Well hello there… pour yourself three fingers of the good stuff and sit on down.
Team format Friday… Here we go from Trump Doral’s blue monster. The golf course is long, difficult and has plenty of rough to give these players fits.
Today they are playing team vs team. The only thing that matters is the team. Captain vs Captain out on the course. Single vs single and then two vs two. $50 million.
The Fireballs vs my lovely Majesticks
Henrik Stenson vs Sergio Garcia. Eugenio Chacara vs Sam Horsfield. Westwood and Poulter vs Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz in foursomes. They are after points today
Smash vs Hi-Flyers
Brooks Koepka vs Phil Mickelson Jason Kokrak vs Cameron Tringale and in foursomes Chase Koeka and Matthew Wolf vs James Piot and Brenden Steele
Piot and Chase Kopeka were relegated so its their last chance to make some money before heading off to alternate tours.
Ripper vs The Cleeks
Cam Smith will be going against Martin Kaymer. Marc Leishman vs Richard Bland and Jed Morgan and Matt Jones will be facing off with Graeme McDowell and Bernd Weisburger
Stinger vs Ironheads
Louis Oosthuizen vs Kevin Na Brandon Grace vs Sam Vincent and Charl Schwartzel and Dean Burmeister vs Dann Lee and Sihwan Kim
We are off shotgun start style so it will be action packed all day long.
Louis hits it close on hist first hole and will have a birdie look. Mickelson hits a bomb off the tee hits the cart path and might have landed in the water. Na hits it in the bunker and has to pitchout across the green toward the water. He steps up and drains the long putt forcing Louis to make the putt. He does make a 8 footer but Na made it difficult.
No commercials on the LIV golf app and is wonderful coverage all day long.
One point per match today so every player will contribute. No ties, they all will be played out today. The top 4 teams got a bye and will face the winners tomorrow.
Sergio makes his putt and goes one up on Stenson. Chacarra goes up on Horsefield. Sergio is the highest point earner in the history of the Ryder Cup so he is very familiar team formats.
Vincent makes a 10 footer to halve the hole in his match.
Kopka has a 3 footer for birdie while Phil, who was in the water, has a 12 footer for par. If Phil misses he will fall one back and might anyway. Phil misses and will concede the point. Dom Boulet makes a great point…unless Tiger is playing you can’t find another group where 11 major wins is represented. I would argue unless Tiger or Jack is playing, but a fun stat nonetheless.
Sihwan Kim makes a birdie and his Ironheads go up.
Cam Smith makes a 25 foot putt for birdie because that is what Cam does. Kaymer makes a 15 foot putt to tie him. Great drama already.
Richard Bland, Dickie B., is one up on Leishman.
Chase Koepka makes a birdie and he gets his group one up.
Sergio is 2 up through 2. Brooks is about to be.
Carlos Ortiz chips out of a bunker and into the water. The golf course is hard.
Dickie B. is two up through 2 holes. Old man river…
Scott Vincent is one up, his good form continues….
I am not sure why Smash decided to wear Majesticks turquoise colors today but I assume it is to make my transition to a Smah fan next year a little easier.
Chase Koepka makes another birdie and he and Wolff are two up.
Dom Boulet said Brooks’ lie was the worst he has seen all year. Wow, the rough is tough.
Stenson gets one back and is down one vs Sergio.
Wim and Lee are 2 up already vs the Stinger group.
Phil Mickelson got to the green in two where Brooks had to hack out and his third is within 5 feet. Phil has about 18 feet to win the hole, but he leaves it short. This again is the rematch of the PGA final from Kiawah a couple years ago when Phil won his 6th major. Brooks makes his putt and maintains his two up lead.
Martin Kaymer is one up on Cam Smith after Cam was forced to chip in and he hit a nice shot, but not nice enough.
Dickie B. makes another birdie forcing Leishman to make his own 8 footer. Marc makes his birdie and stays two down.
Mickelson has a lengthy putt while Brooks is in close. Brooks makes a 12 footer for birdie and is 3 up.
Brooks joins Chacarra is also 3 up in his match.
Cam Smith makes a long putt again to stay even with Kaymer. He is still the best putter in the game.
Brooks in the fairway, Phil in the rough. This could be a short match.
Henrik 3 putts to tie the hole versus Sergio. He missed a chance to get even.
Dickie B makes a putt from the fringe and he goes 3up through 5 against Leishman.
Phil rolls in an 18 footer showing the class he has had for over 30 years. Brooks has an easier putt but still 12 feet or so. Brooks missed and Brooks is now two up. Good for the old man showing some scrap is still left in those old legs with nice calves.
Chacarra is now 4 up versus Sam Horsefield. Might have to put that horse down…
Marc Leishman putts in from off the green and gets one back versus Dickie B. His teammate Cam Smith hits it to 2 feet and has a great chance to make a birdie himself.
