4Aces, Crushers, Torque and RangeGoats to compete for LIV Golf Team Championship title

MIAMI: The top four seeds entering this week’s LIV Golf Team Championship survived upsets during a tense match-play semifinal Saturday and will now compete for the team title in Sunday’s final championship round of the 2023 season.

Defending champion 4Aces GC, along with Crushers GC, Torque GC and RangeGoats GC, advanced to the top tier that will battle in stroke-play competition Sunday on the iconic Blue Monster at Trump National Doral. Unlike regular-season events in which three scores counted for the team competition, every player’s score will count on Sunday.

“It takes a whole team effort tomorrow,” said 4Aces Captain Dustin Johnson. “I like it. It’s four teams and we’re battling for the trophy.”

Sunday’s final round will begin with players in foursomes determined by their tiers.

Johnson survived a late rally by HyFlyers GC Captain Phil Mickelson to win his singles match, 2 & 1. The outcome was pivotal after the HyFlyers’ Cameron Tringale beat Patrick Reed, 4 & 3, in the other singles match while the 4Aces’ Pat Perez and Peter Uihlein won their foursomes match against Brendan Steele and James Piot.

Johnson was 2 up through 13 holes, but Mickelson tied the match two holes later. Johnson responded by winning the next two holes for the 4Aces’ 2-1 team win.

“I played a lot of golf with Phil and I knew it was going to be a good match,” Johnson said. “It always is … I knew it was going to come down to me and Phil.”

The 2023 Individual Champion, Talor Gooch of RangeGoats GC, was 1 down through 15 holes to young Fireballs GC star Eugenio Chacarra. With the other two matches split, RangeGoats’ fate was in his hands, and Gooch responded by winning the final three holes.

“He put up a great fight,” Gooch said of