There have been some notable comings and goings (and not comings) of late in LIV Golf, but that won’t be the case with Crushers GC. The two-time U.S. Open champ’s team announced the re-signing of Paul Casey and Anirban Lahiri on Thursday to make their four-man roster official heading into the 2026 season.

Those three along with Charles Howell III will team up for a fifth consecutive season, which makes the Crushers the only LIV squad that can lay claim to that league personnel record.

That consistency has proven to be good for DeChambeau’s squad considering the Crushers, who won the Team Championship in 2023, are tied for the most regular-season team wins in league history with eight.

“Keeping this core together for 2026 positions us to build on the momentum we carried out of 2025,” DeChambeau said in a statement. “This group knows what it takes to win; we lifted the trophy in 2023 and finished second last season, and that experience fuels our drive to compete at the top week in and week out. We’re a team of competitors, creators, and leaders who take pride in pushing the game forward, and having this group return gives us continuity, confidence, and a clear direction as we raise our standards heading into next season.”

The Crushers and the rest of LIV will next play in the league’s 2026 season opener in Saudi Arabia Feb. 4-7.

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This collaboration brings Qualcomm’s technology leadership together with DeChambeau and Crushers GC’s innovative approach to golf, content, and technology. Qualcomm has leveraged sports sponsorships to grow the Snapdragon brand with great success and is utilising the same strategy to bring the Qualcomm brand to new audiences. DeChambeau and Crushers GC will feature the Qualcomm brand on player apparel and experiential activations, and Qualcomm Technologies will work closely with DeChambeau and Crushers GC on content creation and storytelling.

DeChambeau captains Crushers GC, one of the 13 teams in the global LIV Golf League, which is competing in 14 events across nine countries during the 2025 season. Comprised of international golf stars Paul Casey (England), Charles Howell III (USA), and Anirban Lahiri (India), DeChambeau and Crushers GC have been dominant, amassing a league-best nine team victories, including the 2023 Team Championship; while DeChambeau has racked up three individual titles, including LIV Golf Korea 2025.

“I’m thrilled to embark on this new collaboration with Qualcomm, a company that shares my passion for innovation and pushing the boundaries of possibility,” said DeChambeau. “I am passionate about integrating technology to enhance my performance and engage with my community, which is why I am excited to partner with a company like Qualcomm that is inventing the technology that the world uses every day. This is just the beginning of a journey that will transform the way we experience and interact with sports.”

“Bryson DeChambeau and Crushers GC are redefining performance through their forward-thinking use of technology—an approach that resonates deeply with Qualcomm’s 40-year legacy of innovation. We’re proud to support Bryson, the Crushers GC team, and LIV Golf and together, continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible,” said Don McGuire, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Qualcomm Incorporated.

DeChambeau has curated a fan base that sits at the intersection of sports and technology and has brought a new audience to golf with his use of technology to optimise his game. In the coming months, fans can expect to see DeChambeau integrate Qualcomm into his content across his platforms. In addition, the Qualcomm logo will be featured on all Crushers GC team apparel.

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“I’ve got to focus on having fun and playing like a kid,” DeChambeau said of his strategy the night before the final day of LIV Golf Korea at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Incheon.

Here’s the prize money payout for each player at the 2025 LIV Golf Korea event

Perhaps it didn’t help then that DeChambeau’s final group playing partners were 52-year-old Richard Bland and 45-year-old Charles Howell III.

Lose a four-shot lead to Bland and a five-shot cushion to Crushers teammate Howell and confidence would likely be low heading into the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow later this month. Not because of Howell and Bland’s seniority, but because DeChambeau, 31—the long-hitting U.S. Open champion who is firmly in the prime of his career—would have squandered 36-hole leads in his previous two LIV starts.

Outside of LIV, DeChambeau also suffered a disappointing 75 on Sunday at the Masters while in the final pairing with Rory McIlroy. That Sunday in Augusta, Ga., DeChambeau had grabbed a one-shot lead after two holes, when McIlroy started double-bogey-par, only for the Northern Irishman to hang on to an eventual green jacket and career Grand Slam victory, while DeChambeau faded to a T-5.

.@brysondech wins for the third time on the LIV Golf League #LIVGolfKorea @crushers_gc pic.twitter.com/lgwC9WugG6

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) May 4, 2025

Chasing a reprieve in the form of a LIV Golf win, DeChambeau looked stressed through 12 holes on Sunday in Korea; he mis-hit short irons and wedges and missed several short putts.

“I was personally pretty nervous on the front nine for whatever reason,” DeChambeau said.