Phil hits it close and has a nice look for birdie while Brooks is across the green. Phil makes it and is one down. Brooks has a bemused look on his face as he has lost the last two after I said it could be a short day. Phil is showing his fight. 12 Ryder Cups and 12 Presidents Cups. The legend has lots of experience.
Louis has a nice 5 feet birdie look versus Kevin Na and is already one up.
Chacarra is 5 up through 6 holes.
Brandon Grace makes birdie and Scott Vincent answers back.
Brenden Steele and James Piot have tied up their match with Wolff and Lil Koepka.
Cam makes a short birdie putt to take a one shot lead.
Abraham Ancer missed a 3 footer for the lead. His match is still all square.
Louis is 3 up through 7 and is within 4 feet for another birdie.
Phil makes bogey and drops back to 2 dn.
Team update Smash is up two and All square in two matches. Fireballs are 4 up in one and all square in two matches. Ripper is one up and 2 dn and all square in their matches so they are sitting even against the Cleeks. Stinger is 4up,1up and all square in their matches so sitting pretty.
Jason Kokrak hits his tee shot on 9 into the water and is forced to retee and his his second in the water. Just walk to the 10th according to Dom Boulet. Nice call sir.
Phil and Brooks walking and talking. Phil says “they kind of fucked up the course making these par 5’s about 40 yards too long.” Classic Phil knows best.
The 12th hole is 670 yards long. What are you going to do with that. No pro is getting home in two.
Cam Smith is two up and he maintained that lead by hitting it into the water but making a clutch 15 foot putt to halve the hole.
Louis is now 5up. Henrik Stenson has fought back from 2 down thru 2 to get back to even.
Marc Leishmann makes a birdie and gets back to 2 down versus Dickie B.
Mickelson is in danger of dropping another and going 4 down. Brooks has about 8 feet for birdie. He makes it and has won two holes back after Phil won two holes in a row.
I have been able to play a few nice courses, but with all the water and ridiculous length on Doral, I think it would be well down my list of courses to play as an amateur.
Stenson rolls in a long putt that barely catches the edge and he takes a 1 shot lead.
Chacarra is now 6 up. Wow. Hogan-esque.
Brooks to go 5 up and he drains it. 7 holes to play. Brooks is playing incredible golf again. If you bet futures, I’d bet on him winning a major again next year.
Dickie B is 3 up again. He is such a solid player. Forget his age. He just hits lots of solid shots.
Chacarra makes a bomb from 25 feet for par and he wins 6&5 over Sam Horsefield.
Tringale gets one back and is one down to Kokrak with 5 to play.
Mickelson drains a long putt to stay 5 down against Brooks. Lots of fight but not enough game versus the world’s best player.
Every team match still has some drama except probably one. The Fireballs over the majestic is likely as Chacarra has won and now Ortiz and Ancer are 3 up with only a few holes left. That will finish it regardless of what happens to Stenson and Sergio. The Majesticks might be the first ones eliminated. Nothing would surprise me less.
Brooks is dormie. People are trying to get dormie out of golf, how dumb. Dormie means that you can’t lose. You are 2 up with 2 holes to play aka up by as many holes as are left in the match However, since this competition doesn’t record ties, dormie doesn’t really apply so it is a weird use of it here when it doesn’t apply but frankly it is completely useful to use otherwise. The rules of golf dropped the term, but I could give tow shits about what language they care to use or not use.
Louis has a chance to win his match over Kevin Na, but he misses a 5 footer and Na can now make a 2 footer to win the hole.
Stenson maintains his one shot lead over Sergio as those two Europeans are battling as they have for almost 3 decades.
Dicke B. is 4 up.
Mickelson in a bunker and he hits the lip coming out and lands in the rough. Curtains are imminent for the 2nd best player of the last 30 years.
Cam and Kaymer exchange nice birdie putts and Cam remains 2 up.
Chase misses a short birdie putt and they remain one down. Brooks wins 6&4. Louis wins 5&3.
Kokrak chips wide and misses the comebacker and he is all square with Tringale. Piot and Steele lead by one over Chase and Wolff.
Stinger has Louis’ point and they lead in their other two matches as well.
Dickie B wins 4&3. Cleeks have a 1-0 lead at the moment but trail the other two matches although the foursomes is only 1 up for Jones and Morgan.
Poulter and Westwood are 3 down with 4 to play and are on life support.
Cam Smith makes another putt and is 3 up.
Ivor Robson passed away this week. The starter for the Open Championship was famous for never taking a bathroom break no matter how long he had to stay and announce players. A friend to many…
Dean Burmeister and Charl Schwartzel are 2 up with 2 to go.
Scott Vincent pours in a 10 footer to tie his match up with Brandon Grace. No quit in this kid.
Ancer sticks it to a foot on his tee shot and they are going to win meaning the Fireballs are the first team to advance. G Spot Johnson and the Majesticks are no more officially. I never een had a reason to buy any merch. I am Team Smash following Brooks until further notice despite my dislike for Kokrak.
