying to do the best I can for them.”
At the par-four 18th hole in the playoff, Ballester landed 12 feet from the hole but Burmester, who found the rough off the tee, dropped his approach six feet from the hole while 2024 Chicago winner Rahm’s ball was 10 feet away.
Ballester and Rahm missed their birdie putts and Burmester sank his for the victory.
“After three bogeys in a row to start I was like, fudge, I don’t know where I’m going. My head was nowhere but I just kept at it,” said Burmester.
“To hit that out of the rough and get the right bounce and roll it in — I watched Jon’s go left and I knew I hard to right line — to roll it in in front of everybody that’s here is amazing.”
It was Burmester’s second LIV title after last year in Miami.
Ballester, the 2023 European Amateur and 2024 US Amateur champion who turned professional in June, was in only his seventh pro event at age 21.
Rahm, Ballester, Burmester and Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz, who finished fourth, shared the lead at eight-under with three holes remaining.
Burmester birdied the 16th from four feet to seize the solo lead but Ballester sank a four-foot birdie putt at 18 and Rahm made his birdie putt from five feet to force the playoff.
Burmester’s horrid start signaled a final-round shootout, although his birdie at the fifth hole put him one ahead of Rahm at the turn.
Ballester birdied the par-four 10th to match Burmester for the lead and they both birdied the par-five 12th.
Ortiz joined the co-leaders with birdies at the par-three 13th and par-five 14th.
Ballester birdied 14 to seize the lead alone but Rahm birdied 15 to pull within one and when Ballester made bogey there moments later, the Spaniards shared the lead with Ortiz and Burmester.
Chile’s Joaquin Niemann, a five-time winner this season, finished on 211 to share 17th but still led the season points standings ahead of defending season champion Rahm entering next week’s final individual event at Indianapolis.
Burmester’s Stinger beat Niemann and Ortiz’s Torque in a playoff for the team title.