He was shocked having ran into the evergreen ball-striking talent of Howell, who channelled his trademark low draws on a Sunday where he had nothing to lose, and everything to gain. Howell produced four front nine birdies, and then five straight from the 11th hole to deeply trouble DeChambeau’s theory that the fountain of youth was a sure way to victory.

Howell hung tough until he found a fairway bunker on the par-4 16th. A bogey there ended his run.

“Chucky and I had a great battle out there; he never wavered today, it felt like, until 16,” DeChambeau said. “It felt like he was just pushing forward, and he was going to shoot 10, 11 under today. I thought, ‘My goodness, I don’t know if I could beat that today.’”

HUGE CELEBRATION

Man of the moment @brysondech drops the birdie putt on 17 to go clear by 2

@FS1 | @CoupangPlay | LIV Golf app#LIVGolfKorea pic.twitter.com/pfILgux9wY

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) May 4, 2025

DeChambeau made a consequential par at 16, then a birdie at 17 to take a two-shot lead into the final hole at the 2015 Presidents Cup host course.

Howell shot 63 on Sunday and didn’t win.

“It was a fun day,” Howell said. “Any time you shoot nine under in the last group and you still don’t win, it’s a tough day.”

At the par-5 18th, DeChambeau still made it difficult by leaving his drive within the bank of a water hazard, although from an awkward stance, he produced a solid second shot and two-putted for birdie to match Howell’s closing 4. At 19-under-par courtesy of a 66, DeChambeau earned a two-shot victory and his third LIV title since joining the league in 2022. Talor Gooch was third at 17 under. DeChambeau’s Crushers won the teams component by nine shots over Brooks Koepka’s Smash GC franchise, while Joaquin Niemann’s Torque GC was third.

LIV Golf Korea was also the final event before 13 of the league’s players tee up at Quail Hollow in two weeks for the PGA Championship.

DeChambeau has been in good form at the majors, even considering a poor final round at Augusta. He produced one of the most clutch, long-range bunker shots in major history to defeat McIlroy by one shot at Pinehurst last year to win his second U.S. Open crown, only a month after finishing second to Xander Schauffele at the 2024 PGA Championship. That said, the Californian would not have wanted to arrive in Charlotte having not converted any of three 36-hole leads on LIV.

Quail Hollow is a long driver’s paradise and DeChambeau will no doubt lean on his 360-yard drives and world-class putting to contend. He will be among the most potent challengers to tournament favourites Scottie Scheffler and McIlroy, twice a PGA champion and four times a regular PGA Tour winner at Quail Hollow.

Chung Sung-Jun

But asked about his hopes for the PGA, DeChambeau would not be drawn into specifics.

“My goal is to win every tournament that I show up to,” he said. “Scottie is on a great run. Joaquin Niemann is on a great run. Jon Rahm has been playing well. There’s a lot of star-studded talent out there right now that’s going to be in the PGA Championship. We’re going to be battling it out.”

“I’m glad to have pushed through in this victory and won this event, but there’s a lot more work to be done this year,” he added. “There are three more majors, and my eyes are focused on that with all the other LIV events, doing my absolute best in every single event I show up to.”

Main Image: Jason Butler

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That trend continues at DLF Golf and Country Club this week, where DeChambeau is teeing it up in the International Series India for the first time. But that’s not the only horizon the Crusher G.C. captain has found himself racing toward. According to Bunkered, DeChambeau was asked about his interest in joining Tiger Woods’ and Rory McIlroy’s upstart TGL golf league. Though little more than a hypothetical at this stage, Bryson was typically bullish about the opportunity.

“That would be interesting,” he said. “I think TGL has an interesting opportunity. I’m all about anything to grow the game, so if it’s helping grow the game, fantastic. I don’t know all the numbers behind it.

“Would it be fun? Yeah, it could be fun. I don’t know if they’d pick me though, I have no idea. I’ve got a (LIV) team over here, the Crushers GC, come on. The Crushers would be a part of that!”

So that’s the first caveat: It sounds like DeChambeau would only be interested if he could bring his Crushers G.C. squad—featuring Paul Casey, Charles Howell III and Anirban Lahiri—with him.

Then there’s the not-so-small issue of DeChambeau’s YouTube channel, which has grown to a whopping 1.7 million subscribers. DeChambeau has thrived as an online content creator, and seems reluctant to take on any obligations that might restrict his ability to film hit series such as “Break 50.”

“It’s genuinely appreciated that people are starting to see who I am,” he told Bunkered. “And I think a lot of it has to be attributed to going to LIV Golf and being able to produce a lot of YouTube content … it’s great to have YouTube as a place for me to show who I am.”

So long story, don’t expect to DeChambeau hyping up the SoFi Center anytime soon, but should the call come, we know he’ll at least pick up the phone.