James Piot makes a lengthy putt to keep his foursome one up and Tringale just took the lead over Kokrak. Will my new team be the second team out? Oy vey…
Tringale is 1 up with 2 to play. Mickelson is on the tee following his guy.
Weisburger misses a two footer and the Cleeks foursome trails the Ripper’ by one shot.
Stingers win and advance when their foursome group of Dean Burmeister and Charl Schwartzel win over the Ironheads Kim and Lee. Louis had already won a point in their singles match.
Kaymer has a ten footer to prolong his match and he makes it. He gets one shot back and is two down with two to play.
Tringale hits it into the woods on 18 and then Kokrak hits it into the water. Weird chain of events. Brooks is watching his teammate. Tringale punches out and he is hitting his third about 70 yards shorter than Kokrak who drops out of the water and is hitting his third. Kokrak just hit a low hook into the water again. That might do it. All Tringale has to do is get it on the green and he will likely win 2&1. Tringale hits the green and that should do it. It likely didn’t matter as Matthew Wolff just hit it into the water anyway as his foursomes are one down with a couple yet to play.
Kokrak needs to chip and he has 10 feet left. Tringale was 2 down through 12 holes and now has a chance to close it out on his 17th hole. He needs to two putt for the win and he might get three putts actually. Hyflyers get a point and they lead in the other match.
Phil leaning back sitting Indian style on the grass watching his team. Chase Koepka gets his birdie putt within a foot and Smash makes par after Wolff went in the water. Piot and Steele are 1 up with 1 to play. Not dormie because they can still lose.
Cam Smith to win a point and he pushes it just wide leaving Kaymer a chance to win their 17th hole. Kaymer has about 7 feet to extend the match and he buries it. The elder major champion against the young gun goes 18 holes. Cam has the one shot lead still.
Piot stripes a drive and now Wolff hits next and hits it into the fairway bunker. Brendon Steele hits it very close and Chase Koepka has to answer from the bunker. Good shot, but Wolff has to make a 30 footer and hopes Weisburger misses a 12 footer. They must win.
The Cleeks are 1 down with 1 to play in their foursomes match. Bernd Weisburger tees off and finds the fairway. Graeme McDowell hits it in close on a hole they have to win. 5 feet left for a birdie. Jed Morgan leaves his teammate on the fringe but about 15 feet.
Stingers win 3-0 as Grace finally put away Vincent 2&1.
Kaymer tees off and has about 20 feet for birdie again. Cam Smith has a one handed follow through and he hits it way over by the cart path. Wow! This match is getting very interesting.
Over to Wolff with about 25 feet that must go in. Phil and team for the win if he misses and he does but it touched the lip. Great putt. He then drops a couple of f- bombs in disgust. What a way to end his time with Smash. Brooks already had his name taken off the the promotional materials weeks ago.
Matt Jones lips out their birdie try as well. Weisburger makes the putt and they go to extras. Cleeks looked dead 15 minutes ago. They now have a chance. Cam chipping through the trees on his last and my goodness he is within 5-6 feet for par. Kaymer with the lengthy birdie putt to win and extend. He drains it! My god what a stud! 3 down with 3 to play and he goes to extras. That is why he is a two time major champion. Great stuff and quick changing drama. What unbelievable entertainment.
James Piot has good game but a terrible little moustache.
Sergio has an injury suffered from eating a stone crab. No doubt the famous Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami. He is bleeding and has been all day. Could we see an injury substitution tomorrow? Doubtful.
Stinger, Fireballs, and the HyFlyers are all going to the second round.
The Cleeks and Ripper GC to extra holes on the Captain’s match and the foursomes. They are playing the 10th.
Jed Morgan’s tee shot waaaay left and Matt Jones looks stymied. They are playing the 670 yard 12th. Matt Jones can only hope to get it close enough to leave Morgan a chance to get it on. Lots of Spanish Moss on this hole, very cool. Matt Jones is actually looking left because he can’t hook it up the fairway he is playing. It will leave them 350 yards in his current fairway, but the option still looks like up the 12th. He chips it up the fairway and leaves Morgan a long third shot. Morgan advances it into the front bunker.
Cam is in the fairway, but Kaymer has a real problem after having to hit off the cartpath because if he takes a drop he would have to drop in the palmettos. He might have to hit a shot off while standing on the cart path. They are also playing a par 5 but the shorter 10th hole. Kaymer who is coming off wrist surgery (Feherty points out) punches out well into the fairway. But that clubhead stopped when he hit the cart path. Probably painful. Cam reaches the green. Kaymer with his third shot and he is in the front bunker.
Graeme McDowell with a lovely shot to about 15 feet. Matt Jones holes it from the sand and he walks it off with a finger in the air for birdie. Momentum swings back to the Aussies! Wow! Weisburger needs to make a tough putt now to probably stay in it and he makes drains it! Great Stuff! Unbelievable drama in the foursomes with Kaymer in trouble in his match.
They will go to the 13th a very long par 3. Par 3 from 240 yards. Weisburger hits a good shot but is sitting in the rough about pin high 30 feet away. Jones hits a shot about 40 feet but online.
