Iron Heads GC and HyFlyers GC, the two lowest-seeded teams entering the LIV Golf Dallas Team Championship, each pulled off major upsets on Friday, highlighted by spirited rallies in their quarterfinal foursomes matches at Maridoe Golf Club. They become the first teams ranked lower than 11th to move to the semis.
The 13th-seeded Iron Heads, colloquially known as the Bad News Bears of LIV Golf, knocked off the highly-touted Smash GC (No. 4 seed), despite its captain Brooks Koepka trouncing Iron Heads captain Kevin Na, 6 & 5, in a singles match.
In the other singles match, though, Danny Lee edged Talor Gooch, 1 up, while Scott Vincent and Jinichiro Kozuma teamed up for an epic come-from-behind overtime victory against Jason Kokrak and Graeme McDowell.
The 12th-seeded HyFlyers, meanwhile, edged the 5th-seeded Torque GC with a singles win from Cameron Tringale over Sebastian Munoz and a foursomes victory by captain Phil Mickelson and Brendan Steele, who rallied from 3-down to beat Mito Pereira and Carlos Ortiz, 2 & 1.
The other winners on Friday were Fireballs GC (vs Majesticks) and Stinger GC (vs Cleeks) – each cruising to 3-0 shutouts. In the final matchup, the 4Aces GC edged RangeGoats GC 2-1, despite captain Dustin Johnson losing 3 &1, to Peter Uihlein in a singles matchup.
The five winning teams now advance to Saturday’s semifinals along with the top three seeds who earned opening-day byes.
Saturday’s semi-final matches will be: Crushers (1) vs. Iron Heads (13); Legion XIII (2) vs. HyFlyers (12); Ripper (3) vs. Fireballs (6); and Stinger (7) vs. 4Aces (10).
The four winners on Saturday will compete for the 2024 team title in Sunday’s stroke-play finale.
The Iron Heads and HyFlyers are two of the three LIV Golf teams that have never won a tournament (the Majesticks are the third), making Friday’s victories especially thrilling.
“We’ve shown that in match play, anything can happen,” said Iron Heads Captain Kevin Na, whose last-place squad produced a paltry 9.3 points for the entire 2024 season.
Mickelson took advantage of the format change that allowed captains to compete in either singles or foursomes. He had lost all three singles against LIV Golf captains in the first two years.
“That flexibility can make a difference in getting your team the best dynamics, the best chance to win,” said Mickelson, who will team again with Steele in foursomes play on Saturday against Legion’s Caleb Surratt and Kieran Vincent.
“You saw a lot of mix-ups today, and I think we’ll probably see the same going into tomorrow as teams try to find their best format.”
Mickelson was one of three captains who won playing foursomes on Friday. The others were Stinger’s Louis Oosthuizen, who teamed with longtime partner Charl Schwartzel to beat Cleeks GC Captain Martin Kaymer and two-time senior major champion Richard Bland; and the Fireballs’ Sergio Garcia, who partnered with Abraham Ancer to beat Majesticks GC Co-Captain Lee Westwood and Sam Horsfield.
The trend will continue in the semifinals, with Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith partnering with Matt Jones in foursomes and Na opting to join Kozuma in foursomes after losing to Brooks Koepka, 6 & 5, in singles. Mickelson, Oosthuizen and Garcia will also continue to play foursomes Saturday.
“We’re trying to make the strongest team we can have to have a chance at winning all three games,” Garcia explained. “I think that’s the spirit that you want. That’s the idea that you want to have.”
The Iron Heads seemed on their way to another quarterfinal loss after Na lost to Koepka, 6 & 5, and Vincent-Kozuma went 4-down after 11 holes. But then Vincent aced the 153-yard 14th with a 50-degree wedge, and that changed the match.
“That was unbelievable, very exciting,” Vincent said. “This is exactly what the match play brings, just a lot of unknowns and amazing opportunities. To bounce back from being four shots down at one stage, that was just incredible.”
It wouldn’t have happened without Kozuma’s clutch birdie putt on the final hole of regulation, or his par save from even farther out on the extra hole.
“Jini is an amazing putter,” said Na, whose team was 0-6 in quarterfinal matches before today’s win. “Danny [Lee] looked over at me, he goes, watch this, he’s going to make this. I was like, I hope so, and he sure did. Jini really showed the world, I think, what he’s made of.”
