4 Aces GC won the $50 million LIV Golf Team Championship at Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami over the 7,702 yards par 72 Blue Monster course, site of LIV Golf’s eighth and final event of the year.
Led by captain Dustin Johnson, the all-American Team of Talor Gooch, Patrick Reed and Pat Perez successfully held off Cameron Smith’s Punch GC, in a drama packed three days in Florida.
After narrowly getting by Cleeks GC in the semi-finals match-play portion of the team championship, the top seeded team from the regular season was able to utilize a well-balanced approach to reach a cumulative score of seven under par from all four players. This total was enough to skirt past Punch GC by a single stroke and both the Crushers GC and Stinger GC by a distance.
Two-team race
Despite the Team Championship turning into a two-team race, there were still plenty of crucial moments unfolding late in the day. The marquee pairing of Johnson and Smith delivered theatrics as the Champion Golfer of the Year signed for the round of the day with a seven under 65, and Johnson delivered down the stretch to come in with a two under 70.
While the two Captains for their respective Teams were the final pair on the golf course, the battle between the two teams ultimately came down to their teammates. Smith’s teammates Matt Jones, Marc Leishman and Wade Ormsby collectively shot over par, while Johnson’s were more than able to hold their own.
Perez was their biggest question mark coming into the week but contributed in an impressive fashion for the 4 Aces with a two under 70 after a poor regular season.
“I get a lot of grief, people saying I never show up, so I did today,” said Perez, whose best individual finish was a T15 at LIV Boston. “So, everybody can shut up.”
Gooch shot a one under 71 while Reed carded a two under 70 to give the 4 Aces four under par rounds. Reed’s final stroke proved to hold the most importance as the former Masters champion connected from roughly 10 feet for birdie on his final hole to break the deadlock between the top two teams. A par from Johnson on the 18th hole then secured the Team title for the 4 Aces.
'Better and better'
With its victory at the 2022 LIV Golf Team Championship, the 4 Aces won a total of five times in its first season together. In addition to the Team Championship Trophy they were also rewarded with a $16 million payday ($4 million per player).
“It has been amazing, Obviously, the fans are what makes it. This week has been incredible. The whole season has just gotten better and better and then obviously this finale has been unbelievable. ... Coming down the stretch here, you couldn’t draw it up any better with me and Cam [Smith] battling it out to win the Team Championship,” said Captain Johnson.
The other teams in the Final Four: Punch GC earned $8 million for finishing runner-up with Smash GC collecting $6 million and Stinger GC taking home $4 million.
Final Day Results (Four Player Team Aggregate)
4 Aces GC (Seed 1) 7 Under Par
Dustin Johnson (Captain) 70
Patrick Reed 70
Talor Gooch 71
Pat Perez 70
Punch GC (Seed 11) 6 Under Par
Cameron Smith (Captain) 65
Marc Leishman 74
Matt Jones 70
Wade Ormsby 73
Smash GC (Seed 5) 4 Over Par
Brooks Koepka (Capt) 74
Jason Kokrak 68
Peter Uihlein 75
Chase Koepka 75
Stinger GC (Seed 4) 10 Over Par
Louis Oosthuizen (Capt) 71
Charl Schwartzel 71
Branden Grace 80
Hennie Du Plessis 76
