Tag: LIV Golf Team Championship

Cameron Smith’s Ripper GC wins 2024 LIV Golf Team Championship, claim $14 million top prize

The team from Down Under that came out on top.

Every team was in the hunt with only a couple holes left to play, but it was the team from Down Under that came out on top at Maridoe Golf Club outside of Dallas.

Cameron Smith’s Ripper GC claimed the 2024 LIV Golf Team Championship on Sunday, shooting 11 under in stroke play to win the $14 million prize. They finished three shots in front of Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces GC and Iron Heads GC at 8 under while Legion XIII was fourth at 6 under.

The low round for Ripper GC was the captain, who bogeyed his opening hole then added five birdies to sign for a 4-under 68. Lucas Herbert, who had a triple bogey in his round, was next at 3 under while Marc Leishman and Matt Jones each shot 2-under 70.

https://twitter.com/livgolf_league/status/1837978138082791547

“Mate, it’s so good,” Smith said. “I mean, not only great golfers but they’re better people. I think that’s what being a Ripper is all about. Just so happens that we’re good golfers, too. It’s a good combo. But to have those three guys out there today, or six other guys really to lean on trying to get the job done, there was something in me that was telling me that we were going to be all right.”

Added Leishman: “Firstly, it’s unbelievable to win a team event. It’s not very often in golf you get to celebrate with other people who are equally as happy, and there’s about 15 of us here. Yeah, I mean, I feel like this win, Australia has been behind us so much. I think it’s a massive win for us individually, as a team. I’m so excited.”

Jon Rahm didn’t play this week for Legion XIII, withdrawing before Saturday’s semifinals because of flu-like symptoms. Iron Heads GC knocked off fourth-seeded Smash GC in the quarterfinals before taking out the top overall seed and defending team champions, Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC, in the semifinals.

Iron Heads GC will take home $8 million while 4Aces GC will collect $6 million. In the Team Championship, the teams keep 60 percent and each player takes home 10 percent.

Photos: 2024 LIV Golf Team Championship at Maridoe Golf Club

The final event of the LIV Golf League’s season is here.

The final event of the LIV Golf League’s season is here.

The second full season of competition, or third overall with the first year being a series of invitationals, comes to a close this week at Maridoe Golf Club outside of Dallas in the 2024 LIV Golf Team Championship.

All 13 teams will compete for the top prize, though only four will have a chance to win the title come Sunday, when the event switches from match play to stroke play.

Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC, the defending LIV Golf team champions, are the top seed and have a quarterfinal bye on Friday. Also earning byes are Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII and Cameron Smith’s Ripper GC.

The event gets underway Friday. Here’s a look at the best photos from the 2024 LIV Golf Team Championship.

Phil Mickelson didn’t have a lot to say when asked about outside player interest in LIV Golf

Is another big offseason brewing, or is it a smokescreen from Lefty?

Phil Mickelson isn’t afraid to speak his mind. But on Thursday at the pre-tournament press conference ahead of the 2024 LIV Golf Team Championship at Maridoe Golf Club in Dallas, a pair of one-word answers from Lefty painted an incomplete picture.

LIV Golf’s third season will come to a close Sunday, and then the league will enter the offseason before going international to begin its 2025 campaign. As for what’s next for the league? Other than the early-season schedule release, not many details have been released.

Perhaps it’s because the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which finances LIV Golf, are still working on a deal to bring the top players from both tours back together. Or it could be because the initial momentum LIV Golf had after its first two years has slowed.

Not according to Mickelson.

The last two offseasons, LIV Golf has signed former major champions, the biggest being Jon Rahm last December, who went on to win the league’s individual championship last week at LIV Golf Chicago. On Thursday, Mickelson was asked whether he has heard from players outside of LIV Golf who remain interested in the league.

“Yes.”

A follow-up question was asked: “Do you want to expand on that any?”

“No.”

Two questions, a pair of one-word answers and the result is left trying to figure out what it all means.

Perhaps Mickelson is speaking to players about possibly joining the league. But unlike in year’s past, there’s hardly any chatter going on about folks who could move defect from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf. Or maybe LIV is in a holding pattern, waiting to see what’s next for professional golf, like the rest of us.

Based on other questions and answers Thursday from Mickelson and other LIV Golf captains, the league is moving forward like business as usual. There were even some hints at more team-only events in the future, similar to this week in Dallas.

But as always, Lefty’s choice to not talk about conversations he has had will leave people guessing. Is it a smokescreen, or is LIV Golf preparing for another major offseason splash?

Only time will tell.

