In the previous week at LIV Jeddah, players contended for individual titles. Brooks Koepka, the captain of Smash GC and a five-time major champion, successfully defended his title, earning $4 million for his first-place finish. This marked his second victory in the Saudi-backed circuit this year, as he had previously won the LIV Golf – Orlando event a week before the Masters in April.
A noteworthy twist occurred when Talor Gooch, a three-time LIV Golf winner, claimed the season’s individual title, despite losing to Koepka in a playoff in Saudi Arabia. Gooch received $2.25 million for his second-place finish and an $18 million bonus for securing the top spot in the season-long points race, resulting in total earnings of more than $35 million in 2023.
Koepka, on the other hand, finished third in the individual race, earning a $4 million bonus and totaling $8 million for the weekend. Interestingly, he was unaware of the additional $4 million bonus, which garnered a viral reaction from a reporter.
Koepka also performed well in events outside of LIV Golf, tying for second at the Masters and winning the PGA Championship at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York. He was the only LIV golfer selected for the Ryder Cup, although his American side lost to Team Europe in Italy.
However, Koepka has faced challenges within his own LIV Golf team, with his leadership drawing public criticism, particularly directed at Matthew Wolff for perceived lack of effort.
Heading into the team championship, Koepka expressed his frustrations with the former Oklahoma State Cowboy and continued to voice his concerns to the media. Additionally, Koepka’s brother Chase is on the verge of relegation by the league, as are James Piot of HyFlyers GC, Sihwan Kim of Iron Heads GC, and Jed Morgan of Ripper GC.
This week in Miami, there is a lot at stake for these four players as they strive to retain their positions. The entire field will also experience the pressure and intensity of the team championship, boasting a substantial $50 million prize purse, with $14 million going to the first-place team, marking a season-high.
The LIV Golf Team Championship format is distinct from the PGA Tour’s Tour Championship, bearing a closer resemblance to the Ryder Cup.
Twelve four-man teams are seeded from one to twelve based on their performance in the points race. The top four seeds (Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces GC, Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC, Joaquin Niemann’s Torque GC, and Bubba Watson’s Rangegoats GC) receive byes for the quarterfinals and will participate in the semifinals on Saturday.
The remaining eight teams will engage in the quarterfinals, commencing on Friday. The higher-seeded teams have the privilege of selecting their opponents.
On Friday, thirty-two players will compete in two singles matches and one foursome alternate shot match. Each match is worth one point, and none can end in a tie. The first team to secure two points wins the match and advances to the semifinals.
Following Friday’s matches, the captains from the top-four teams will choose their opponents, with the top seed making the first pick. The remaining teams will follow suit to select the semifinal matchups.
The moment @BKoepka realised he won an extra $4m 🤣#LIVGolf @SmashGC pic.twitter.com/gW2abzYtzb
— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) October 15, 2023
Four teams will progress to the finals on Sunday, with each group finishing between first and fourth place. The teams eliminated on Saturday will finish between fifth and eighth, and those defeated on Friday will be ranked between ninth and 12th.
In contrast to last year’s team championship, all 48 players will participate in Sunday’s finals. Each player’s score will contribute to their team’s overall total. The final day will consist of 18 holes of stroke play, departing from the match play format seen in the Sunday singles at the Ryder Cup. However, the format for every golfer teeing up on Sunday will still bear a resemblance to the biennial competition, as all 24 players will compete in singles matches.
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