Kaymer has to hole his bunker shot for 4 as Cam is putting for eagle. Great shot, but Cam only needs to get up and down now to win. Cam lags to a foot and that will be it. Cam wins and the foursomes will determine which team advances.
Morgan with the long putt first and he leaves a ticklish 3-4 footer left. McDowell will go next with a little chip and it rolls about 10 feet by. Dickie B. their teammate is literally biting his nails. Bernd Wiesburger needing to make a lengthy one again. He buries it! Cold blooded he is. Dead canter again. Now Matt Jones with a little 4 footer maybe 5 feet. He makes it as well. We go on.
Graeme McDowell will tee off first, he takes a deep breath. Nerves. Fairway.
Jed Morgan for Ripper is next. Awful moustache, awful haircut, but very powerful. He catches a bad bounce and the ball is possibly in the rough at the very least it is in the fringe. It is behind a lump of grass and sitting up for Matt Jones who will hit first.
Graeme walks by players about to hit strutting like a boss.
Great shot by Jones, middle of the green. Bernd Weisburger probably 3-40 yards ahead and hitting out of the fairway. He hits it over the flag and about half the distance as the Aussie ball. Advantage Cleeks, but neither great birdie looks. Morgan will putt first. Hes about 25 feet versus the Cleeks 15 feet. Jed hits it within a foot, but never threatened. The Cleeks have a putt to win. McDowell who has made a Ryder Cup winning putt just like this buries the putt and walks off like a boss! Wow! Ripper is gone. No one was more excited than Dickie B! How great! Great clutch putting from the Cleeks! Best logo in LIV.
I will see you tomorrow for the semi-finals….
Well hello there… pour yourself three fingers of the good stuff and sit on down.
We are off and the big boys are out today. DJ and the 4 Aces are defending champions are prowling. The Torque amigos are the hottest team right now. Bryson might be the hottest player in LIV so can he carry his team or can the player of the year Talor Gooch get a team win? Can there be an upset? Can we follow the craziness of yesterday? We will answer these questions and more.
Mickelson drives it off line and then has a punch out which he does with a fairway wood and stripes it around and down the fairway. Just crazy high risk/reward. Never change legend.
Patrick Reed one down to Cameron Tringale. A terrible pull with the putter on a fairly short putt.
Mickelson then hits a short wedge to within a couple feet. From dead to red figures with a great birdie chance and a chance to win the hole. He make sit and has the lead after DJ misses a shorty.
Mickelson now wide left again and he has a fairway wood but this time he trades it for an iron. He takes a big swing but leaves it short and still in the rough. He better hit some fairways or DJ will get him like Koepka did yesterday.
Crushers are playing the Cleeks. The Range Goats are playing Fireball GC, Torque is playing Stinger and the HyFlyers are playing the 4 Aces.
Big turnout in Miami. Lots of folks out on a Saturday.
Phil has a long 40 footer and runs it by for par. DJ has two shots to get it back to even from the fringe. Highly likely but he has 3 feet left and Phil concedes it. Maybe it was more like two feet.
Trangale has gotten two shots up on Patrick Reed. Those god awful black socks are back.
Bubba misses a short putt and he is down two shots to Sergio early, Sergio with a bad thumb.
Phil drives it left again. He is lost on the tee as lost as anyone I’ve seen since Cam with his pull left earlier this year.
Eugenio Chacarra knocks it close after making a tough hole tying putt. He is in good form again today. Then he misses the putt.
Mickelson hits it into the lake out of the thick rough. DJ hits it to 2 feet and he is 1 up.
Joaquin Niemann is 2 up on Louis…
Stinger Foursomes are 2 up as Dean Burmeister and Charl Schwartzel are cruising early.
Sebastian Munoz is up 2 up through 3.
Phil just hit his next tee shot in the water. This one went right. His swing is a mess right now. Not quite the water, it is hanging on like a baby tooth on a three year old. Phil once had the best short game in the world and he will need it here to get it close to put pressure on DJ if not making it. He hits it to a foot, very nice after what looked like disaster.
James Piot and Brenden Steele just dropped a shot but not Piot’s moustache. Patt Perez and Peter Uehlein.
Bubba finally makes a putt and gets a shot back on Sergio after a great third shot, a flop shot that landed softly 5 feet from the hole.
DJ has a lengthy birdie putt to win the hole- maybe 18 feet. The hole is halved.
Talor Gooch is one down to Chacarra.
Sebastian Munoz is 3 up on Brandon Grace and Niemann has gotten to 3 up on Louis. Torque is looking good in the individual matches.
Paul Casey is 3 up on Dickie B. He is off to a quick start.
Phil is in a fairway bunker. He is 44th in driving accuracy this year on LIV golf and that explains a lot about his performance.
DJ rolls in a birdie putt and he is now two up. He is hitting it closer to the hole because he is hitting fairways. It is a lot easier to control your ball and get it closer from the fairway. Thank you Captain Obvious.