Main Image: LIV Golf

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Playing in the first round of the Asian Tour’s International Series India, DeChambeau dared to try a risky recovery shot over water on the eighth hole. Adding to the difficulty was the fact that he was in a fairway bunker and partially blocked out by some trees. But that’s barely an obstacle to a man who recently made a hole-in-one over his freaking house.

Of course, DeChambeau went for the glory from about 230 yards out. And, of course, he pulled it off with his ball finishing safely just off the putting surface. Have a look:

Watch @brysondech make an increadible eagle on the 8th hole in the opening round of the 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗗𝗟𝗙 @intseriesgolf @Crushers_GC #InternationalSeries #ThisISEverything #TimeToRise #DLFlifestyle #DLFhomes pic.twitter.com/1MmfE5SsjN

— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) January 30, 2025

Impressive stuff. And chipping in for eagle was the perfect cherry on top.

Look at the line he took on this one. Out of the sand. Over the water.

Bonkers https://t.co/Z8MYWUVCBf pic.twitter.com/c4uQXCdqEM

— Jamie Kennedy (@jamierkennedy) January 30, 2025

Then again, he is the reigning U.S. Open champ. And he won that tournament at Pinehurst by pulling off a spectacular long bunker shot as well. And, in case you’re wondering, yes, the dude is drawing a crowd.

This is what Bryson DeChambeau has done to Indian golf! There’s never been this kind of a crowd for any pro golf event in India. (That to on a weekday. Can’t imagine the crowds on weekends now especially if he is in contention ) @NUCLRGOLF @SportskeedaG @BrysonLegion… pic.twitter.com/LTArWoawN2

— Amey Kulkarni (@im_Amey18) January 30, 2025

Grow the game! The LIV Golf star is also playing pretty well at two under through 16 holes when play was stopped after a weather delay earlier in the day. DeChambeau is currently two off the clubhouse lead of Eugenio Chacarra.

Main Image: Asian Tour

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It’s the first time any player other than Niemann, who won two of the first three tournaments, has topped the individual standings this season. Those two will battle it out for the 2024 Individual Championship at this month’s LIV Golf Chicago, while Koepka still has an outside shot at the bonus-paying third place.

Host for LIV Golf Chicago is Bolingbrook Golf Club, designed by architect Arthur Hills and partner Steve Forrest, the course is located just 30 miles from downtown Chicago, and features a 156-yard island green on its signature 15th hole.

The 7,104-yard layout offers plenty of rolling fairways and elevated greens, as the course winds it’s way around seven different lakes. It has played host previously on the PGA Tour’s Forme Tour in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic, but now takes a leap up to this year’s LIV Golf Chicago event, where it will be the stage for where we crown the individual champion.

We then can also confirm which players are finalised in the Lock Zone, Open Zone and Drop Zone…

LIV Golf

How does the Team Championships work?

Once we wrap up the Individual title in Chicago it’s onto Dallas for the Team Championships where we will have a better look at which team is leading
the standings.

All 13 LIV teams will compete in the 2024 LIV Golf League Team Championship at Maridoe Golf Club, with the top three receiving first-round byes and automatically qualifying for Saturday’s semifinals (that is already confirmed with the Crushers and Legion XIII who mathematically have already make it through prior to Chicago).

The remaining 10 teams will play in five quarterfinal matches on Friday, with matchup determined during a live drawing of team captains during tournament week. The five winners advance to the semifinals, with the semifinal winners competing for the team title on Sunday. The winning team taking home $14 million.

Maridoe Golf Club is situated north of Dallas and having only opened in 2017, it has gained a strong reputation for it’s strong layout of length, well placed bunkers and undulating greens.

A different venue from last year, but still Bryson DeChambeau, Paul Casey, Charles Howell III and Anirban Lahiri took the Crushers to the team title, as they look to do the double again this year…. Which if you didn’t know, is in Bryson’s home town.

RELATED: LIV Golf to kick off 2025 schedule with global events across Asia, Australia and the Middle East

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Theoretically, he left some shots out there.

So, while DeChambeau famously tries to Break 50 in tandem with other golfers and/or celebrities – the latest one with two-time major winner John Daly dropped Wednesday on his YouTube channel – might the Crushers GC captain Break 58 this week at The Old White?

“I’m sure someone is going to do it one of these times at some point,” DeChambeau replied Wednesday. “We’re just too good now.”

Someone actually did it earlier this year on the second-tier Korn Ferry Tour, when Chile’s Cristobal del Solar shot 57 at a tournament in Colombia. In 2019, David Carey shot 57 on the third-tier Alps Tour.

