Bryson DeChambeau went out of his way to avoid playing Brooks Koepka in Saturday’s semifinals of the LIV Golf Team Championship—a move that didn’t sit well with Koepka, who said, “I don’t know what he was afraid of.”
But the strategy paid off.
At the Cardinal at Saint John’s in Michigan, DeChambeau made birdie on the final hole against Talor Gooch to clinch his singles match and help the Crushers secure a spot in Sunday’s team finale. They’ll face Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII and Louis Oosthuizen’s Stinger team for the championship.
Each of the three advancing squads won their semifinal matches 2–1 in the mixed-team format of two singles matches and one foursomes contest.
For Legion XIII, Rahm defeated Phil Mickelson in singles, while Tom McKibbin and Caleb Surratt beat Andy Ogletree and Brendan Steele in foursomes. Tyrrell Hatton fell to Cameron Tringale in the other singles match.
Although Koepka beat Anirban Lahiri for his Smash team, DeChambeau’s victory over Gooch and a foursomes win by Paul Casey and Charles Howell over Jason Kokrak and Graeme McDowell lifted the Crushers through.
Rahm’s Legion XIII and DeChambeau’s Crushers have been the dominant teams all season—Rahm’s squad claiming four team titles and DeChambeau’s three. The Stingers entered this week ranked eighth. Rahm also won last week’s individual title in Indianapolis over Joaquin Niemann.
With match play complete, Sunday’s final will shift to stroke play, with all four scores from each team counting toward the title.
DeChambeau said:
“These are incredible teams with incredible golfers. Tomorrow will be about who makes the most putts and wedges it close.”
Rahm added:
“Any team here can win. Hopefully, we keep doing what we’ve done all year and finish strong.”
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