QUARTERFINAL RESULTS
IRONHEADS (13) def. SMASH (4), 2-1
Singles 1: Brooks Koepka (Smash) def. Kevin Na (Iron Heads), 6 & 5. Koepka won the first hole with a birdie and never trailed, making three consecutive birdies down the stretch.
Singles 2: Danny Lee (Iron Heads) def. Talor Gooch (Smash), 1 up. Lee won the first three holes and matched Gooch down the stretch to give the Iron Heads their first-ever match win.
Foursomes: Jinichiro Kozuma-Scott Vincent (Iron Heads) def. Jason Kokrak-Graeme McDowell, 19 holes. The Smash duo choked away a 4-up lead through 11 holes, but Vincent’s ace sparked the Iron Heads’ rally; Kozuma then made two clutch putts down the stretch, including the winning birdie for the upset win.
—
HYFLYERS (12) def. TORQUE (5), 2-1
Singles 1: Joaquin Niemann (Torque) def. Andy Ogletree (HyFlyers), 4 & 3. Niemann took control in the middle portion of the round, then pulled away in the final six holes.
Singles 2: Cameron Tringale (HyFlyers) def. Sebastián Muñoz (Torque), 3 & 2. Tringale kept his LIV Golf match play record perfect (4-0), winning four of seven holes during one stretch.
Foursomes: Phil Mickelson-Brendan Steele (HyFlyers) def. Mito Pereira-Carlos Ortiz (Torque), 2 & 1. Torque was 3-up through seven before the HyFlyers won five of the next nine holes for the comeback victory.
—
FIREBALLS (6) def. MAJESTICKS (11), 3-0
Singles 1: Eugenio Chacarra (Fireballs) def. Henrik Stenson (Majesticks), 19 holes. Stenson won the last two holes in regulation to tie, but Chacarra won the first extra hole with a par.
Singles 2: David Puig (Fireballs) def. Ian Poulter (Majesticks), 3 & 2. Puig won the first two holes, then took control in the middle of the round with three straight winning holes.
Foursomes: Sergio Garcia-Abraham Ancer (Fireballs) def. Lee Westwood-Sam Horsfield (Majesticks), 2 & 1. The Fireballs were down early before rallying to take the lead, then held off the Majesticks down the stretch.
—
STINGER (7) def. CLEEKS (8), 3-0
Singles 1: Branden Grace (Stinger) def. Adrian Meronk (Cleeks), 19 holes. Grace, who’ll be relegated after the season, earned a hard-fought victory with a birdie on the first extra hole.
Singles 2: Dean Burmester (Stinger) def. Kalle Samooja (Cleeks), 4 & 3. Burmester’s three-hole stretch of birdie-eagle-birdie gave him the lead and he never let up in his round that included six birdies.
Foursomes: Louis Oosthuizen-Charl Schwartzel (Stinger) def. Martin Kaymer-Richard Bland, 4&2. The Stinger duo won four of the first seven holes and responded whenever the Cleeks threatened to rally.
—
4ACES (10) def. RANGEGOATS (9), 2-1
Singles 1: Peter Uihlein (RangeGoats) def. Dustin Johnson (4Aces), 3&1. Uihlein kept his match play record perfect (4-0) with a six-hole stretch of one eagle and four birdies against his former captain.
Singles 2: Patrick Reed (4Aces) def. Thomas Pieters (RangeGoats), 5 & 4. Reed won for the first time in his LIV Golf match play career, making birdie on the opening hole and never losing a hole.
Foursomes: Harold Varner III-Pat Perez (4Aces) def. Bubba Watson-Matthew Wolff, 2&1. The Aces were 4-up through 11 before the RangeGoats won three of the next four holes to make it close.
QUARTERFINALS NOTES
AVOIDING THE ACES
For the second consecutive round, the 4Aces are the team nobody wants to face.
For Friday’s quarterfinals, the Aces were the last remaining opponent for the higher seeds to select, and they proved why by beating the RangeGoats 2-1.
For Saturday’s semifinals, Dustin Johnson’s team was again the last lowest-seed remaining, leaving no choice for the Stingers, who now have to face the 2022 Team Champions.
