Dustin Johnson makes eagle to beat Anirban Lahiri and Joaquin Niemann in play-off at LIV Golf Boston

In what has been a week of firsts for LIV Golf, Dustin Johnson secured victory in the series’ first play-off with a stunning eagle putt.

The first three events have not really set the pulse racing, with no real drama towards the end of the tournaments. But in Boston on Sunday, the lead see-sawed during the day and debutants Anirban Lahiri and Joaquin Niemann made birdies on 18 to get to 15-under.

Johnson made a mess of the 18th, but got up and down after being in the trees to make par and get into the three-man play-off.

While Johnson made a mess of the 18th in regulation, he played it to perfection on the first play-off hole to claim the win.

In contrast, Niemaann and Lahiri made errors with their second shots. The former was out of the hole, while Lahiri still had a shot at a birdie when Johnson stepped over his eagle putt.

It was a long way from the hole and he gave it a run. It was set to go at least 10 feet past the hole but it hit the back of the cup, jumped in the air and dropped in for a superb win.

“It was going a little fast,” Johnson said in one of golf’s great understatements. “But it was a good line.

“I felt like I played well all week. I felt I got some unlucky breaks first time round, so I felt it owed me one.”

LIV’s star new recruit Cameron Smith performed well on his debut, and he missed a putt on his final hole to get himself in the play-off.

Smith’s putting kept him above water for the opening two days, and whatever ailed him off the tee was ironed out ahead of the final round as he played superbly.

But he left himself just too much to do and a round of 63 saw him finish at 14-under.

Final Leaderboard

• 1. Dustin Johnson, 15-under
• T2. Anirban Lahiri, 15-under
• T2. Joaquin Niemann, 15-under
• T4. Lee Westwood, 14-under
• T4. Cameron Smith, 14-under
• 6. Talor Gooch, 13-under
• 7. Jason Kokrak, 12-under

“It was a good week,” Smith said. “I thought I was out of it yesterday, I played poorly, but played better today and to do what I did was pretty cool.”

With Johnson in trouble in the trees on the 18th, Lee Westwood went favourite in-running when finding the middle of the fairway on his final hole, the third. With wedge in hand, it could only be pressure that saw him fat the effort into the bunker and he failed to get up and down to drop to 14-under – albeit with an exceptional round of 62.

“I just got the lob wedge into the green a little fat,” Westwood said. “A three and I win the tournament, and I made five. It is a sickening way to finish, but I played well all day.”

In the team element, it was Johnson’s Four Aces – also made up of Talor Gooch, Pat Perez and Patrick Reed – who claimed victory from Crushers and Majesticks.