LIV Golf announces Maridoe Golf Club in Dallas will host 2024 Team Championship

The 2024 LIV Golf Team Championship will be LIV’s second event in Texas.

At the halfway point of its 2024 schedule, LIV Golf has announced where the 2024 LIV Golf Team Championship will be.

Maridoe Golf Club in Carrolton, Texas, about 20 minutes outside of Dallas, will host the 2024 LIV Golf Team Championship, set for Sept. 20-22. Last year, the event was in Miami at Trump National Doral. Now, the league in its third season is heading to Texas for its finale.

Maridoe is T-10 in Golfweek’s Best ranking of private courses in Texas. The course can tip out at more than 7,800 yards.

“Our LIV Golf players are looking forward to playing in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with its great golf tradition,” LIV CEO Greg Norman said in a release. “Texas is legendary for producing and hosting great golfers who set a high bar while competing for championships. Our LIV Golf Team Championship at Maridoe Golf Club will be a great experience for our players and all the fans in attendance.”

The LIV Golf Team Championship is comprised of three days of stroke and match play. Last year, Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC won the team title at Doral.

Last month, LIV Golf announced Bolingbrook Golf Club in Bolingbrook, Illinois, will host the 2024 Individual Championship the week prior, ending the league’s two-year relationship with Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois.

“Members of Maridoe Golf Club are pleased to host the LIV Golf Team Championship in September,” Maridoe Golf Club Founder Albert Huddleston said. “Maridoe has been honored to previously host the Southern Amateur, Trans-Mississippi Amateur, East West Cup Matches, USGA Women’s Four-Ball Championship as well as two 2020 COVID tournaments won by Scottie Scheffler and Brandon Wu. Maridoe is designed to be an enjoyable but demanding member’s club while always ready to provide a great test for elite golfers to entertain golf enthusiasts.”

The 2024 LIV Golf Team Championship will be LIV’s second event in Texas this year, following LIV Golf Houston in June, the next event on the schedule. It’s set a week before the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina.

2023 LIV Golf Team Championship prize money payouts for each team in Miami

It pays to play well on the Saudi-backed circuit.

DORAL, Fla. — It pays to play well in the LIV Golf League, just ask Crushers GC.

Bryson DeChambeau’s team finished at 11 under to win the 2023 LIV Golf Team Championship and claim the top prize of $14 million Sunday at Trump National Doral’s Blue Monster. Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats GC finished runner-up, with Joaquin Niemann’s Torque GC in third and last year’s champions, 4Aces GC led by Dustin Johnson, in fourth.

All four scores counted in Sunday’s final round, which is different from LIV’s regular-season events where the lowest score is dropped each day. The semifinal winners competed for the top-four places (Tier 1), while teams to lose on Saturday competed for places 5-8 (Tier 2), with Friday’s losers going for places 9-12 (Tier 3).

But remember, team prize money goes back to the team at LIV events. In the Team Championship, the teams keep 60 percent and each player takes home 10 percent. Not too shabby for three days (at most) of work.

Here’s how much money each team earned this week near Miami.

Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC win 2023 LIV Golf Team Championship at Trump Doral, claim $14 million top prize

Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces GC finished fourth in their title defense at Trump National Doral.

DORAL, Fla. — Four teams entered Sunday’s final round of the 2023 LIV Golf Team Championship with a shot at the title, and come the back nine at Trump National Doral’s Blue Monster it was a two-horse race.

Down the stretch, Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC came out on top at 11 under to claim the title and the $14 million top prize, two shots ahead of runner-up RangeGoats GC. Torque GC finished third at 6 under, with last year’s defending champion 4Aces GC in fourth at even par.

The low man for the low team was Anirban Lahiri, who shot a bogey-free 7-under 65 in the final round. DeChambeau was two shots behind at 5-under 67, with Charles Howell III at even and Paul Casey at 1 over.

“We are watching the leaderboards, and I was thankful every time I looked up and saw Bryson and (Anirban) make another birdie,” said Howell III. “You know you’ve got these finishing holes ahead, right, and there’s water everywhere and trickiness and the greens were fast.”

“It was very nerving wracking. Finishing it off, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, I was super nervous not knowing what could happen,” said DeChambeau. “Everybody was in flux and I wasn’t driving it particularly my best. I did it very well on the front nine but the back nine didn’t do it as well, and it’s one of those things that I was just trying to hit the best shot I possibly could. I was super nervous. I couldn’t feel my arms over the ball on the last hole.”

“When I was 7-under playing 18, which was my 17th hole and we were only two or three shots ahead, and you know, normal circumstance, I’m going 15, 20 feet right of the flag. I went straight at it,” added Lahiri. “Didn’t hit a good shot. But you know, the mentality was different. It didn’t matter where I was or what I was shooting. What mattered was where the team was and what the team needed. I’m just glad I showed up for the team on a Sunday.”

