Dustin Johnson admits LIV Golf finale 'hurt a little' after missing out on £10m bonus

The 2024 LIV Golf season came to a dramatic conclusion on Sunday, with the 4Aces narrowly missing out on the Team Championship, and the $14 million prize pot, after finishing tied-second

Dustin Johnson and his 4Aces team were left gutted after narrowly missing out on a whopping £10m prize, finishing just behind Ripper GC in the nail-biting LIV Golf Team Championship finale.

In what was a thrilling climax to the 2024 LIV season, Johnson's squad went head-to-head with teams like Ripper, Legion XIII, and the Iron Heads. It was Cam Smith's all-Australian Ripper GC that emerged victorious with an impressive 11-under-par, leaving the 4Aces in a tie for second place with an eight-under score.

The season hadn't quite lived up to expectations for Johnson and his team, who had previously dominated the LIV series, even clinching the Team Championship in Miami two years prior.

Despite not taking home the top spot, Johnson found positives in the final day's play, enjoying the competitive spirit. Reflecting on the round, the 4Aces captain said, "I mean, it was fun. Obviously, that's what you want.

"It was close. It came down to the last couple of holes. I felt like I hit a couple of really good putts that didn't go in. But the one on 17 was -- obviously hurt a little bit because I hit a really nice putt. It hit the high-side lip rolling slow, and obviously, we were two back at that point with one to go.

"But obviously 18 is a difficult hole, and I obviously didn't hit a very good tee shot. But you knew it was going to be tough to makeup two shots on one hole."

Johnson, who had to keep an eye on the leaderboard towards the end, added: "Yeah, especially at the end we were watching because it was so close. "I was definitely watching there at the end, and there were scoreboards everywhere. It was fun, though. That's what you want. It was really close all day. All four teams had a chance coming down the stretch. There's not really any more you can ask for."

The 4Aces secured second place, earning the franchise a cool $7million (£5.2m) in prize money, with 60 percent of the cash going to the team, and the remaining 40 percent divided among the four players. Meanwhile, Ripper GC bagged the top spot, pocketing a whopping $14m (£10.4m), with Smith and his teammates each taking home $1.4m (£1m)

"Yeah, it was pretty unreal," Smith admitted after his team's victory. "Watching the leaderboard today was pretty stressful. I almost wanted to take my eye off it, but I couldn't, I was so intrigued with what we had to do. Yeah, so proud."

"There was something in me that was going to tell me that the boys were going to come through. The Gladiator, the last four of the five holes, is pretty unbelievable. Really cool stuff. I mean, to be a part of this is unreal, especially with these guys."