Gooch holds off home hero Rahm at LIV Golf Andalucia
American Gooch closed with a one-under 70 on Sunday to finish at eight under, one stroke ahead of Rahm, who charged with a final-round 65 as he also led his Legion XIII to their third team title of the season.
Gooch has a record 13 trophies – four regular-season individual wins, seven regular-season team wins, one team championship in 2022 with 4Aces and one individual championship in 2023.
Abraham Ancer was third at five under after a 66 while Australia's Matt Jones also rattled home with a 66 to tie for fourth place with Tom McKibbin and Branden Grace at four under.
Fellow Aussie Cameron Smith held firm with a 70 and tied for seventh at two under as he prepares to head to Royal Portrush this week for another crack at the British Open title he won at St Andrews in 2022.
It was a vastly improved showing from Smith's all-Australian Ripper GC team on the final day as they jumped from equal last overnight to finish sixth at four over.
While Jones and Smith led the way, Lucas Herbert (T32nd, four over) and Marc Leishman (T50th, 10 over) also broke par on the final day.
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