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