4Aces GC wins Team title at HSBC LIV Golf Hong Kong

HONG KONG – For Dustin Johnson ’s 4Aces GC, it was 974 days without a team win. 

The drought ended Sunday with an impressive performance at HSBC LIV Golf Hong Kong. 

4Aces GC was the dominant team in the early years of LIV Golf, winning four times in the regular season and then the Team Championship in the inaugural year of 2022, followed by two more wins the next season, including London in June 2023. 

That was the team’s last victory, and since then the roster has undergone several changes, including two new additions this year with Thomas Detry and Anthony Kim joining Johnson and Thomas Pieters, renewing hope that the team could return to its glory days.

RELATED: Final Leaderboard | Full Recap

The 4Aces finished third in each of the first two tournaments this year, and Kim broke through with an individual win in the previous tournament in Adelaide last month. But on Sunday, they celebrated as a team, shooting a collective 16 under with Johnson leading the way with a 65, Kim and Pieters shooting 66 and Detry with a 67 for a six-stroke victory over Smash GC. 

“To finally get a win after a few years without having one, very proud of the guys,” Johnson said. “Obviously, we have a completely new team, but I think we have a very strong team. I'm very happy with them.” 

Kim followed up his electric victory in Adelaide with a tie for 31st in Hong Kong. Having played as an independent Wild Card player in his first two seasons in LIV Golf, the result would not have ended with a celebration. But after joining the 4Aces in Australia, Sunday’s final round was his first exposure to focusing mostly from a team standpoint. 

Kim’s birdie on his next-to-last hole gave the 4Aces the lead for good, and Detry added another birdie shortly after as the 4Aces pulled away down the stretch.

“After Adelaide, the first couple days seemed pretty surreal,” Kim said. “Obviously we all play to win, right? But now with LIV Golf, there's two elements. You get to win with three other guys that you're battling with. This is pretty special.” 

FINAL LEADERBOARDS

Individual Top 10

1 (-23) – Jon Rahm, Legion XIII (66-62-65-64)

2 (-20) – Thomas Detry, 4Aces (64-63-66-67)

3 (-19) – Thomas Pieters, 4Aces (68-66-61-66)

4 (-18) – Harold Varner III, Smash (66-64-63-69)

5 (-17) – Matthew Wolff, RangeGoats (65-64-69-65)

Team Top 3

1 (-58) – 4Aces GC (Johnson 65, Kim 66, Pieters 66, Detry 67; Rd. 4 total: -16)

2 (-52) – Smash GC (McDowell 66, Gooch 68, Kokrak 69, Varner III 69; Rd. 4 total: -8)

3 (-51) – Legion XIII (Rahm 64, Surratt 65, Hatton 70, McKibbin 71; Rd. 4 total: -10)

DETRY MAKING QUICK IMPACT: Thomas Detry joined Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces GC in the offseason, joining fellow Belgian and longtime friend Thomas Pieters. Detry finished seventh in his LIV Golf debut in Riyadh and has now followed with a runner-up finish in Hong Kong, making birdie on the final hole to break a tie with Detry. 

Earlier in the week, he was one of several LIV Golf players stranded in the Middle East after the recent conflict began, making his way to Hong Kong thanks to a private plane arranged by Jon Rahm. 

“The first few days were not really fun,” Detry said. “DJ's security guy this week was with me this week in the middle of the desert on Monday night, and what we've been through was quite an adventure. But being here – my game was in a good place. I've been playing some good golf. It's two weeks now out of three that I'm in contention pretty much because I was up there, as well, in Saudi. It's really nice to see all the hard work I've put in during the winter has really paid off. 

“I feel like I can relax now. It was an intense day. I was trying to catch up on Jon, and he played amazingly well. He made some good putts there on the back nine, and I was trying to do everything, but yeah, it was just a really fun day, to be honest. I'm just thrilled.”

AK ENJOYING LIFE AS AN ACE: Anthony Kim’s improvement in his own game helped provide him an opportunity to join a LIV Golf team instead of remaining as an independent Wild Card player. He’s feeling right at home with his new team, the 4Aces. 

“I felt my game was getting better, and I think I had a couple different teams I could go to,” Kim said. “I didn't think they were the right fit. I've known DJ for a long time, developed a great relationship with Thomas Pieters and got to play with Tom Detry in Riyadh. I knew it was a good fit. I couldn't be more excited to be on the 4Aces, and for us to pop off a win is nice.” 

DJ FINISHES STRONG: 4Aces Captain Dustin Johnson shot his team’s lowest score on Sunday, a 5-under 65 that left him tied for 24th at 10 under. Johnson, the 2022 LIV Golf Individual Champion, still isn’t satisfied with his game, even with his team winning on Sunday. He opened the season with consecutive T17 finishes. 

“Obviously I'm still not playing up to my caliber that I feel like I should be,” Johnson said. “It's very close. But the team is playing great. I think we've got four really good players, so I think we're going to be a tough team to beat all year.” 

Up Next: Aramco LIV Golf Singapore from March 12-15 at Sentosa Golf Club, the second event of a three-week tripleheader.