Although Johnson lost his singles match to former teammate Peter Uihlein, Patrick Reed won his singles match against Thomas Pieters, while Pat Perez and Harold Varner III beat Bubba Watson and Matthew Wolff.
Reed’s 5 & 4 win was the first time he has won a LIV Golf match; he was 0-2 in his previous singles matches.
“I have a lot of confidence in my team,” Johnson said. “I think we’re all playing really well. Obviously the other two guys, they won their matches today. I did not but felt like I played some really good golf. Just didn’t quite get it done. But I’m looking forward to the challenge tomorrow against the Stingers.”
—
RAHM ILL BUT EXPECTED TO PLAY
Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm, the season-long Individual Champion, was ill on Friday and was not on-site at Maridoe for the captains’ press conference. But he’s scheduled to play in Saturday’s semifinals against the Iron Heads’ Danny Lee.
Teammate Tyrrell Hatton was the team representative at the selection announcement and said Rahm provided input on the opponent’s selection and match lineup.
“I spoke to him on the phone, and we exchanged a few WhatsApp messages,” Hatton said. “I know he was watching the golf today.”
—
VINCENT’S SECOND ACE
Scott Vincent’s ace Friday was the second of his career. And he said his caddie Jacob Flech called it.
“My caddie told me before the shot that ‘We need to be going straight at this pin, like we’re going to make a hole-in-one,’ and sure enough it happened,” Vincent said. “Seems like he had a good feeling about it. I was just focused on hitting the shot.”
—
GARCIA-ANCER DUO
Spain’s Sergio Garcia and Mexico’s Abraham Ancer each won tournaments during the regular season, and now they’re a feared foursomes partnership, winning 2 & 1 over the Majesticks’ Lee Westwood and Sam Horsfield.
“Sergio and Abe make a perfect team in foursomes and would have probably been one of the best in history if they played together,” said fellow Fireballs teammate David Puig. “Sergio is one of the best putters in the world and they are always in position. Their short games are unreal.”
The two will remain a partnership, competing Saturday against Ripper Captain Cameron Smith and Matt Jones.
—
GRACE MAKES AN IMPACT
The Stinger’s Branden Grace struggled for results this season, ultimately finishing in the Drop Zone and facing relegation. But on Friday, he had perhaps his most productive day, beating the Cleeks’ Adrian Meronk in 19 holes in their No. 1 singles match.
“We were very happy to put him out there at singles,” said his Stinger captain, Louis Oosthuizen. “He can be tough. He will be in your face the whole time.”
Grace will have a tough opponent on Saturday as he faces Reed in singles.
SEMIFINAL MATCHUPS
CRUSHERS (1) vs. IRON HEADS (13)
Singles 1: Paul Casey (Crushers) vs. Scott Vincent (Iron Heads)
Singles 2: Bryson DeChambeau (Crushers) vs. Danny Lee (Iron Heads)
Foursomes: Anirban Lahiri-Charles Howell III (Crushers) vs. Kevin Na-Jinichiro Kozuma (Iron Heads)
—
LEGION XIII (2) vs. HYFLYERS (12)
Singles 1: Jon Rahm (Legion XIII) vs. Cameron Tringale (HyFlyers)
Singles 2: Tyrrell Hatton (Legion XIII) vs. Andy Ogletree (HyFlyers)
Foursomes: Caleb Surratt-Kieran Vincent (Legion XIII) vs. Phil Mickelson-Brendan Steele (HyFlyers)
—
RIPPER (3) vs. FIREBALLS (6)
Singles 1: Marc Leishman (Ripper) vs. Eugenio Chacarra (Fireballs)
Singles 2: Lucas Herbert (Ripper) vs. David Puig (Fireballs)
Foursomes: Cameron Smith-Matt Jones (Ripper) vs. Sergio Garcia-Abraham Ancer (Fireballs)
—
STINGER (7) vs. 4ACES (10)
Singles 1: Dean Burmester (Stinger) vs. Dustin Johnson (4Aces)
Singles 2: Branden Grace (Stinger) vs. Patrick Reed (4Aces)
Foursomes: Louis Oosthuizen-Charl Schwartzel (Stinger) vs. Harold Varner III-Pat Perez (4Aces)
LIV Golf Communications email press release used to produce post.
