It was a rare team sweep in the fourth version of the LIV/Chicago tourney Sunday at Bolingbrook Golf Club. Dean Burmester won the individual title and his Stinger unit won the team crown – and both came in one-hole sudden death playoffs.

Burmester, whose only previous LIV win was at Miami last year, watched two golfers from Spain – Chicago defending champion Jon Rahm and LIV rookie Josele Ballester —  miss birdie putts from 15 and 12 feet in the playoff before he buried his from seven feet to be the winner.

The team playoff involved two-man teams from the Stinger and Torque units. Though Burmester was a member of the four-man Stingers, he didn’t participate in the team playoff. Charl Schwartzel and Branden Grace made birdies to eliminate the Torque unit of captain Joaquin Niemann and Carlos Ortiz.

Stinger is an all-South African team, and there were some sidelights to their big week.  LIV recently announced that it will have its first tournament in South Africa next March, and the players can’t wait.

“We’re all very excited, knowing we’re going to play in front of our people,’’ said captain Louis Oosthuizen, who decided the team members and their families would stay together in one home this week.  That hasn’t been the norm in past years, but it worked big-time.

Burmester picked up $4 million for his individual title while Rahm and Ballester earned $1,875,000. The Stinger unit picked up $3 million for the team win. Stinger GC had gone 31 tournaments without a team victory until Sunday.

The Saudi-back LIV circuit introduced a fresh – and somewhat controversial — approach to professional golf after recruiting some stars off the PGA Tour four years ago. That new look – a 14-tournament season spread over five continents with big purses and team competition figuring in — seems to be working.  The circuit – as well as LIV/Chicago – has been growing in popularity and Saturday’s crowd at Bolingbrook was easily the biggest in the four years the tourney was played here.

Burmester had a two-stroke lead entering the final round, but it didn’t last long.  He made bogeys on the first three holes on Sunday.  Ballester, at 21 one of LIV’s youngest players, and Rahm were always hovering around the lead and Harold Varner was among the others joining the battle while posting a 65 – the low round of the day.

“I was down on myself,’’ said Burmester. “After those three bogeys in a row I was like fudge.  I don’t know where I’m going.  My head says nowhere, but I kept at it.’’

The three in the playoff finished regulation play at 9-under-par 213.  Rahm and Ballester shot 69 in the third round and Burmester had 71.

“This has been emotional,’’ said Burmester.  “I’ve been going through a rough time, some personal stuff, and I’ve been grinding.  I think about my wife and kids back home, and I’m just trying to do the best I can for them. My wife finished an ultra marathon when we played in West Virginia and I was on my phone watching her.  That gave me inspiration.’’

Rahm gained some inspiration for next week’s tournament, the LIV Individual Championship at the Club at Chatham Hills in Indianapolis.  He won that honor last year but has no wins this season.  Still, he is No. 2 behind Chile’s Niemann, a five-time winner, in the season-long point race.

His good showing at Bolingbrook, coupled with Niemann finishing tied for 17^th, enabled Rahm to gain ground on Niemann and keep his hopes of repeating as the season individual champion alive.

Maybe it was the weather – 91 degrees with winds gusting to 22 miles per hour. Maybe it was the gallery. Though no attendance figures were given it was most certainly the largest of the 14 rounds played by the LIV Tour in Chicago over the past four years.

Whatever the reason, the leaderboard at LIV/Chicago changed quickly, and dramatically, in Round 2 on Saturday. Two long-time stars, Sergio Garcia and Dustin Johnson, held the first-round lead and Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm were right behind them.

Those five, all among the biggest names in golf, were barely evident on the leaderboard after nine holes in the second round. In that short time the hardly household names in the spotlight were Dean Burmester of South Africa, Josele Ballester of Spain and Richard Bland of England.

Burmester had a win on the LIV circuit last year.  Ballester, at 21, is one of the circuit’s youngest player.  He didn’t play in the first eight tournaments of the season and didn’t break par in the next three after that. Bland, 48, is one of LIV’s oldest players and has been hanging on for three years.

They were the stars of Round 2.  Burmester shot 65 to claim the 36-hole lead at 9-under-par 133. Ballester carded a 66 and is at 7-under 135. Brand hung tough with them until a late double bogey dropped in him into a tie for seventh place.

“Playing with Phil (Mickelson) for two days in a row was special,’’ said Burmester.  “The crowds are so positive when Phil is around, and the Chicago crowd certainly turned out today. When you walk on the first tee you always get those butterflies, but it felt special today.’’

Burmester, eighth in the point standing to decide LIV’s season-long individual champion, hasn’t ruled himself out of that coveted prize, which will be determined after next week’s tournament at the Club at Chatham Hills in Indianapolis.