The RangeGoats earned $8 million, with $6 million going to Torque and $4 million to the 4Aces. As of this year, team prize money goes back to the team at LIV events. In the Team Championship, the teams keep 60 percent and each player takes home 10 percent.

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Bryson DeChambeau drove a green (and hospitality stand?) and somehow made birdie at 2023 LIV Golf Team Championship

DeChambeau made one of the weirdest birdies you’ll see at Trump National Doral.

DORAL, Fla. — With the team title on the line, Bryson DeChambeau made a circus birdie down the stretch Sunday at the 2023 LIV Golf Team Championship.

With the tee pushed up, DeChambeau went to drive the green on the short par-4 16th and somehow hit it over the “Birdie Shack” hospitality stand and across the No. 2 green, located behind the 16th green and grandstand. After his ball presumably hit the cart path, the 30-year-old was forced to wait for the group on No. 2 to clear the green before he could play his next shot.

His approach attempt had to carry the hospitality stand and took a little math (and a lot of guessing) to lock in a yardage. DeChambeau’s caddie said 109 yards was the number and from there he hit a miraculous second within 25 feet, completely blind, to keep his struggling team’s title hopes alive.

From there, of course DeChambeau made the putt, sending a much-needed jolt of electricity through the dormant crowd.

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Explaining the format: $50 million 2023 LIV Golf Team Championship moves to stroke play for final round

All 12 teams will be on the course on Sunday, but only four will be competing for the top prize.

DORAL, Fla. — After two days of match play, the 2023 LIV Golf Team Championship is heading back to stroke play.

Twelve teams made their way to Trump National Doral’s Blue Monster course for the $50 million season finale, and just four remain for the final round. Sort of.

Each of the 12 teams will be in action on Sunday but only the four winners from Saturday’s semifinal round – 4Aces GC, Crushers GC, RangeGoats GC and Torque GC – will be competing for the $14 million top prize.

“Still got to play golf. Just like match play, I mean, obviously, if you hit a bad shot you can’t just pick it up,” said Johnson of the switch from match to stroke play. “You’ve got to play solid, all four guys got to play well if you want to win. It takes a whole team effort tomorrow. I like it. It’s four teams and we’re battling for the trophy.”

The teams that lost on Saturday – Cleeks GC,  – will be competing for places 5-8, while Friday’s quarterfinal losers – Iron Heads GC, Majesticks GC, Ripper GC and Smash GC – will play for places 9-12.

“It’s a huge opportunity for us,” said DeChambeau about his Crushers. “Last year we left pretty sour, and this year is a different story. We’ve got some guys that are playing some better golf and I’m playing a little bit better.”

“Hopefully I can do that tomorrow and give ourselves an opportunity to win. We’ve been prepping for this all year,” he added. “And look, it’s 18 holes of golf. Anything can happen really and we’ve got a good team, we’ve just got to show it tomorrow.”

All 48 players will play 18 holes of shotgun start (1:05 p.m. ET) stroke play, with all four scores counting towards the final team score. You can watch from 1-6 p.m. ET on the CW or stream on the CW app or LIV Golf app.

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Top four seeds advance from 2023 LIV Golf Team Championship semifinals, will play for $14 million top prize

All 12 teams will be on the course on Sunday, but only four will be competing for the top prize.

DORAL, Fla. — If you were busy watching the loaded college football slate on Saturday, here’s what you missed from the semifinals of the 2023 LIV Golf Team Championship.

Sebastian Munoz had the performance of the day and put the first point on the board with his 7-and-6 drubbing of Stinger GC’s Branden Grace. Joaquin Niemann’s Torque GC went on to sweep Louis Oosthuizen’s Stinger, 3-0, in the semifinals to lock up the first of four top spots in Sunday’s final round.

Crushers GC’s Paul Casey put up a similar effort against Richard Bland of Cleeks GC with a 6-and-5 shellacking that helped advance the Crushers, captained by Bryson DeChambeau, into the top four. The second clinching point came from DeChambeau in his captain’s match against Martin Kaymer, where the bulked-up bomber won, 4 and 3.

Cameron Tringale dog walked Patrick Reed around the Blue Monster course for most of the round before letting him off the leash after 15 holes, 4 and 3. That would be the lone win for HyFlyers GC as the 4Aces GC advanced to defend their 2022 title thanks Dustin Johnson’s 2-and-1 win over Phil Mickelson and Pat Perez/Peter Uihlein’s 4-and-3 victory over James Piot/Brendan Steele.