Tringale is now 4 up through 5 holes.
Kaymr makes birdie and ties it up with Bryson.
Munoz is 4 up. There are some early blowouts in the singles matches.
Mickelson in a concession to hit a fairway must have taken something off or hit a 3 wood. DJ hit it 70 yards further. Phil is actually closer after their second shots. Fairways matter Phillip Alfred.
DJ made his putt and the pressure is on Phil to make about a 10 footer maybe 12 feet to avoid going 3 down. He doesn’t and does.
Harold Varner III is two up on Thomas Pieters and hits his tee shot to 3 feet for the Range Goats foursome.
James Piot has a chip from just off the green and leaves it halfway there and he and Brenden Steele drop another shot to Pat Perez and Peter Uehlein.
Bryson is one up and he sticks it to a foot while Kaymer is in the water. 2 up for Bryson.
Bubba 2 down and now chipping from the fringe with a utility club. This is after his first putt from across the green went off the green. Weird doings. Sergio missed a close putt on the last hole to go 3 up and misses a short putt and Bubba is now down only 1.
DJ finally misses a fairway right and Phil finds the fairway.
Richard Bland is down 5 to Paul Casey. Dickie B what happened to thee.
Munoz is 6 up through 7. The beatings will continue until Brandon Grace improves.
Phil has an eagle putt and DJ had to lay up. The old man has try.
DJ gets a 360 degree lip out to halve the hole. Phil claws one back.
Bubba is completely blocked by trees after driving it right but it is Bubba so he takes a wedge and goes around one tree and over some others and lands closer to the hole than Sergio. Sergio misses his putt and Bubba makes his. AS in that match amazingly.
Brooks is watching today with a Smash cap with Smash written upside down. He is going to turn that team over for sure with Chase Koepka getting relegated and Matthew Wolff getting dropped for sure.
Phil hits it to about 6 feet on his tee shot on the Par 3 9th. Lots of try he has, but DJ is DJ. He hits it to about 10 feet. Phil misses a golden chance to cut the lead in half.
Torque’s David Puig hits it to a foot to try and get Torque’s foursomes match even again. They are leading in both singles.
Crushers, 4 Aces, and Torque all lead their matches. They didn’t play yesterday. But Fireball GC is even one up, one down, and one AS.
Bryson has to make a 10 footer to tie Kaymer. He makes it and stays one 1 up.
Phil hits his layup into the rough on the par 5. Not good, but then DJ hits his layup into the water. What the hell is going on around here?
Piot and Steele pick up a shot after Perez misses a short putt.
Charles Howell III and Inirban Lahiri are one down to Graeme McDowell and Bernd Weisburger, the heroes from yesterday.
Mickelson gouges out from the rough and has a long birdie putt. DJ is taking his drop and he will have his 4th shot from the rough.
DJ has about 18 feet for par. Big advantage to Phil to pick up a shot here. With Perez and Uehlein up 3 Phil probably has to win his match for the team to advance. That is asking a lot of Phil. Phil rolls in the long birdie putt and the old man is only one back. Great fight, but we saw him win two hole in a row yesterday so let’s temper our expectations. It’s still DJ.
Sergio is back to two up over Bubba. Talor Gooch has a lead of one up in his match for the Range Goats.
Bryson gets up another shot on Kaymer and with Paul Casey up 6 on Dickie B then that might be enough.
DJ comes back and has 2 feet for birdie with a great shot from a nasty lie. Phil is in the fairway bunker again. He answers back with a nice shot about 8 feet away. Nervy times. Phil has a putt that was rolling in and it looked like it hit something and veered right. He was surprised. DJ makes his and the lead is back to 2.
The Range Goats foursomes are 4 up with 5 to play. Gooch and Chacarra are tied this match is very close.
Phil in another fairway bunker, but fortunately so is DJ.
Torque is about to close out Stinger GC. They are winning all three matches,
Chacarra is one up with 5 to play against Talor Gooch.
Bryson gives Brooksie a little love on the 9th tee. He does it awkwardly by asking for his beer and pretending that he is gonna drink some. He is still awkward but a nice enough young man. He is also 3 up. He then hits his wedge short and left of the green and Brooks heckles him saying “safety first.”
Sebastian Munoz strikes first 7&6 over Brandon Grace. Wow! Niemann is 4 up and Torque are cruising.
Phil has about 9 feet to win the hole and to get to one back. He just misses it and stays two back. That is two putts from 8-10 feet that are the difference right now.
Joaquin Niemann is now 5 up on Louis.
Paul Casey is 6 up on Dickie B and Bryson is 3 up on Kaymer so that looks like a Crushers advance.
Sergio is 2 up and has a chance for another birdie.
DJ is in the bunker on the long par 3 13th so Phil has an opening, but damn this is a long 5 iron. He hits a great shot but it rolls one foot off the green into the thick stuff. He is just a bit off.
Gooch has about 8 feet to level his match and he does. It is a good thing because Sergio is 3 up on Bubba now.