When Brand faltered Rahm, the defending champion of LIV/Chicago, climbed into a tie with Ballester and improved his chances to both win on Sunday and repeat as the LIV Individual season champion.  He’s still winless for this season but remains in second place in the standings and closing the gap on five-time winner Joaquin Niemann of Chile.

Niemann is down in a tie for 35^th place and may have trouble hanging on to his season-long lead through Sunday’s final round at Bolingbrook Golf Club and next week’s wrapup to LIV’s Individual point race in Indianapolis.

Rahm got his game going with a 4-iron second shot at the 12^th hole that set up an eagle.

“That was about as good as I can hit a golf shot,’’ he said, “and making that eagle is what changed the momentum for the rest of the round. The goal is to win, and by winning I’ll get the most amount of points I can possibly get, and then I’ll need a little luck on my side that Joaquin doesn’t have a good week.’’

Ballester gets the honor of playing in the same threesome with Burmester and Rahm in Sunday’s final round. A “dumb’’ bogey detracted from Ballester’s round on Saturday.  It came at the 18^th hole.

“I hit a 410-yard drive,’’ he said.  “I was about 20 yards from the green, and hit four shots from there.  I was honestly not expecting to leave that hole with a bogey after the drive that I hit.’’

Should Ballester win on Sunday he’ll be the youngest player to win a LIV tournament.

“I’d think of it like the accomplishment of starting my professional career in not the best way, and in two months turning it around and winning in fashion – especially with Jon in the final pairing and with many great players,’’ said Ballester.

Ballester, like Rahm, is from Spain. He turned pro after completing his college studies at Arizona State.  Though that was Mickelson’s alma mater Garcia,  as captain of the Fireballs, picked him to join his team. The Fireballs are in a three-way tie for the lead in the LIV/Chicago team competition with Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers and Louis Oosthuizen’s Stinger.

For the moment, at least, there’s some suspense on who will emerge as the individual champion on the LIV Golf Tour. With five wins in the first 11 tournaments Chile’s Joaquin Niemann would seem a shoo-in for the season-long  honor with just this week’s LIV/Chicago event at Bolingbrook Golf Club and next week’s event in Indianapolis remaining.

Niemann had a big lead on second place Jon Rahm, the defending champion, entering the Bolingbrook stop, but Niemann showed his vulnerability in a big way in Friday’s first round.

Playing with Rahm, he made a triple bogey seven on the eighth hole and stumbled in with a 3-over-par 74.  So,  Niemann goes into Saturday’s second round in a tie for 45^th place.  He beat only seven in the 54-man field in the first round.

Neither Rahm nor Niemann were doing much talking Friday. Of more immediate significance was how LIV’s biggest name stars performed.

Spain’s Sergio Garcia and Dustin Johnson shot 4-under-par 67s to take the lead after the first 18 holes and six players, most notably Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Rahm, were just one stroke behind. (Also posting 68s were Dean Burmester and Tyrrell Hatton).

Johnson was the clearly dominant player in 2022, when the Saudi-backed circuit made its debut. His game tailed off after that, however, and the American star finished dead last in LIV’s previous tournament in the United Kingdom two weeks ago.

“In the UK I wasn’t nearly as bad as my score,’’ insisted Johnson. “I feel I’m always close to getting my game back.  It just takes a couple of shots here and there to get me going again.’’

He got them on Friday, and it also didn’t hurt that his brother, Austin, was back as his caddie.  Austin had been missing in action for a while, and Dustin admitted “I’d prefer having AJ on my bag.’’

And then there was Mickelson who, with Johnson, were the key signees for LIV when they made controversial decisions to break from the PGA Tour.  Mickelson hasn’t won on the LIV circuit yet but could have his best finish with two strong rounds this weekend. He strung four birdies in a row, had five in his first 16 holes and was tied for the lead briefly on Friday.

“I just need to finish rounds off better,’’ said Mickelson.  “I’m trying to get back to the top 10 (on the LIV standings).  I want to finish this year off right.  At 55 that’d be a good accomplishment against competition like this.  It would mean a lot to me.’’

Garcia has been searching for putting help, and he brought back one of his old blades for this week.  While it worked Friday, it may not stay in his bag for long.

“I have a new one coming in the next couple weeks, and I’m excited about it,’’ said Garcia. “We’re always searching for things to help us improve.’’

Meanwhile, Rahm and DeChambeau – second and third in the battle for the season individual honors – put themselves in position to challenge Niemann in the final 10 days of the season.

“Joaco (Niemann) has played pretty bad golf before in the first round and come back and almost won tournaments,’’ said DeChambeau.  “He’s incredible out here.  He’ll do fine the next couple days.’’