RELATED: Bryson DeChambeau is performing well on the big stages but still struggles on LIV in 2024

DeChambeau’s fellow LIV Golf competitor, Stinger GC captain Louis Oosthuizen, shot a 15-under 57 in 2002 during his amateur days while playing his home course in Mossel Bay, South Africa. The 57 reference is now part of Oosthuizen’s brand – his Louis 57 Academy, his Louis57 wines, his Louis57TM social handle, and so on.

But no player on a top-tier professional tour or league has shot 57. DeChambeau’s 58 last year was the fourth 58 recorded at the highest level, joining Ryo Ishikawa (Japan Golf Tour) in 2010, Jim Furyk (PGA Tour) in 2016 and S.H. Kim (Japan Golf Tour) in 2021.

58, though, is the new 59.

When Al Geiberger became the first to shoot 59 in 1977, it took 14 more years until Chip Beck shot the next 59, and another eight years for David Duval to shoot the third one.

Breaking 60 has now become commonplace in recent years. It’s happened 14 times at the top tier since 2017, including four times in the first seven months of 2024 – and two of those players are competing in Greenbrier this week.

Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann opened the LIV Golf season with a 59 in the first round at Mayakoba, and reserve player John Catlin – replacing Graeme McDowell in the Smash GC lineup – shot 59 at the International Series Macau on the Asian Tour in March.

Bryson scorecard INSIDE image

“It’s starting to get a little easier,” DeChambeau said. “It’s like runners breaking I think the 4-minute mile; it was one person that broke it, and the next year there were 12 or whatever or something like that.

“I feel like that opens up the door, and with Joaquín shooting 59 this year, you’re just starting to see it more and more. I believe there will be a 57 at some point, even a 56 potentially.”

RELATED: LIV Golf Greenbrier preview: Permutations and possibilities for season-long races

Certainly no one should be surprised if any LIV Golf player shoots in the 50s this week. Besides DeChambeau’s 58 last year, The Old White gave up a couple of 59s when it previously hosted the Greenbrier Classic.

Of the 27 sub-60 rounds shot at the top level, more than 10% have been recorded at The Old White course. Why?

“It’s the condition of the course first,” said RangeGoats GC Captain Bubba Watson, a former Greenbrier resident who knows Greenbrier as well as anybody in the field. “The greens are always running really nice. They’re smooth. So that gives you confidence there. Then if you’re hitting your driver well.

“I think if you look at everybody, obviously they’re all playing well to shoot in the 50s, but this place, it breeds that confidence in you.”

DeChambeau recalled that he “kind of semi-blacked out” during last year’s round. So focused on winning the tournament, and then battling the rain down the stretch, he never deviated from the immediate task.

Of course, he knew when he drained his final birdie putt, a 40-footer at the 18th, that 58 was in the books.

“He didn’t think about the rain,” Watson said of DeChambeau. “He was so focused on what he was doing because he was in that moment, blacked-out moment where he just was so focused on his goal that he wasn’t even thinking about the score, and then next thing you know you add up the score and you’re in the 50s.”

Patrick Reed is another big fan of The Old White course. He said it’s a perfect set-up for a bomber who keeps his tee shots in the fairway. At Greenbrier last year, DeChambeau put a new Krank Golf driver in the bag for the first time, and he fed off the confidence that club provided.

RELATED: Graeme McDowell suspended by LIV Golf; takes swipe at other tours for anti-doping enforcement

Reed said Greenbrier’s scoreable set-up encourages players to be aggressive.

“Every time I come here it reminds me of every time I’ve played the Monday qualifiers,” Reed explained. “You had 18 holes, you had to shoot 6-, 7-under a day, at worst 5-under to have a chance. I mean, it shows. Every time you come out here, you have sub-60s a couple times out here, but at the same time, you see I’m pretty sure a decent amount of 61s, 62s, 63s happen.

“Here on LIV when you only have 54 holes, if someone goes out and shoots something like that, you can’t go out and shoot 68 and have a chance. You have to go out and get out to a 5-, 6-, 7-under par start and after that you have to do it every day because you have to go low.”

DeChambeau did shoot 68 in the opening round a year ago, but it took a 61-58 weekend to earn his first LIV Golf title. He was tied for 25th after the first day, so he had to be super-aggressive just to get back into contention.

It was the perfect storm for shooting 58.

DeChambeau, who had struggled for results up to that point since joining LIV Golf, called it “the day my life changed for the better.” He won his second LIV Golf title soon after, and his renewed confidence carried over to 2024 in which he finished a career-best T6 at the Masters, shot 20 under to finish second at the PGA Championship, then culminated with his second U.S. Open title at Pinehurst in June.

