Tag: Trump National Doral

Dean Burmester wins 2024 LIV Golf Miami in playoff; Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII claim team title

The win is Burmester’s first since joining the Saudi-backed league last season.

Sergio Garcia had his sights on a first LIV Golf win Sunday, but a late bogey opened the door for Dean Burmester to steal the honor.

The 34-year-old South African took down the 2017 Masters champion in a two-hole playoff at 2024 LIV Golf Miami at Trump National Doral to claim the $4 million prize and hand Garcia his third playoff loss since joining LIV.

Burmester shot consistent rounds of 68-69-68 to finish tied with Garcia at 11 under and then won LIV’s fifth event of the season with a par on the second playoff hole after each player made par the first time around. The victory is Burmester’s third in the last year after he won the Joburg Open and South African Open on the DP World Tour in consecutive weeks at the end of 2023.

“It’s special because coming over, obviously I was coming over to three friends and I was excited about that, but I also wanted to prove myself against a lot of the best players in the world, a lot of major champions,” said Burmester. “Now that I’ve done that a year and a half in, I’m super stoked and proud of myself and now we’re going to try to do it again.”

“I mean, it’s certainly probably the best golf of my career,” he said of his current form. “If I look at it that way, the amount of wins, the amount of top 10s, top 5s that I’m producing is some really special stuff.”

On the team side, Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII held off Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats GC by a single shot at 22 under for their second win of the season. Louis Oosthuizen and Burmester’s Stinger GC finished in a distant third at 15 under.

“Well, I guess that so far we’ve done well on challenging golf courses. I think more importantly this week, though, was to bounce back after how we finished last in Hong Kong,” said Tyrrell Hatton. “I think we were all pretty sad about that. To come back out next event and win as a team is great, and now we look forward to Adelaide.”

“The best part for us is that I don’t think either of us has played even what I would say is their best golf for a whole week,” said Rahm of his team. “I feel like all of us have had some rounds where we left quite a few shots out there. I know some rounds might not count, but I think, exactly, it’s a lot of good to look forward to when all of us show up to a tournament when we’re all playing our B+ or A game. Either one of us four is capable of winning individually at any given tournament, and I’m looking forward for that day to happen.”

Thirteen LIV players will take their talents down Magnolia Lane this week for the 2024 Masters while the rest of the 54-player field will take a break before traveling to Australia for 2024 LIV Golf Adelaide, April 26-28, at the Grange Golf Club.

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A week before Masters, Cameron Smith withdraws from LIV Golf Miami

Hopefully Smith gets feeling better before next week.

Cameron Smith is going to head into the first major championship of the year a bit rusty.

The Australian, who captured the 2022 Open Championship, withdrew from LIV Golf’s event in Miami, Florida, at Trump National Doral, due to illness. Smith shot 3-over 75 in the opening round and had four birdies, five bogeys and a double. The specific illness was not mentioned.

Ben Campbell will replace Smith in the Ripper GC lineup for the rest of the team competition.

Smith placed third in LIV’s latest event in Hong Kong last month and has two top-10 finishes in his first four events of 2024.

He has a history of playing well at Augusta National. He has four top-10 finishes in the past six years. The 88th Masters Tournament starts Thursday.

LIV Miami: Photos

Former Masters champ among those tied for lead at 2024 LIV Golf Miami

Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka are two back.

Next week, 13 LIV golfers will head to Augusta National for the first men’s major championship of the year. And plenty of them, including the defending champion, have had success at Augusta National Golf Club.

One of those former past Masters champions is tied for the lead after the opening round of LIV Golf Miami at Trump National Doral.

Sergio Garcia, the 2017 Masters champion, is one of three players tied for the lead after a 5-under 67. Also tied on top are 2023 LIV individual champion Talor Gooch and Peter Uihlein.

Jon Rahm, the defending Masters champ, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed are in a group sitting two shots behind and T-8.

LIV: Best photos from Trump Doral

In his first action back in the United States, Anthony Kim shot 4 over and is T-47 along with Phil Mickelson, who finished T-2 at Augusta National last year.

Photos: 2024 LIV Golf Miami at Trump National Doral

LIV Golf’s final tune-up before the Masters is at Trump Doral.

It’s time for LIV Golf’s final event before the Masters next week in Augusta, Georgia.

LIV is at Trump National Doral in Miami, Florida, for its fifth event of the 2024 season. It’s only the second event in the United States, following the Las Vegas event the week of the Super Bowl. Dustin Johnson won the individual competition while Brooks Koepka’s Smash GC took home the team title.

In LIV Golf’s last event in Hong Kong, Abraham Ancer won for the first time while Joaquin Niemann, who has won twice in the first four events, placed T-4. Defending Masters champion Jon Rahm has yet to win on LIV Golf but has three top-10 finishes.

Here’s a look at the best photos from LIV Golf Miami at Trump Doral:

On the 14th anniversary of his last PGA Tour win, LIV Golf’s Anthony Kim believes he can get his game back

“I believe I can absolutely do it at that level again. I’m prepared more than ever for success,” Kim explained.