In the team competition captain Louis Oosthuizen’s Stingers were 6-under par and one shot ahead of Garcia’s Fireballs.  DeChambeau’s Crushers and Johnson’s 4Aces were tied for third, three strokes behind the Stingers.

Mike Small, the University of Illinois coach who has won 14 Illinois PGA titles, was bidding for a recording tying fifth Illinois Open crown on Friday.  He had an uncharacteristically bad day at Kemper Lakes in Kildeer and didn’t get it,  but the day wasn’t a complete downer.

In July one of Small’s former Illini players, Brian Campbell, won the John Deere Classic – Illinois’ only annual PGA Tour event.  Then, on Wednesday, another Small pupil – Michael Feagles – captured the 76^th Illinois Open,  the state’s biggest event for Illinois golfers.

Feagles, who lives in Arizona, took advantage of a recent rule change by the Illinois PGA that allowed non-residents of the state to play in the Illinois Open as long as they had some connection to the state. Feagles, thanks to going to college in Champaign, was the first non-Illinois resident to win the tournament.

“It was a little surreal,’’ he said.  “The way I played this week I didn’t think I would win.  I struggled the whole week, but now it’s great to be on the list of champions with the legendary Mike Small.’’

Feagles was paired with Dylan Meyer, a former Illini teammate from Indiana, and they teed off in the twosome immediately behind Small.

“I came to Illinois when I was an 18-year old wide-eyed kid,’’ said Feagles.  “The coach has been a role model to me, like a second father.  After I finished my round he told me to `get it done’ if I was in a playoff.  And he did it in a very coach-like fashion.’’

A three-hole playoff for the title was a definite possibility after Feagles finished with a 69 for a 54-hole score of 1-under-par 215 and Butler National head professional Andy Svoboda, Medinah teaching pro Travis Johns and 36-hole leader Brian Ohr were still on the course with a chance to win.

“The worst thing was not being able to control anything,’’ said Feagles.  “Golfers are all control freaks.’’

Svoboda finished at even par to finish solo second and was the low pro for the second straight year.  Ohr came in with bogeys at Nos. 14, 17 and 18 to lose the lead and wound up in a tie for third with Tommy Kuhl, another Illinois alum who shot a 66 – the day’s low round.  Glen Ellyn’s Grant Roscich, in a tie for fifth with Johns, was low amateur.

Pierce Grieve, who won last year’s Illinois State Amateur and this year’s Chicago District Amateur, also made a run at the title by shooting a 67. Preparing for the U.S. Amateur, Grieve climbed into a tie for 10th in his first Illinois Open appearances.

Feagles’ Illini background created a comfort zone for him.  He won and then lost his playing privileges on the Korn Ferry Tour after his Illini days were over.  He also didn’t survive a session of PGA qualifying school and spent the last two years grabbing tournaments where he could.

“Last year I won a lot.  I learned how to win, and that’s huge,’’ he said.  Among his wins were the Arizona and Nevada state opens.

“I have no (tour) status, as I’ve had in the past,’’ he said.  “I learned how to win in college, but you have to also learn how to win at the next level. Now I’ll continue to go to Q-School and hope to keep my head on straight, catch lightning in a bottle and get to the PGA Tour.’’

Getting paired with Meyer was a big help in Wednesday’s pressure-packed situation.

“Playing with Dylan reminded me of college golf, where pars were very valuable,’’ said Feagles.  “Pro golf has become so birdie-crazy.  Dylan and I had a blast.  We were teammates for two years and played together on great teams at Illinois.’’

Meyer, who lost an Illinois Open title to Vince India in in a playoff two years ago, tied for 13^th this time. At one point in the tournament there was an Illinois alum in five consecutive pairings.

PALM HARBOUR, FL. — The PGA Tour’s four-tournament Florida Swing concluded Sunday with Norway’s Viktor Hovland capturing the Valspar Championship on Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in a duel with Justin Thomas.

Ten players were within a shot of the lead entering the last nine holes, but only Hovland and Thomas – two of the PGA Tour’s most popular players who have dealt with hard times lately  — were in the hunt with three holes to go.

Thomas hasn’t won a tournament in over three years but had a three-shot lead on Sunday with three holes to go.  Hovland’s world ranking had slipped from No. 3 to No. 19 – his worst ever—and he had missed the cut in his last three tournaments. But, he birdied Nos. 16 and 17 in Sunday’s climax and struggled to a bogey on the last hole that was still good enough to win.

“It’s unbelievable to see that I can still win,’’ said Hovland, who last won at the 2023 Tour Championship.  “I had played poorly. When that happens there’s a lot of insecurity and doubts.  I had no confidence. I was in a rut for a year and a half, but I think I’m stronger now because of it.’’