No wonder he described his 58 at Greenbrier “a special moment, a special place in my heart forever. The greatest scoring round of my life.”

Well, for now at least.

Main image: Bryson DeChambeau. LIV Golf

RELATED: How Niemann can wrap up the Individual Championship at LIV Golf Greenbrier

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“It doesn’t really matter on this golf course,” the Crushers GC veteran said. “Every day you have to battle it out … [but] it is a difficult golf course to catch up.”

Lahiri put himself in position for his first LIV Golf victory with a 5-under 66 in Saturday’s second round that included six birdies and no bogeys in his last 13 holes. That leaves the 37-year-old from India at 7 under, with Iron Heads GC’s Danny Lee his closest pursuer at 3 under.

Thanks to Lahiri, captain Bryson DeChambeau’s 67 and Paul Casey’s 69, the league-leading Crushers shot a counting score of 11 under to move atop the team leaderboard at 7 under. They have a four-shot advantage over the home favourite Fireballs GC and are seeking a third-team trophy this year.

While Lahiri has experienced plenty of team success with the Crushers, the most recent of his 18 individual pro wins came in February 2015 at the Indian Open. Since joining LIV Golf in 2022, he’s had a few close calls, including his debut start in Boston when he was part of a three-man playoff won by Dustin Johnson. Last year, he had three podium finishes, including a runner-up to DeChambeau in Chicago.

“The win would mean a lot,” said Lahiri, whose family arrived in town and will be cheering him on Sunday. “I’ve been chasing it for a while.”

While Valderrama was not as difficult in the second round as the day before – Saturday’s field stroke average of 71.963 was nearly 2-1/2 strokes lower than the first round – only about a third of the field managed to break par, with Lahiri and Ripper GC’s Marc Leishman sharing low round honours.

 

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First-round leader Dean Burmester shot a 4-over 75 but only dropped into a tie for sixth. Lee maintained solo second with a 1-over 72 that included four birdies and five bogeys.

“I can’t complain,” Lee said. “It was a good grind today. It’s playing really tough. You never know what’s going to happen.”

Of the four Spanish players in the field, Fireballs GC’s Eugenio Chacarra is the closest to the lead at 2 under, tied for third with Cleeks GC captain Martin Kaymer and Legion XIII’s Tyrrell Hatton, the winner in Nashville at LIV Golf’s previous event.

Chacarra opened with a double bogey on the first hole and was frustrated with a ruling on the fourth hole. But his approach shot at the fifth hole set up an easy birdie as he battled back to shoot 72.

“I didn’t have my best out there,” said the 24-year-old from Madrid. “But I think I hung in there.”

Fourteen players are within seven shots of the lead, including U.S. Open champ DeChambeau and 2024 two-time senior major winner Richard Bland, who are tied for sixth. Spanish stars Sergio Garcia, the Fireballs captain, and Jon Rahm, the Legion XIII captain, are in a group at even par that also includes Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann, the current points leader.

“I don’t think you ever should be comfortable on this golf course with any lead, to be honest,” said Rahm. “It’s that difficult and it’s that precise, and when you’re chasing, you almost have the freedom to be aggressive because you have nothing to lose.”

Lahiri is hoping that his prior close calls will pay dividends in holding off his chasers on Sunday.

“All these experiences help,” he said. “It helped me today, as well, because even when I was ahead, I wasn’t really thinking about it. Just this golf course is perfect, actually, because you have no time to get ahead of yourself. Every shot is life-and-death almost.”

Main Image: Jon Ferrey/LIV Golf

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DeChambeau, in a tense battle with Talor Gooch for the individual championship at Real Club Valderrama, found himself in dire straits after an errant drive left him with a sidehill lie behind trees that seemingly blocked any realistic opportunity to reach the green, especially with water guarding the front.

Opting for an 8-iron from 195 yards, DeChambeau somehow found a workable line, his ball landing on the putting surface before rolling off just short of the back bunker.

“Pretty special,” Mickelson said in earnest.

Replied the Crushers GC captain, trying to keep a straight face: “What’s funny, I actually played it right off on the tree limbs just to slow it down … That’s something I learned from you.”

Mickelson took the bait.

“That’s been an effective shot for me throughout the years,” the HyFlyers GC captain said. “Hard to teach. So, well played.”

RELATED: First Look: LIV Golf Andalucía at Real Club Valderrama

The shot set up DeChambeau for an up-and-down birdie but ultimately did not lead to victory, as Gooch birdied the last hole from 30 feet for his third win in five starts. DeChambeau settled for second, which at that point was his best result in a LIV Golf tournament. But more spectacular results were on the horizon.

