Plymouth Township ― LIV Golf announced its presence in Michigan with a bang. Actually, several bangs. There were pyrotechnics on the first hole of The Cardinal, as AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” blared over the speakers. There was an MC, a 10-second countdown and finally a screeching horn, signaling the shotgun start, just after noon Friday, as golf fans of all ages stood several deep to watch Tyrrell Hatton hit the first tee shot ― music still playing ― of the upstart tour’s season-ending, three-day team championship.
A whole lot of golf was packed into 4 hours and 10 minutes at Saint John’s Resort, where Hatton hit the first shot of the day, and then one of the last shots of the day. Hatton got up and down from a tricky greenside lie and made a 10-footer for par on his 19th hole, the par-4 1st, and Richard Bland followed by missing a 5-footer, sending the top-seeded Legion XIII team, captained by Jon Rahm, into Saturday’s semifinal matches.
Rahm watched Hatton make and Bland miss, standing just off the green, stoically, as Hatton capped off Day 1 of LIV Golf’s only match-play tournament of the season.
LIV GOLF SCOREBOARD
“Match play is never easy. It’s extremely fun,” said Rahm, who is fresh off winning $18 million for taking home the 2025 LIV Golf individual championship, and is trying to become the first LIV Golf player to win both the individual and team titles since Dustin Johnson in the inaugural season in 2022. He actually lost his match Friday.
“Always full faith in my team,” Rahm said. “I’m just hoping their captain shows up tomorrow with a better level of golf.
“My daughter, who can’t even stand, would be better with a putter than me today.”
Also making the semifinals were fan favorites, including Bryson DeChambeau (Crushers GC), Phil Mickelson (HyFlyers GC) and Brooks Koepka (Smash GC), the latter who lost, 1 up, to good pal Johnson ― the 4Aces captain thrilled the gallery by driving the 375-yard, par-4 first hole ― but saw his teammates win their two matches to advance.
There will be three head-to-head team semifinal matches Saturday, with the headliner singles match, no doubt, being Rahm against Mickelson, in a battle of Arizona State alums, born 25 years apart.
The winning three teams Saturday then will be eligible for the team championship, determined in stroke play Sunday. All LIV Golf players, even those eliminated in matches, will compete Saturday and Sunday, so fans can see all the players, and so LIV Golf can determine the entire season points standings for the team competition.
The winning four-man team Sunday will split a $14-million first prize.
“Gosh, this is a really fun format,” said Mickelson, who beat David Puig on the first extra hole, in Mickelson’s first time teeing up in the area since his lone appearance at the PGA Tour’s Rocket Classic, in 2021, at Detroit Golf Club.
For the fourth time in four years of existence, LIV Golf will have a different team champion, as defending champions Ripper Golf Club, the all-Australian team captained by Cam Smith, were eliminated, 2-1, by Stinger GC, an all-South African team led by captain Louis Oosthuizen. Smith was 4 under through his first four holes, including a hole-out eagle at the par-4 second hole, and won his match, but saw his teammates lose in the other two matches.
A crowd of several thousand fans arrived early and stayed late Friday, to see LIV Golf in Michigan for the first time. No attendance figures were announced, but there were sizeable groups on holes all over the golf course. Tour officials are expecting even larger crowds Saturday, with play starting at 10:05 a.m., and Imagine Dragons performing in concert following the round, taking the large stage built between the spacious clubhouse and the tournament’s 18th hole.
DeChambeau appears to be the biggest draw among the fans, who appreciate what he’s done in this area, winning the Rocket Classic back in July 2020, back when fans weren’t allowed to attend because of COVID-19.
Like Detroit Golf Club, where DeChambeau memorably apologized to “Mr. Ross” (long-dead course architect Donald Ross), The Cardinal isn’t very long by tour standards, playing under 7,000 yards. And it doesn’t seem to be much of a match for the big bomber, who took down Lee Westwood, 4 and 2, in his match Friday.
“It’s fun individually to play, but the reason that we’re out here as well is because of the team aspect,” said DeChambeau, LIV Golf’s top player in the Official World Golf Rankings at No. 18, who, interestingly, opted not to lead off and pair himself against Smash GC captain Koepka (they have history) in Saturday’s semifinal match. He’ll take on Talor Gooch instead in the No. 2 slot, tweaking his lineup slightly while his counterpart captains who advanced to Saturday’s semifinals stuck with Friday’s same order.
