He wasn’t happy with the way regulation finished, though. Neither was Surratt, a member of Rahm’s Legion XIII. Both were still 22 under as they reached the 18th tee, but Surratt found the water with his drive right and had to scramble just for bogey while Niemann found the brush with his drive left and had to chop out. He had a chance to get up-and-down for par but missed the putt.

As they trudged to the scorer’s tent at 21 under, Smith scrambled out of the comfort of his clubhouse chair to join the playoff.

Meanwhile, The International Series championship remained in limbo.

RangeGoats GC’s Peter Uihlein, who had entered as the points leader following his victory last week in Qatar, had opened the door to all kinds of permutations. Having started the day tied for second on the tournament leaderboard, Uihlein shot a 3-over 74 – his lone bogey of the day coming on the final hole – to finish tied for 29th.

Uihlein walked out of the scorer’s tent convinced he had squandered his chance at the season-long crown. He figured Niemann and Surratt each controlled their own fates (win the tournament and win The International Series) but thought a Smith victory would allow Campbell to leap-frog past him in the standings and earn the coveted spot into next year’s LIV Golf League.

But when he saw Campbell in the clubhouse, the New Zealander joked, “Really needed you to double that last hole.” Uihlein then realized that a Smith tournament victory would give him the season title.

“I got a 1-in-3 chance,” Uihlein said as he waited for the outcome. “And the guy in my corner is pretty damn good.”

Smith was very good on the first playoff hole, but so were Niemann and Surratt. All three stuck their approaches close and knocked in the birdie putts. On the second playoff hole, Smith got a huge break when his drive bounced off the cart path and into the fairway. But Niemann’s aggressive line paid off, as his chip shot from 31 yards set up his short winning birdie putt after the other two failed to convert from longer distances.

“Tough pill to swallow,” said the 20-year-old Surratt, looking for his first pro win. “… I hit six perfect golf shots in the playoff, and I didn’t really find my way this time. Hopefully one day it does.”

For Smith, the outcome epitomized his 2024 season as a whole. In 21 individual worldwide starts, he finished runner-up six times, third twice and had five other top 10s. But no wins. “Feel like when I’ve played really good golf, someone’s been there to beat me,” he said. “Just haven’t quite got the break you need to win a golf tournament. Can’t wait for 2025.”

Uihlein could only shrug his shoulders. He wasn’t about to beat himself up over the lost opportunity. “It’s been a good year, a good season,” he said. “I’m not disappointed at all. Just didn’t go my way today. Putter just abandoned me. Obviously, I made my share the first three days. I think it caught me.”

Niemann, meanwhile, tried to wrap his head around the conclusion of his season. Less than a week ago, he shot a final-round 72 to play his way out of contention at the Australian Open. Two weeks before that, he shot 73 on Sunday, eliminating his chances at the DP World Championship. Going into the final round at Riyadh, he reminded himself it was Saturday. Different vibes. Different outcome. 

“Might be a sign that it might be my day,” he said.

It took two extra holes, but indeed it was.

(Photos courtesy of Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour)