Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
DeChambeau’s Crushers GC won the LIV Golf Team Championship but it was his statement afterward that stood out.
The 2023 LIV Golf season has come to an end.
Bryson DeChambeau’s Crusher GC team came out on top to win the team championship in Miami. They won the team event by two strokes as the Crushers posted a collective 11-under score, beating the RangeGoats, who came in second place.
Anirban Lahiri paced the team, posting a bogey-free 7-under 65 with five birdies and an eagle.
DeChambeau posted the second-lowest score with a 5-under 67 with eight birdies and three bogeys on the round. His bogey putt on the 18th secured the win, and a wild celebration ensued.
When the dust settled, DeChambeau made a bold claim.
“Any time you get a win with a team, I’d say honestly that’s more important than individual stuff,” DeChambeau said. “Look, majors are great, but there’s a team behind you there. I’ve got a team, my own team. But having the Crushers be front and center of the first inaugural full season just means the world.”
“We are part of history, and I couldn’t be more proud of these guys and definitely takes the sting out of last week.”
Rounding out the scores of the winning team were Charles Howell III, who finished at even par 72, and Paul Casey, who shot a 1-over 73.
DeChambeau selected his team based on experience, and it paid off as they were the first team to win a full LIV Golf season.
“I think when you have a team you want players that are going to show up day in and day out,” he said. “You don’t want some players that can be really good one day and not the other and volatile… I couldn’t have picked a better group of guys to be with.”
There were two reasons DeChambeau liked his team so much.
“One, they are wiser than me, so I wanted to gain more knowledge, what they had,” he said. “And two, they are dedicated to the draft and getting better every day, and that’s what you need in the team format and team competition, and that’s what you need at LIV to win, and we proved that today.”
The Crushers were among the top four teams, so they earned a bye into the semifinals. Their first match was against the Cleeks. DeChambeau won 4 & 3 over fellow captain Martin Kaymer, and Casey won 6 & 5 over Richard Bland to give them the two points they needed to advance.
The RangeGoats finished runner-up at 9-under, with captain Bubba Watson pacing them with a 5-under 67. Joaquin Niemann’s 6-under 66 helped his Torque GC team earn third place with a collective 6-under team score. Rounding out the top four was Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces, who finished at even par.
Now, the five-month offseason will begin for most of LIV Golf. There will be a promotional tournament in early December to help determine if the four players who were relegated will earn a spot back in the league or if another one of the guys in the field will take their place.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