Torque has the only point on the scoreboard so far with Munoz’s win.
HV3 hits it and promptly says “shit.” Great microphone work.
Mickelson has about a 4 footer left after chopping out of the thick rough. He buries it which was big because DJ bunker shot was within a foot.
Paul Casey can close out the match right here by halving and he needs to make about a 15 footer. He misses it and it is over 7&5. Crushers get a point.
Range Goats foursomes can win their match if HV3 makes his 5 footer, but he misses it and they will continue on up 2 with 2 to play.
Chacarra gets one up again on Gooch.
Gooch answers back with a putt from off the green. Chacarra makes a long putt to halve the hole and stay one up! He roars his pleasure.
Peter Uihlein hits his approach to about 3 inches. He and Pat Perez win 4&3 over James Piot and Brenden Steele.
Bryson is now 3 up with 4 to play for the Crushers and Paul Casey already ahs a point.
Torque has a point and are 4 up in one match and 3 up in another. Stinger is toast.
Phil came up short on 14 while DJ went long. Phil will putt first from the front fringe about 35 feet or so. He hits it about 10 feet by. Poor effort.
Tringale is 3up and has a putt to win another hole and he gets a 360 roll into the cup and he is 4 up with 4 to play.
DJ has a chip from just off the green. He comes up well short as well. Phil has to make this putt and he does. Great bounce back and puts pressure on DJ from about a foot closer. Dj misread it and Mickelson is down to 1 with 4 to play. Great grit by Phil.
Bernd Weisburger and Graeme McDowell are 3 up in their match versus Chucky Three Sticks and Lahiri, but it might not matter.
Sergio is 4 up and in close to finish his match against Bubba.
HV3 and Thomas Pieters win their match 2&1 over Carlos Ortiz and Abraham Ancer.
Bryson hits his shot to 2 feet to finish his match unless Kaymer chips in, and that gets the Crushers second point and they will advance.
McDowell and Weisburger will win their match but in vain.
Phil will hit first on the par 3 15th. He hates it as he hits it too far right to catch the slope so he will be putting down the hill. DJ has a window, but DJ shanks it dead right. He has done this a couple times this year. It has been on tee shots with short irons. DJ hits a provisional and it almost goes in the water.
Troy Mullins with a top and a bucket hat matching ensemble.
Talor Gooch trying to get a point back and he does. AS with two holes left. Speaking of AS, Phil might be pulling even with DJ after DJ’s debacle on the par 3. I didn’t even see Phil putt, I think it was just conceded after DJ going ob and then reteeing almost in the water. So weird!
Torque is in, Crushers are in. The key matches are Talor Gooch and Eugenio Chacarra and Phil and DJ. Good drama. Talor hits it just over the flag stick. Chacarra is well left of the green, big advantage for Gooch.
Tringale to finish off Patrick Reed and he does 4&3.
DJ and Phil will determine if the top seed advances. They are playing the 16th which is a drivable par 4. Phil drives the green but is a long way across the green. It was where Bubba was earlier and putted off the green. DJ goes just over the green in a bunker but is on the down slope and is short sided.
Chacarra makes a good shot from a bad lie and has about 10-15 feet left for par, but Gooch has about 25 feet for birdie. Talor misses and runs it about 3 feet by. He will have to putt that. It is a knee knocker putting contest now. Chacarra will go first. His putt goes 270 degrees around the cup and stays out. Gooch with a shortie to take the lead, and he makes it. Two holes in a row for Gooch who has been in the right place both times while Chacarra has had to scramble.
Phil has a long putt maybe 60-70 feet. It is a testament to him to just continue grinding against DJ and coming back from 3 down. Great drama for the Tour and LIV in general. The place is packed. Does Phil have any magic left? He putts it thorough the fringe, and he has about 7 feet left. Very good, but not dead yet. DJ out of the bunker and he hits it to 4 feet. Phil will putt first and he never gives it a chance and he has 3 feet left. The putt was breaking left and he started it straight. Dj can win the hole now and he does. Mickelson stays and takes a practice putt.
Gooch and Chacarra both find the fairway on their last. Talor lays up and Chacarra goes for the green in two but hits it so far left it is left of the water. He will have his third from a downhill lie in the rough over the water. Gooch is sitting in the fairway. He is so methodical.
Niemann has finally closed out Louis. Wait, there was a scoring error in the Niemann match and now he is only 2 up. Puig and Perreira are also 1 up on Charl Schwartzel and dean Burmeister so it isn’t quite official yet I guess. Weird weird weird things happening today. Now the scoreboard is showing Niemann winning 3&2. Nope they are back to playing with Niemann 2 u and Louis hits a great shot to about 3 feet. Not so fast Torque. Niemann has about 25 feet. Can Stinger come back? I thought they were toast an hour ago.
DJ with 3 wood on the 450 yard par 4. He doesn’t like it, but it is in the fairway. Phil with driver. He hits if way left and into a fairway bunker again. Phil reaches the green and he has about 20 feet for birdie, but DJ has a wedge in the fairway. He hits it to 5 feet.