A month later, he arrived at Greenbrier having found a confidence-boosting weapon in his new Krank Golf driver and shot 61-58 on the weekend for his first individual title. The next month in Chicago, he won again.

Of course, this year, he’s been the best performer in golf’s first three majors, with a career-best T6 at the Masters, a solo second (with a 20-under total, a record score for a non-winner in any major) at the PGA Championship, and then a second U.S. Open title fueled by a bunker-shot-for-the-ages on the final hole last month at Pinehurst.

DeChambeau has been consistent in saying the turning point to his current form was finding the right equipment to fit his unique skills and demands. Thanks to his Krank woods, as well as his 3D-printed Avoda irons that he put into play at Augusta National, he has a bag that he now fully trusts and believes in.

LIV Golf. Supplied

But don’t underestimate his performance last year at Valderrama as a key indicator that his game already was maturing before our very eyes.

Given his power, it’s easy to assume that DeChambeau’s best opportunities to win come on longer courses with wider fairways that give him room to bomb. Valderrama showed last year, however, that he can compete on tighter courses that demand creativity and variety. Artistry, if you will. A certain flair that befits its Spanish roots and its most legendary player, Seve Ballesteros.

“I can see why this golf course is extremely loved here in Spain,” DeChambeau said. “Certainly a golf course that, albeit most think it’s not fitting for me, I think it’s a great golf course.

“It’s a strategy golf course. You’ve got to have your irons dialed in and you’ve got to putt really well. It was a lot of fun last year.”

His recovery shot at 17 last year perfectly encapsulates DeChambeau’s ability to make something out of nothing. Yes, it required tremendous power to pull it off, but also required imagination to think through the shot.

No wonder Mickelson remembered it Wednesday as he offered DeChambeau a heartfelt compliment.

“This golf course is not a course you can just stand up and wail on it and hit it as far as you can,” Mickelson said. “You have to be precise. You have to hit it certain distances to leave yourself a shot in around the trees and so forth.

“For Bryson who has so much speed, to win a U.S. Open or to win like he has using his length but to play well here, and just miss the playoff had Talor Gooch not made a 30-footer on the last hole, using precision, using shot-making, using his other skills, I think is a real compliment to what a complete player he is. This course identified that.”

RELATED: Rahm feeling the spirit of Seve as he returns to his native Spain

DeChambeau’s scientific mindset usually likes things orderly, to fit a pattern that he can identify and rely on. But he also appreciates the challenge that a course like Valderrama offers, being thrown into situations he doesn’t expect. How he responds will determine his place late Sunday afternoon.

“It’s about who can stand the test of this golf course and persevere through adversity,” he said. “There’s going to be shots you hit between trees and go into weird places. The people that can handle that adversity and move through it and persevere on is going to be probably the eventual champion.”

DeChambeau will enter next week’s Open Championship seeking to become the first player since Tiger Woods in 2000 to win both the U.S. Open and Open titles. He’ll be taking on a Royal Troon course that generally rewards shot makers, not big hitters. The last four winners of the Open at Troon are Mark Calcavecchia (1989), Justin Leonard (1997), Todd Hamilton (2004) and Henrik Stenson (2016).

Stenson won his title in a celebrated weekend duel against Mickelson, as both players separated from the rest of the field. In the end, Stenson shot 63 in the final round to shoot 20 under and beat Mickelson by three.

“A fantastic week of golf for both of us,” said Stenson, now a co-captain for Majesticks GC.

“Only time I can remember in my career where I played my absolute best golf and it wasn’t good enough to win,” added Mickelson.

Right now, it’s DeChambeau who seems to be playing his absolute best golf, especially in majors. No longer just a bomber, he’s become an artist. But here at Valderrama, he still has room to grow. Specifically, one spot higher on the final leaderboard.

Main image: LIV Golf

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Ancer beat Cameron Smith and Paul Casey with a birdie on the first playoff hole to win his first individual LIV Golf title, while Casey and his Crushers GC teammates won their second consecutive team trophy with another final-round rally for a two-stroke victory over Torque GC.

It was a thrilling conclusion for both titles in front of the large, enthusiastic crowds at Hong Kong Golf Club – although Ancer would have settled for minimal tension after starting out with a five-stroke lead thanks to opening rounds of 63 and 62. He shot a 2-over 72 on Sunday, making his only three bogeys of the week, but he persevered when needed.

“It was definitely a grind,” Ancer said. “I made it a lot more stressful than I envisioned it … I’m really proud of how I felt mentally and how I fought the whole round not having my best stuff.”

