LIV Golf Team Championship has Ryder Cup elements sure to create fireworks
After LIV Golf was crowned individual champion in Saudi Arabia, the tournament will move to Miami to host the championship teammates, creating the atmosphere of the Ryder Cup.
The LIV golf season concludes this weekend with the team championship at Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami.
Starting Friday, the teams will give Ryder Cup fans more excitement as they compete for the 2023 championship.
Last week at LIV Jeddah, the players battled for the crown individual.
Five-time major champion and Smash GC captain Brooks Koepka defended his title, earning $4 million for first place. It was Koepka’s second win on the Saudi-backed tour this year, after winning the LIV Golf – Orlando event the week before the Masters in April.
But in an interesting twist, three-time LIV Golf champion Talor Gooch took home the season’s individual title, despite losing to Koepka in a playoff in Saudi Arabia.
Gooch won $2.25 million for second place and an $18 million bonus for finishing first in the season-long points race.
That bonus would have given him more than $35 million in personal earnings by 2023, according to ESPN’s Mark Schlabach.
Koepka finished third in the individual race, earning him $4 million in prize money, giving him a total of $8 million for the weekend.
Funny enough, Koepka had no idea about the additional $4 million bonus, which sparked a viral reaction from one reporter.
The moment @BKoepka realized he won another $4 million #LIVGolf @SmashGC pic.twitter.com/gW2abzYtzb
ā LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) October 15, 2023
But Koepka played well outside LIV Golf this year.
He finished in second place at the Masters and won the PGA Championship at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York.
The then five-time Major champion was the only LIV golfer selected for the Ryder Cup, his American team losing heavily to Team Europe in Italy.
However, Koepka encountered some difficulties on his own LIV Golf team.
His captaincy has been at the focal point this season as he has publically criticized Matthew Wolff for not working hard enough.
Ahead of the team championship, Koepka admitted that he had enough with the former Oklahoma State Cowboy and continued to voice those concerns to the media.
Not to mention, Koepka’s brother Chase is on the brink of being relegated by the league. Chase Koepka is not the only one, as James Piot of HyFlyers GC, Sihwan Kim of Iron Heads GC, and Jed Morgan of Ripper GC are also in danger.
There is much on the line this week in Miami for those four players as they try to keep their spots. But the entire field will feel the pressure and intensity of the team championship, which comes with a massive $50 million purse. The $14 million going to the first-place team is a season-high.
What is the LIV Golf Team Championship format?
The LIV Golf team championship does not compare to the Tour Championship seen on the PGA Tour; rather, it resembles the Ryder Cup more than anything.
Twelve four-man teams are seeded one through 12 based on their finishes in the points race.
The top four seeds are Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces GC, Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC, Joaquin Niemann’s Torque GC and Bubba Watson’s Rangegoats GC.
These four teams have a bye to the quarter-finals and will compete in the semi-finals for the first time on Saturday.
As for the remaining eight teams, they will compete in the quarter-finals starting Friday. The highest seeds have chosen their opponents.
On Friday, 32 players will compete in two singles matches and one four-way match with alternating play. Each match is worth one point; no one can end in a draw.
The first team to win two points wins the match and advances to the semi-finals.
After Friday’s matches, the captains of the top four teams will choose their opponents.
The top seed will pick first, with the remaining teams following to pick their semi-finals.
Four teams will qualify for the final on Sunday. These groups will finish first to fourth, the teams eliminated on Saturday will be fifth to eighth and those who lost on Friday will be ninth to 12th.
A change from last year’s team championship, all 48 players will compete in the final on Sunday. The score of each of the four players will be counted towards the team’s total score.
This final day will include 18 holes of stroke play, a change from the format of play seen in Sunday singles at the Ryder Cup. But having every golfer compete on Sunday still feels like a biennial contest, as all 24 players play singles.
Friday’s LIV Golf Team Championship schedule:
Fireballs GC vs. Majestics GC
Sergio Garcia vs. Henrik Stenson (singles)
Eugenio Chacarra vs. Sam Horsfield (singles)
Abraham Ancer/Carlos Ortis vs. Ian Poulter/Lee Westwood (foursome)
Smash GC vs. HyFlyers GC
Brooks Koepka vs. Phil Mickelson (singles)
Jason Kokrak vs. Cameron Tringale (singles)
Chase Koepka/Matthew Wolff vs. James Piot/Brendan Stelle (foursome).
Stinger GC vs. Iron Heads GC
Louis Oosthuizen vs. Kevin Na (ÄĘ”n)
Branden Grace vs. Scott Vincent (ÄĘ”n)
Dean Burmester/Charl Schwartzel vs. Sihwan Kim/Danny Lee (tiį»n Äįŗ”o)
Ripper GC vs. . . Cleeks GC
Cameron Smith vs. Martin Kaymer (singles)
Marc Leishman vs. Richardson Bland (singles)
Matt Jones/Jed Morgan vs. Graeme McDowell/Bernd Wiesberger (fours)
LIV Golf has taken over so much that everyone who loved the Ryder Cup and made it their finals format.
Who will win the LIV Tag Team Championship for the second time?
Can Johnson and GC 4Aces do it again or will someone else win?