Sergio Garcia made quick work of Bubba Watson in the captain’s match between Fireballs GC and RangeGoats GC, 4 and 3. Harold Varner III/Thomas Pieters tied the match with their 2-and-1 foursomes win over Carlos Ortiz/Abraham Ancer. The season-long 2023 individual champion Talor Gooch – which earned the 30-year-old an $18 million bonus – put the deciding point on the board with his 2-up win over Eugenio Chacarra.

All 48 players will play 18 holes of shotgun start (1:05 p.m. ET) stroke play on Sunday in the final round, with all four scores counting towards the final team score. Only the four winners from Saturday’s semifinal round – 4Aces GC, Crushers GC, RangeGoats GC and Torque GC – will be competing for the $14 million top prize.

The teams that lost on Saturday – Cleeks GC, Fireballs GC, HyFlyers GC and Stinger GC – will be competing for places 5-8, while Friday’s quarterfinal losers – Iron Heads GC, Majesticks GC, Ripper GC and Smash GC – will play for places 9-12. You can watch from 1-6 p.m. ET on the CW or stream on the CW app or LIV Golf app.

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Dustin Johnson vs. Phil Mickelson highlights Saturday’s semifinal round at 2023 LIV Golf Team Championship

Here’s what you need to know about Friday’s quarterfinals and Saturday’s semifinal round.

DORAL, Fla. — Two matches went to extra holes in the quarterfinals of the 2023 LIV Golf Team Championship, setting a high bar for Saturday’s semifinal round.

The four teams which had a bye – Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces GC, Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC, Joaquin Niemann’s Torque GC and Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats GC – will all be in action for the first time this week come Saturday’s 1:15 p.m. ET shotgun start at Trump National Doral.

Those four captains were able to pick their opponents, which set up a couple solid matches for Saturday’s action. Johnson will take on Phil Mickelson as the 4Aces GC will play HyFlyers GC in the marquee match of the round. Watson vs. Sergio Garcia might draw some eyes as well as the RangeGoats GC battle Fireballs GC. DeChambeau’s Crushers will play Martin Kaymer’s Cleeks GC, leaving Niemann’s Torque GC to play Louis Oosthuizen’s Stinger GC.

Here are the second-round matches for Saturday’s semifinal round.

4Aces GC vs. HyFlyers GC

  • Singles: Dustin Johnson vs. Phil Mickelson
  • Singles: Patrick Reed vs. Cameron Tringale
  • Foursomes: Pat Perez/Peter Uihlein vs. James Piot/Brendan Steele

RangeGoats GC vs. Fireballs GC

  • Singles: Bubba Watson vs. Sergio Garcia
  • Singles: Talor Gooch vs. Eugenio Chacarra
  • Foursomes: Harold Varner III/Thomas Pieters vs. Carlos Ortiz/Abraham Ancer

Crushers GC vs. Cleeks GC

  • Singles: Bryson DeChambeau vs. Martin Kaymer
  • Singles: Paul Casey vs. Richard Bland
  • Foursomes: Anirban Lahiri/Charles Howell III vs. Graeme McDowell/Bernd Wiesberger

Torque GC vs. Stinger GC

  • Singles: Joaquin Niemann vs. Louis Oosthuizen
  • Singles: Sebastian Munoz vs. Branden Grace
  • Foursomes: Mito Pereira/David Puig vs. Charl Schwartzel/Dean Burmester
2023 LIV Golf Team Championship Miami
Brooks Koepka plays his shot from the 14th tee during the first round of the 2023 LIV Golf Team Championship Miami at Trump National Doral. (Photo: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports)

The best performances from Friday came from Smash GC’s Brooks Koepka, who beat Mickelson, 6 and 4, and Eugenio Chacarra of the Fireballs, who rolled Majesticks GC’s Sam Horsfield, 6 and 5. The only first-round sweep was Stinger GC’s 3-0 shellacking of Kevin Na’s Iron Heads GC, where none of the three matches reached 18 holes.

Big money awaits

A whopping $50 million is on the line this week, with $14 million going to the winning team. The format features a mix of both match and stroke play. Friday’s quarterfinal and Saturday’s semifinal matches include three matches in each round, two singles and a foursomes (alternate shot). No ties. The first team to two points wins and advances. (You can read more about the format here).

Come Sunday, all 12 teams will compete in stroke play, where all four scores will count (in regular season events, the worst score is dropped from the team total), but only the top four teams can win the top prize. The teams to lose on Saturday will compete for places 5-8, with Friday’s losers going for places 9-12.

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