Crushers GC won their second team title of the season at LIV Golf Hong Kong. (Photo by Doug DeFelice/LIV Golf)

Casey shot a 6-under 64 and Smith, the Ripper GC captain, shot 66 to catch Ancer. But in the playoff at the difficult par-4 18th at Hong Kong Golf Club, Casey’s drive left him with no chance to reach the green in two, while Smith’s approach found the greenside bunker. Both players ultimately made bogeys.

Meanwhile, Ancer hit a perfect drive with his 5-wood, then followed with an equally sensational approach with his 8-iron inside 5 feet for the winning birdie.

“I think that second shot was even more important than the tee ball just because I haven’t hit one good iron shot all day, and I knew I wanted to pull it off,” Ancer said. “My caddie kind of pumped me up. It’s like, all right, it’s time to hit the shot of the day, and it came out perfect. I couldn’t be happier with how I played that playoff.”

Casey was also seeking his first LIV Golf individual title but could still celebrate a team victory with the Crushers, who last week in Jeddah rallied from 11 shots down entering the final round for the win.

On Sunday, the Crushers were seven shots back of the 36-hole leader Fireballs but shot a collective 14 under in the final round to finish at 35 under. In addition to Casey’s 64, captain Bryson DeChambeau shot 66, Charles Howell III contributed a 67 and Anirban Lahiri added a 68.

Going back to last season, the Crushers have now won four of the last seven LIV Golf events, including the 2023 Team Championship.

“What a great group of guys,” Casey said. “We’ve got something – we spoke briefly about it after Jeddah, that we’ve got something that you can’t measure, and I firmly believe that.”

Added DeChambeau: “We know with four scores counting, we’re going to be in it no matter what the last day. We put the pedal to the metal today and showcased who we are.”

Abraham Ancer of Fireballs GC won the LIV Golf Hong individual title in a playoff on Sunday. (Photo by Chris Trotman/LIV Golf)

TEAM COUNTING SCORES

Standings and counting scores for Sunday’s final round of the team competition at LIV Golf Hong Kong. The three best scores from each team count in the first two rounds while all four scores count in the final round. The team with the lowest cumulative score after three rounds wins the team title.

1. CRUSHERS GC -35 (Casey 64, DeChambeau 66, Howell III 67, Lahiri 68; Rd. 3 score: -14)
2. TORQUE GC -33 (Niemann 63, Ortiz 66, Pereira 68, Muñoz 71; Rd. 3 score: -13)
3. RIPPER GC -32 (Smith 66, Herbert 67, Leishman 69, Jones 71; Rd. 3 score: -7)
4. MAJESTICKS GC -31 (Horsfield 65, Westwood 67, Poulter 68, Stenson 69; Rd. 3 score: -11)
5. CLEEKS GC -29 (Bland 66, Kaymer 67, Meronk 69, Samooja 71; Rd. 3 score: -7)
6. FIREBALLS GC -27 (Puig 68, Garcia 70, Chacarra 71, Ancer 72; Rd. 3 score: +1)
T7. SMASH GC -24 (Gooch 66, McDowell 67, Kokrak 69, Koepka 71; Rd. 3 score: -7)
T7. 4ACES GC -24 (Johnson 63, Reed 69, Varner III 71, Perez 73; Rd. 3 score: -4)
9. STINGER GC -21 (Burmester 68, Oosthuizen 68, Schwartzel 70, Grace 72; Rd. 3 score: -2)
10. IRON HEADS GC -20 (Na 64, Vincent 68, Kozuma 70, Lee 70; Rd. 3 score: -8)
11. RANGEGOATS GC -17 (Uihlein 67, Wolff 69, Watson 70, Pieters 71; Rd. 3 score: -3)
12. HYFLYERS GC -16 (Steele 67, Tringale 69, Mickelson 70, Ogletree 70; Rd. 3 score: -4)
13. LEGION XIII -15 (Surratt 66, Rahm 69, Hatton 70, Vincent 76; Rd. 3 score: +1)

ROUND 3 NOTES

KIM SHOOTS 65: Wild Card player Anthony Kim shot his first sub-par round since returning to professional golf at LIV Golf Jeddah after a nearly 12-year retirement.

Kim had seven birdies and two bogeys in shooting a 5-under 65 Sunday at LIV Golf Hong Kong in just his sixth round since his comeback. He finished at 3 over for the tournament after previous rounds of 76 and 72.

“I knew something good was coming,” said the 38-year-old Kim. “It’s hard to stay patient when you feel like it’s right there, and I’m really happy that it hasn’t taken me one more round to get here. I’m just happy about the progress I’m making and the confidence I’m building going into the next few weeks.”