“I think it’s cool for the fans to see that and experience that.”
LIV Golf team championship
At The Cardinal at Saint John’s Resort, Plymouth Township
FRIDAY’S QUARTERFINALS
➤ Legion XIII d. Cleeks GC, 2-1: Tyrrell Hatton (L) d. Richard Bland, 19 holes; Adrian Meronk (C) d. Jon Rahm, 2 and 1; Tom McKibbon-Caleb Surratt (L) d. Martin Kaymer-Frederik Kjettrup, 2 and 1
➤ Crushers GC d. Majesticks GC, 2-1: Bryson DeChambeau (C) d. Lee Westwood, 4 and 2; Sam Horsfield (M) d. Anirban Lahiri, 2 and 1; Paul Casey-Charles Howell III (C) d. Ian Poulter-Henrik Stenson, 5 and 4
➤ HyFlyers GC d. Fireballs GC, 3-0: Phil Mickelson (H) d. David Puig, 19 holes; Cameron Tringale (H) d. Abraham Ancer, 3 and 1; Andy Ogletree-Brendan Steele (H) d. Sergio Garcia-Josele Ballester, 1 up
➤ Torque GC d. RangeGoats GC, 2-1: Joaquin Niemann (T) d. Bubba Watson, 2 and 1; Ben Campbell (R) d. Mito Pereira, 2 and 1; Sebastian Munoz-Carlos Ortiz (T) d. Peter Uihlein-Matthew Wolff, 2 and 1
➤ Smash GC d. 4Aces GC, 2 and 1: Dustin Johnson (4A) d. Brooks Koepka, 1 up; Talor Gooch (S) d. Patrick Reed, 1 up; Jason Kokrak-Graeme McDowell (S) d. Harold Varner III-Thomas Pieters, 6 and 5
➤ Stinger GC d. Ripper GC, 2-1: Dean Burmester (S) d. Lucas Herbert, 4 and 2; Cameron Smith (R) d. Branden Grace, 3 and 2; Louis Oosthuizen-Charl Schwartzel (S) d. Marc Leishman-Matt Jones, 4 and 3
SATURDAY’S SEMIFINAL MATCHES
Starting at 10:05 a.m. FS2, 10 a.m.-noon; Fox, noon-2:30 p.m.
➤ Legion XIII vs. HyFlyers GC: Jon Rahm vs. Phil Mickelson (Hole No. 1); Tyrell Hatton vs. Cameron Tringale (No. 2); Caleb Surratt-Tom McKibbon vs. Brendan Steele-Andy Ogletree (No. 3)
➤ Crushers GC vs. Smash GC: Anirban Lahiri vs. Brooks Koepka (No. 4); Bryson DeChambeau vs. Talor Gooch (No. 5); Paul Casey-Charles Howell III vs. Graeme McDowell-Jason Kokrak (No. 6)
➤ Torque GC vs. Stinger GC: Joaquin Niemann vs. Dean Burmester (No. 7); Mito Pereira vs. Branden Grace (No. 8); Sebastian Munoz-Carlos Ortiz vs. Louis Oosthuizen-Charl Schwartzel (No. 9)
SATURDAY’S STANDINGS MATCHES (CONSOLATION)
➤ Cleeks GC vs. Fireballs GC: Adrian Meronk vs. Abraham Ancer (No. 10); Richard Bland vs. Josele Ballester (No. 11); Martin Kaymer-Frederik Kjettrup (No. 12)
➤ Majesticks GC vs. 4Aces GC: Henrik Stenson vs. Dustin Johnson (No. 13); Sam Horsfield vs. Patrick Reed (No. 14); Lee Westwood-Ian Poulter vs. Harold Varner III-Thomas Pieters (No. 15)
➤ RangeGoats GC vs. Ripper GC: Ben Campbell vs. Cameron Smith (No. 16); Matthew Wolff vs. Lucas Herbert (No. 17); Peter Uihlein-Bubba Watson vs. Marc Leishamn-Matt Jones (No. 18)
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