Gooch with his third, right over the flag and he has 10 feet for birdie. This is why he is the champion, he just is boring and a great scorer. Chacarra with a nice shot and he has about 10 feet for birdie as well.
Chacarra has to make this 12 footer to give Fireball a chance to advance. He misses wide by 3 inches. That should be it. Gooch has left a ten footer with 2 feet left.
Niemann to win the match from 25 feet and he does! Torque advances.
Phil with almost a must make from 30 feet maybe? Good putt but it won’t fall. DJ with a chance to finish it. He has about 7 feet to put Phil to the sword. He does. He wins the last two holes.
Chacarra misses his second putt and Gooch wins the last three holes to come back and advance the Range Goats.
All the favorites won today, I guess the byes did matter. I will see you tomorrow for the season ending Sunday Funday.
Well hello there… pour yourself three fingers of the good stuff and sit on down. You might want to make it a double because today is what we call the nut cutting time.
So today we count total scores and there are no weak links. Every score counts….
Pat Perez has been quiet in the last few weeks and I think that means a bit of a liability today. Other liabilities to watch for today on my list: Bubba and Patrick Reed.
This course is fantastic. The greens are good and the rough is penal. I like it.
Pat Perez has the first bogey and Talor Gooch makes the second (a bad three putt). Every stroke by every person will count which means no score gets dropped which is not the usual case and could be unique to watch for today.
Pat Perez is now 2 over.
There is some bad putting right now. Lots of lengthy second putts. Interesting… Dom Boulet just said that the putting green is extremely fast and that might be why so many players are coming up short or misreading the greens. Good insight Dom.
The teams are 5 over early… The course is starting out hard. Talor Gooch has another 8 footer for his second putt.
Bryson gets the first birdie of the day and the Crushers are 1 under and have an early 2 shot lead on the field.
Dj makes a birdie to get his 4 Aces back to 1 over.
So all the teams are playing today. The teams eliminated the first day are vying for 9th-12th. The teams eliminated yesterday are playing for 5-8th. Interesting format. Only on championship Sunday does every player’s score count.
Sebastian Munoz makes a birdie and they are back to even.
Pat Perez is gonna get back to even par. Patrick Reed is even par. The teams are even, even, even, and the 4 Aces are +1. It is tight and not much scoring so far.
All four team is even par. Interesting.
Inirban Lahiri and Paul Casey are both two under and the Crushers are 4 under. Pat Perez gets the Aces to 2 under after making two early bogeys he has made 3 birdies to fill my mouth with crow for calling him out. Patrick Reed is also 1 under. DJ misses a 10 footer and he drops another.
Bubba Watson just made birdie so I am 3 for 3 in being wrong about liabilities so far. Bryson has a birdie putt and he makes it and the Crushers have a 4 shot lead early. Pat Perez just hit a bunker shot to a foot and Patrick Reed just got to 2 under.
Torque has gotten it to 2 under with David Puig 2 under right now. They are tied with the Range Goats but HV3 laid up into the water so he is hitting his fourth from about 60 yards or so on the par 5 8th. He leaves it 10 yards short. He makes bogey and drops a shot.
Inirban Lahiri chips in again and is at 4 under. Birdie, Birdie, Eagle! The Crushers get to 6 under. However, Paul Casey just found the water.
Joaquin Niemann gets a birdie to drop, and Torque is at 4 under par.
Paul Casey makes double bogey on 10.
Bryson has about 5 feet for eagle. I will tell you this…I think Bryson might be playing some of the best golf on the planet right now. His driver is very consistent and his game seems to be working very well. His A game is really good.
Bubba makes eagle to get the Range Goats to 5 under. Bryson has an eagle putt next and he misses his but has 18 inches for a birdie. He makes it.
Inirban has about 6 inches left for birdie after another great approach. Crushers are to 7 under.
DJ is 1 over par today.
Talor Gooch makes an eagle to get himself back to even par on the day.
Peter Uihlein makes a birdie to get the 4 Aces to 2 under.
Paul Casey makes a birdie at 12 to get the Crushers to 8 under and a 3 shot lead.
The majesticks are leading the toilet bowl and are sitting in 9th currently.
The total purse is $50 million today. There are a lot of bottle service girls in the audience today. That I can assure you. There are a lot of people out here period.
HV3 makes birdie at 12 and the Range Goats are to 7 under.
Crushers are at 8 under and the Range Goats are at 7 under. There is a big gap back to Torque at 2 under and the 4 Aces are another shot back at 1 under. With 9 holes to play, dare I say it looks like a two horse race? Maybe not quite yet.
Talor Gooch has turned it around and is looking at another birdie to get the Goats tied for the lead. He looks uber-focused.
Bubba is at 4 under and the goats are tied. 9 under for the Crushers and the Goats and then 8 shots back to Torque now. IT is a two horse race now. HV3 misses a 2 foot comebacker and the Range Goats are at 8 under and one back now.