The most impressive part of his game thus far is his putting. Kim led the entire 54-man Hong Kong field in putting, and on Sunday he rolled in more than 150 feet of putts.

“The first two days I didn’t feel like I made a lot of putts, but today I putted really well,” he said. “Saw the line well and just trusted my reads.”

Kim hopes to ride the momentum into the upcoming International Series Macau on the Asian Tour before his next LIV Golf start in Miami on April 5-7.

“It’s just one round,” he said of his 65. “It’s just one round of golf. But I played the right way. I played the right way, and I didn’t do anything extraordinary. I just played like I know how to play.”

DOUBLE ACES: Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann, the individual points leader, added another highlight to his already impressive season with a hole-in-one at the 189-yard eighth. It’s the sixth hole-in-one of his career.

Cleeks GC’s Kalle Samooja soon followed with another ace at the 131-yard second. It’s the 10th hole-in-one of his career.

There have now been six aces in LIV Golf League history.

CAM’S POSITIVE STEP: Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith has started slowly this season, but left Hong Kong encouraged despite not coming away with the individual title.

“It was a step in the right direction this week,” said Smith, whose 4-under 66 got him into the playoff after he started the day six strokes back. “Played some really patient golf over the weekend. A lot different than the first few weeks.”

Smith was seeking to become the first LIV golfer to win four individual titles, but instead lost in a playoff for the second time. Last year in Tulsa, he was part of a three-man playoff won by Dustin Johnson.

Smith’s approach shot in the playoff landed in a greenside bunker, virtually giving him no chance once Ancer followed by knocking it close for an easy birdie.

“Just right in between numbers,” Smith explained about his approach. “Had to hit a perfect shot. That’s kind of the shot I’ve been struggling with.”

BRYSON ON CASEY: Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau and his teammate Paul Casey were in the same group Sunday, with both chasing Abraham Ancer. Casey shot 64 to make the playoff while DeChambeau shot 66 to miss out by two strokes.

“First of all, I’m super pissed I didn’t beat him today,” DeChambeau said of Casey. “Second, I’m super proud of him for being tied for the lead and going down into a playoff. I had a chance today. I had so many lip-outs today, but that’s the crazy dynamic about it.”

THE BUZZ IN HONG KONG: The big crowds at the historic Hong Kong Golf Club on Sunday made an impact on the players. Not even persistent rain late in the afternoon could dampen their spirits.

“It was incredible,” said individual winner Abraham Ancer. “Even when we were getting the trophy, it was pouring rain outside, and everybody was out there, which has been really nice. Everybody was extremely supportive.

“Every hole I felt like there was great energy. Today was pretty packed out there, and it was exciting. It was a privilege feeling those nerves throughout the round. That’s kind of the way I looked at it. Tried to channel that into something positive.”

Said Paul Casey: “An absolute joy. It was a buzz. Adelaide is probably the one that we’re all measuring things by, but Hong Kong should be very proud of themselves.”

SEASON’S BEST: Four teams had their best results of the season in Hong Kong. Torque GC finished second, and now has two podium finishes in the first four events (the team finished third in Mayakoba). Ripper GC finished on the podium for the first time this season in third place. Majesticks GC finished fourth, bouncing back from a last-place finish in Jeddah. Cleeks GC finished an encouraging fifth, and even held the lead for an extended time early in Sunday’s round.

JOACO STRETCHES LEAD: Joaquin Niemann increased his lead in the individual points standings with a tie for fourth in Hong Kong. He now has 97 points and is nearly 40 points ahead of No. 2 Jon Rahm. With a tie for second, Paul Casey moved to fourth in points while Hong Kong winner Abraham Ancer is now fifth.

ROUND 3 STATS LEADERS
Driving accuracy: Joaquin Niemann, Louis Oosthuizen, Dustin Johnson, Marc Leishman, 92.86% (13 of 14 fairways hit)
Driving distance: Bryson DeChambeau, 330.2 yards avg.
Longest drive: Bryson DeChambeau, 382.9 yards, 11th hole
Greens in regulation: Sam Horsfield, 94.44% (17 of 18 greens)
Putting: Anthony Kim, 1.28 putts per hole

TOURNAMENT STATS LEADERS
Driving accuracy: Kevin Na, Marc Leishman, 83.33% (35 of 42 fairways hit)
Driving distance: Bryson DeChambeau, 336.9 yards avg.
Longest drive: Bryson DeChambeau, 382.9 yards, 11th hole, Rd. 3
Greens in regulation: Paul Casey, Carlos Ortiz, Kevin Na, Richard Bland, Sam Horsfield, 81.48% (44 of 54 greens)
Putting: Anthony Kim, 1.39 putts per hole

Images: LIV Golf

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