Today marks the 14th anniversary of Anthony Kim’s last win on the PGA Tour at the 2010 Shell Houston Open.

Over that time the former rising star has “had some experiences that I wouldn’t wish on anybody,” such as battles with addiction and a whopping seven surgeries (including the same spinal fusion operation Tiger Woods underwent in 2017). He’s keeping a lot of the details of his demise close to the vest as he prepares to release a documentary, but did shed light on conversations with doctors who told him his time was running out.

“That’s a pretty rude awakening,” Kim said on Thursday ahead of LIV Golf Miami at Trump National Doral. “I still think about it to this day when I’m out there and I get frustrated with my golf, you know, how far I’ve come.”

During a recent interview with David Feherty, Kim admitted he never really loved golf. Throughout his down years the three-time PGA Tour winner and former Ryder Cupper hardly paid attention to what was happening on Tour. But just how removed was he from the game? Dustin Johnson told him on Wednesday that Brooks Koepka won back-to-back majors in 2018. Kim had no clue.

Since the birth of his daughter Isabella two years ago, Kim has gotten his life on track and is back in professional golf as a wildcard player for LIV Golf this season. The game has changed quite a bit in his time away, and as much as he wants to win and compete, Kim knows the real importance is to stay in the right mental headspace as he continues his return. He’s not sweating the poor results – in two starts with LIV he’s finished last and 50th in the 54-player field events – and thinks he can still play to the level he once did while on the PGA Tour.

“I believe I can absolutely do it at that level again. I’m prepared more than ever for success,” he explained. “I don’t think in my first career I was because I didn’t know what to expect. It was my mistakes that are the reason that I fell down into this deep hole. Having better people around this time around definitely helps.”

“My goals for this season and moving forward are to work as hard as I can, be focused, which I don’t think that I ever have been,” Kim added. “I appreciate the opportunity going on around me and the platform that I have and to be able to make a difference in the world. As crazy as that sounds, I feel like I will have the opportunity to do it, and the better I play, the louder my voice gets. And so hopefully if I play some good golf I’ll be able to do bigger things.”

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LIV Golf partners with entertainment company to enhance concerts at events

The next LIV event, April 5-7 at Trump National Doral, will feature a live concert from 2000s hip-hop star Akon.

LIV Golf likes to bill itself as “golf but louder” and a new partnership takes that tagline to heart.

On Tuesday, the league announced a new multi-year deal with AEG Presents that will see the live entertainment company book musical acts and produce live concerts at LIV events around the world.

LIV prides itself on its festival-like atmosphere and events in the past have featured concerts from some massive names in music such as Zac Brown Band, Tiesto, Nelly and more.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to join forces with LIV Golf to bring world-class entertainment to this exciting new golf league,” said Mark Norman, Senior Vice President of Global touring of Concerts West, an AEG Presents subsidiary. “This felt like such a natural fit for us, and to sit right at the intersection of sports and music will enable us to super serve an audience that’s looking for an elevated experience at LIV Golf events and tournaments.”

The league returns to action April 5-7 at Trump National Doral with LIV Golf Miami, where 2000s hip-hop star Akon will perform a live concert.

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Where to play golf around South Florida: Golfweek’s Best 2023 public-access courses

Thanks to Golfweek’s Best rankings, we break out the top courses around South Florida.

Call it South Florida or be more specific and call it southeastern Florida, one thing is for certain: The area stretching south along the coast from Port St. Lucie to Miami is packed with golf courses.

But which are the best? If you’re willing to drive a bit, there are several courses in this region that appear on the Golfweek’s Best rankings of top public-access layouts in Florida. All the courses listed below are within reasonable driving distance of cities such as Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Jupiter.

But it’s not as easy as pulling up our state-by-state rankings, which list Florida courses that might be a full day’s drive away from South Florida (which is not to be confused with southwest Florida, such as Naples, which is considered by most Floridians to be a distinct region).

None of this is to say there aren’t plenty of other worthy public-access courses to play around South Florida. There are. These are only the layouts ranked among the very best in the whole state that happen to be in South Florida.

There is one course worth mentioning that isn’t on the best-in-state list yet, but surely will be in years to come. Architects Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner recently renovated the former West Palm Beach Golf Course into the Park, complete with 18 holes and a short, lit  par-3 course. The main 18 didn’t open in time to appear on various Golfweek’s Best lists in 2023.

Included with this list is a general map of where to find all these courses. Each one on the list below is represented with a number on the map – keep scrolling to see the numbers.

Included with each course is its position in Florida on the Golfweek’s Best public-access list. For any course that appears on our other popular rankings lists, those positions are included as well.

A little background: The hundreds of members of our course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them on 10 criteria on a points basis of 1 through 10. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings are averaged to produce all our Golfweek’s Best course rankings.

The courses on this list allow public access in some fashion, be it standard daily green fees, through a resort or by staying at an affiliated hotel. If there’s a will, there’s a tee time – no membership required.

South Florida map golf
(Google Earth/Golfweek)

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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