NEWS AND NOTES: CAPTAIN'S NOTE INSPIRES TORQUE TO VICTORY
POTOMAC FALLS, Va. – Harold Varner III won with a birdie on the final hole, and Torque GC took home the team title at LIV Golf DC.
Here are some other interesting news, notes and stats from the final round at Trump National Golf Club Washington DC.
PUIG INSPIRED BY CAPTAIN’S NOTE: David Puig shot a 3-over 75 in Saturday’s second round, prompting Torque GC captain Joaquin Niemann to send the 21-year-old a note of encouragement. The message worked as Puig bounced back to shoot a 6-under 66 that keyed his team’s surge to the top of the leaderboard.
“David didn’t play well and I saw he was a little bit upset,” Niemann said. “… It’s nice to see what happened from yesterday to today. He’s a great player and being able to help him out, showing him a motivational message or something, inspired him to play well. I’m pretty happy for that and for David.”
4ACES MAINTAIN TEAM LEAD: The 4Aces suffered just their second non-podium result of the season but remain atop the season-long team standings through the first seven events. With a sixth-place finish, the 4Aces are at 124 points, 16 points ahead of Stinger GC, which took second place in DC after winning the previous event in Tulsa. Torque GC moved from sixth to third in the standings after its second win of the season.
VARNER NOW 6TH IN INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS: With his victory Sunday, Harold Varner III moved from 19th to sixth in the season-long Individual race. RangeGoats GC teammate Talor Gooch, the back-to-back winner earlier this season, remains at the top of the standings, with Stinger GC’s Branden Grace moving into second place ahead of Smash GC’s Brooks Koepka.
PGA CHAMPION FINISHES T12: Smash GC Captain Brooks Koepka followed up last week’s PGA Championship win by shooting 5 under for his three rounds at LIV Golf DC. The five-time major winner shot a final-round 70 and was the top performer for his Smash team that finished last on the team leaderboard and suffered the loss of Jason Kokrak and Matthew Wolff to injuries.
MAJESTICKS PRODUCE BEST SHOWING: Majesticks GC, which entered this week last in the season-long team standings, was in contention for a podium finish early in Sunday’s final round before finishing fifth in the team standings. It was the best result of the season for the Majesticks, who moved ahead of Cleeks GC in the points race.
LINEUP CHANGES: Thomas Pieters (RangeGoats GC) and Matthew Wolff (Smash GC) both withdrew due to injuries prior to Sunday’s final round. Peters was replaced in the RangeGoats lineup by reserve player Wade Ormsby, the final available reserve for the tournament.
Smash relied on its three remaining players for its counting scores in the final round. One of those players was reserve Kieran Vincent, who replaced injured Jason Kokrak prior to the second round.
With top reserve Andy Ogletree replacing Crushers GC’s Paul Casey before the start of the tournament, LIV Golf DC was the first event in which all three reserve players were needed for active competition.
HEADING TO U.S. OPEN: Reigning major champions Brooks Koepka (2023 PGA Championship) and Cameron Smith (2022 Open Championship) lead the list of 12 LIV Golf regulars with confirmed spots for the next major on the 2023 golf calendar, the U.S. Open in Los Angeles on June 15-18.
Other players include: Abraham Ancer, Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Martin Kaymer, Phil Mickelson, Joaquin Niemann, Mito Pereira, Thomas Pieters and Patrick Reed.
In addition, several other LIV members are scheduled to compete in the various sectional qualifiers on June 5.
The 2023 LIV Golf League season will resume at LIV Golf Valderrama in Spain on June 30-July 2, followed by LIV Golf London at Centurion Club on July 7-9.
Click here for a full final-round recap of LIV Golf DC.
RD. 3 STAT LEADERS
Driving distance – Lee Westwood, 344.1-yard average
Longest drive – Lee Westwood, 375.8 (18th hole)
Driving accuracy – Henrik Stenson, 93% (13 of 14)
Greens in regulation – David Puig, Dean Burmester, Eugenio Chacarra, 83% (15 of 18)
Fewest putts – Laurie Canter, Matt Jones, 23 putts
Most birdies – Matt Jones , 7
Bogey-free rounds – Branden Grace (66)
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