Thomas showed flashes of his old, sharp form in recent weeks, but not when the title was on the line on Sunday.

“I was having a blast,’’ he said.  “I had plenty of chances to win this season, but nothing like this one.  He birdied 16 and 17, but I did make it a lot easier on him.’’

Anyway, the Valspar concluded the PGA Tour’s four-event Florida Swing. With only two stops in Texas remaining before the Masters, the Florida Swing usually is a good indicator of who might be contenders for golf’s first major championship of 2025. The Swing events are on challenging courses – the Champions Course at PGA National, Bay Hill, TPC Sawgrass and this week’s stop, Copperhead.

The latter has its feared Snake Pit – one of the toughest three-hole finishing stretches in golf. Hovland played them well, though he only needed a bogey on the final hole to win.  Thomas didn’t.  So, it’s tough to judge how ready either are for the Masters. Hovland used a Sunday 67 to finish his 11-under-par 273 for the 72 holes.  Thomas shot 66 and was one stroke back.

When Valspar  week started the main focus on that issue was Xander Schauffele, winner of the last two major titles in 2024.  His play on Copperhead didn’t exactly rule him out of winning a third major in a row April 10-13 at Georgia’s Augusta National.

Schauffele suffered a rib injury after completing his outstanding 2025 season with victories in the PGA Championship and the British Open.  After undergoing an MRI Schauffele was diagnosed with an intercoastal strain and a small cartilage tear.

He tied for 30^th in the The Sentry, an Hawaiian event that opened the PGA Tour season, and that sub-par showing led to a break from tournament golf until the Arnold Palmer Invitational, second stop on the Florida Swing in Orlando. He also played in The Players Championship before deciding at the last minute to make the Valspar his third tournament in a row.

Like Schauffele, Hovland was a late entry in the Valspar and wasn’t sure he’d tee off until Tuesday of tournament week.

“I just needed to get more reps,’’ Schauffele said. “Competition golf isn’t the same  as trying to play golf at home. I’m determined to play better. A high bar was set after last year  and – coming off that season – I expected a lot of myself.’’

He hasn’t met his expectations after the six-week layoff but his 5-under-par showing at Copperhead ended with a 66 on that pulled him in a tie for 12th.

“The Masters is demanding, and I knew this would be hard,’’ he said.  “I feel like I’m cramming for a test when I’m out there. I feel like a kid again. I want to hit a million golf balls every night, but I’ve got to be smart about it.’’

Money.  That’s what differentiates the LIV Tour’s third tournament in Chicago from the others in the circuit’s first three seasons.

The event that tees off on Friday at Bolingbrook Golf Club will have the standard purse for the Saudi-backed circuit — $20 in the individual competition and $5 million in the team competition. That was also the case in LIV’s first two Chicago events at Rich Harvest Farms, in Sugar Grove.

This three-day event – last of the regular season — will also decide the three players picking up bonus checks for their season-long performances. Those checks are hefty, too — $18 million for first place, $8 million for second and $4 million for third.

Only Spain’s Jon Rahm and Chile’s Joaquin Niemann are still mathematically in contention for the top prize, but five others – Tyrrell Hatton, Sergio Garcia, Louis Oosthuizen, Cameron Smith and Brooks Koepka – could claim third-place money.

Niemann, who won two of the season’s first three tournaments, held the point lead until Rahm got hot in the last two.  He won his first LIV title in the United Kingdom and had a playoff loss to Brooks Koepka in the last event at Greenbrier in West Virginia. Rahm goes into Bolingbrook with 195.17 points and Niemann with 192.20.

“I’m probably going to need to win,’’ said Rahm.  “(Niemann) is going to be up there.  I’m going to need another good week.’’

“(Rahm) has been playing great lately, so he’s probably going to do the same.  I’ve got to try to bring my A-game,’’ said Niemann.  He didn’t do it at Greeenbrier, finishing tied for 15^th after three straight top-six finishes.

Niemann, however, is the season money leader with $14.5 million in 12 tournaments.  Rahm, who had to withdraw at Houston, has $12.7 million.

Much more is on the line than bonus money, too.  Bolinbrook is the last tournament for players to secure their positions on the LIV circuit for next season.  The top 24 get in.  Those from 25-48 fall into the Open Zone and can move around the teams.  Those from 49 or below go to the Drop Zone and are relegated  off the circuit for individual spots in tournaments in 2025.

Bolingbrook also decides the three teams that will receive first-round byes in the season-ending Team Championship Sept. 20-22 at Maridoe in Dallas.