High drama as Crushers GC wins 2023 LIV Golf Team Championship

MIAMI: Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC won the Team Championship of the 2023 LIV Golf League in dramatic fashion here on Sunday.

Fueled by Anirban Lahiri’s spectacular bogey-free round, steady play by Charles Howell III and Paul Casey, and a riveting back-nine performance from their captain DeChambeau, Crushers GC won the all-scores-count shootout by two shots over Range Goats GC. Torque GC finished third, while defending champion 4Aces GC settled for fourth.

Last year, the Crushers did not reach the Team Championship final, as they were knocked out in the match-play semifinals. But the team started the new season with a bang, winning in Mayakoba, Mexico, on the strength of Howell’s individual victory.

DeChambeau found his form in mid-season and won two individual titles, with the Crushers winning again in Chicago. They completed the journey to the top at Trump National Doral, shooting a combined 11-under.

“Last year really left a sour taste in our mouth,” DeChambeau said as he celebrated with his teammates on the 18th green of the iconic Blue Monster course. “I can’t be happier with this team of mine. I don’t know what else to say. I’m at a loss (for) words right now … these guys are the best.”

Lahiri was the team’s top performer on Sunday, shooting a seven-under 65 that included consecutive hole-outs at the par-four seventh (for birdie) and par-five eighth (for eagle). It was a terrific effort for a player who had come so close to winning an individual title in 2023 with two runner-up finishes and another podium result.

“I had a couple of Sundays where I let myself down,” Lahiri said. “But I wasn’t going to let the team down today.”

DeChambeau was three-under at the turn, then birdied the 10th and 11th holes