Charles Howell III has a kick in birdie, Bryson has a birdie and he makes , Lahiri makes a birdie and Crushers are having a moment. Chucky 3 Sticks makes and now the lead is 4.
Thomas Peters missed a three footer for par and the Range Goats are now down 5 shots.
So quick interlude, at what point do we need to discuss bunkers? They were designed to be an impediment to the players, but now they are so good in getting out of them that they are aiming for them. I think it is time to create a hazard out of them again. I really liked how the one day played at the US Open when they were flat instead of curving up to allow lift to get out. Flatten the bunks are make the players avoid them or make them like the ones in the UK, penal little pots.
Paul Casey has a 360 degree lip out and the lead is back to 3 shots. This changes quickly. HV3 misses a birdie putt that could have closed it to two.
Bryson makes a long putt and the lead is back to 4. He is playing well again on Sunday. He is 5 under on this course, amazing.
Gooch misses a putt that could have gotten it to three. He taps in for par and drops a nice F-bomb. Thomas Pieters will have another chance as he is in to about 4 feet on 18.
Thomas Pieters misses his putt. Anirban Lahiri makes a long putt and he is 7 under and the lead is 5. Anirban wants that money.
HV3 misses a 20 footer just wide and the Range Goats are running out of holes it seems. Only 5 holes left.
Bryson blasts out of a bunker and it rolls about 20 feet by. F-Bomb from Bryson.
These youngsters seem surprised when bad things happen in golf. If you played like I do, you would know only bad things happen and let them roll right off your bogey laden back.
Bryson can’t make the comebacker and he drops a shot. Back to 11 under for the Crushers and Talor Gooch knocks one stiff. Charles Howell III now chipped it into a bunker and his chance of birdie is now a 4 foot par attempt. Gooch makes it and the lead is 3 again.
Lahiri got away with a wayward shot that was right next to the water two holes ago and now again he avoids the water by less than a foot on 18. Good clean living.
Bryson did it again making another bomb up the hill on 15 for another birdie. The lead is 4 again.
Thomas Pieters birdies the first and the lead is down to 3 again. Bubba has a 12 footer for birdie and it lips out. Ohh that was close….
Bryson just hit a ball behind the grandstand on 16 I think? He did, he is behind the grandstand. If he can’t find it, this gets really interesting and he only has 3 minutes.
Charles Howell has 5-6 feet for par.
Bryson found his ball, it sounds like. Its on the edge of the second green. While he is on the second green, Paul Casey has 5 feet left for par. Paul Casey just missed his par putt and the lead is 2 shots now and Bryson is in a bit of distress.
Gooch rolls another putt just by. They just haven’t made enough putts. HV3 has about 12 feet for birdie.
Bubba has a birdie putt on 18. He has to hit it over the Birdie shack which is the grandstand. He has to go over the 2nd green and the grand stand with water over.
Talor Gooch just drove in the water and that might be when the goat gets got.
Bryson has 109 yards to go! He hits it to 20 feet completely blind. Lahiri makes his par and he shoots a 7 under today.
HV3 with a birdie putt and he makes it! The lead is 1. He waddles off talking…Bubba leaves his putt just a bit left. He buries the putt! What an unbelievable birdie! That is the scene of the tournament. Bryson has been so entertaining. Just dramatic, not necessary the greatest golf, but entertaining oh definitely.
Thomas Pieters misses a short par putt and the lead is likely safe with Gooch in the water.
Bubba needs to make a couple birdies and hope for help.
Gooch makes bogey after going in the water and the lead is four if he makes a 4 footer.
The majesticks finished in 11th place.
Bryson’s ball would have went in the water if not for the Palm tree it hit. Between that and the two of Lahiri, it is the Crushers day.
The Range Goats are 4 shots back.
Bryson’s lag putt rolled 7 feet by. He buries it. 4 shots going into the last.
Niemann is 6 under and Torque is 6 under. That guy can play. He needs a sandwich, but he can play.
It is all over but the champagne spraying now. The Crushers are going to be even richer. The Crushers win. The Range Goats second, Torque will take third, and the 4 Aces will take fourth and not defend their team title.
Bryson, always into drama, almost hit it into the water on 18.
Bubba was joking on air that he was going to drain his second shot like Craig Parry did on this hole years ago and he hits it to a foot.
Niemann is stuck up against a tree and he has to go over and around with water on the left and he hits it out to about 12 feet, a wonderful shot.
Bryson pitches out to the fairway so he would have to risk going over the water. Bryson’s pitch into the last is safely into the middle of the green. No need to get cute and he didn’t. He has about 30 feet and he has about 3-4 feet left to finish it. In the twilight of the night and the season, Bryson drains the putt.
Thank you for sharing the season and your beverages with me this year. It was a drama filled year with the PGA Tour settlement of sorts and the action on the LIVGOLF app was superb.
Insightfully yours,
G Spot Johnson