MIDRAND, South Africa (AP) — Bryson DeChambeau won for the second straight week by saving par on the final hole for a 6-under 65 and blistering a 3-wood from a wet lie in the rough on the par-5 18th in a playoff to set up birdie and defeat Jon Rahm at LIV Golf South Africa on Sunday.
DeChambeau's final start before the Masters brought out some of his best work in winning his fifth overall LIV title. He won last week in Singapore.
The large gallery began singing the national anthem as DeChambeau was just off the 18th green, needing to get up-and-down to force a playoff with Rahm (63), and to give his Crushers the team title over the South African-based Southern Guard.
He did that to finish at 26-under 258 and join Rahm in the playoff.
Returning to the par-5 18th, DeChambeau pulled his drive into the mud and muck left of the fairway on the rain-soaked course. He was given free relief and eventually allowed to place the golf ball. Keeping his feet stable, he ripped 3-wood onto the green to 12 feet.
Rahm from the fairway went into a bunker, blasted out to just beyond 12 feet and misread his birdie putt. That gave DeChambeau two putts for the win, and he left the eagle putt inches short.
DeChambeau is the third player with at least five LIV wins, joining Joaquin Niemann (seven) and Brooks Koepka (five), who is now back on the PGA Tour.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Captain Bryson DeChambeau of Crushers GC hits his shot from the seventh tee during the third round of the LIV Golf tournament at The Club at Steyn City, Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Midrand, South Africa. (Pedro Salado/LIV Golf via AP)
DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl is leaving the team with immediate effect as the club undergoes a major shakeup after what will be a trophyless season.
Dortmund said Sunday Kehl and the club had “mutually agreed to end their collaboration” after reaching an “amicable” decision with management.
“The summer is the right time for a change. To allow both sides to prepare, we mutually agreed to an immediate termination of Sebastian’s contract,” managing director Lars Ricken said in a statement. “Sebastian and I also share a long history. We not only played together for Borussia Dortmund, but we also won the German championship together in 2002. Sebastian has made enormous contributions to our club.”
Kehl, a former team captain who helped lead Dortmund to back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012, took over as the club’s director of licensed players in 2018 before he was promoted to sporting director in 2022.
“The departure of Sebastian Kehl naturally represents a significant change in our sporting leadership,” said Carsten Cramer, who took over as CEO from Hans-Joachim Watzke last October. “To facilitate the necessary changes for the upcoming season and also to give Sebastian time to consider the next steps in his professional career, this separation is the logical step at this time.”
Kehl, who joined Dortmund from Freiburg in January 2002, said it “has been a part of my life for half my life, and I have an extremely strong connection to this great club … Dortmund, the incredible stadium, and the Südtribüne (south stand) will always hold a special place in my heart. It has been an honor.”
Kehl and Ricken were reportedly often in dispute with their responsibilities for the squad overlapping. Kehl’s departure leaves Ricken in a strengthened position.
It’s also not the first change announced by the club before the season ends. Earlier this month, Ricken announced the departure of midfielder Julian Brandt. The club then said Salih Özcan and Niklas Süle are also leaving at the end of the season once their contracts expire.
Germany defender Nico Schlotterbeck’s future remains undecided with his Dortmund contract expiring next year and no decision yet on a renewal.
Dortmund announced Saturday that team captain Emre Can had agreed a one-year extension to his contract that was due to expire at the end of this season. Can is out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his left knee.
Dortmund is second in the Bundesliga with little chance of catching runaway leader Bayern Munich, while it was knocked out of the Champions League by Atalanta after squandering its 2-0 lead from the first leg of their playoff. Bayer Leverkusen knocked the club out in the quarterfinals of the German Cup.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl is seen prior the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and VfL Bochum at the Signal-Iduna Park in Dortmund, Germany, Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File)
