PLYMOUTH, Mich. –The LIV Golf Michigan Team Championship got off to an exciting start, with plenty of upsets and thrilling matches that went down to the wire.
Torque GC, Smash GC, HyFlyers GC, Stinger GC, Crushers GC and Legion XIII advanced to Saturday’s Semifinals, with the matchups to be determined on Friday night.
The biggest upset of the day belonged to the HyFlyers, who are one step closer to making a Cinderella-like run to the finals. Captain Phil Mickelson found himself in a tight match with Fireballs GC’s David Puig, with the match needing extra holes to be decided. Mickelson, 32 years older than his opponent, won on the 19th hole. However, the outcome of the match turned out to be inconsequential, as the other three HyFlyers players had already taken care of business. Cameron Tringale beat Abraham Ancer 3&1 to improve his singles record on LIV Golf to an astounding 6-0. Andy Ogletree and Brendan Steele beat the pairing of Fireballs GC Captain Sergio Garcia and Josele Ballester 1up, which ensured the upset for the HyFlyers.
Ripper GC, which won the Team Championship last season, also went down in the quarterfinals, with Stinger GC providing the upset. The Australian and South African teams are clearly building up a rivalry, and this week Stinger GC was able to give Ripper GC a bit of payback from their playoff loss at LIV Golf Adelaide in 2024. Dean Burmester set the tone by defeating Lucas Herbert 4&2 in the first singles match, while Stinger GC Captain Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel defeated Marc Leishman and Matt Jones in their foursomes match 4&3.
“Me and Charl started slow, and then really picked up the pace and started playing some good golf,” Oosthuizen said.
Smith was able to beat Branden Grace 3&2, but Stinger advanced with two points.
In another dramatic showdown, Legion XIII was the No. 1 seed this week and therefore had the first choice of their opponent. Captain Jon Rahm chose Cleeks Golf Club and matched himself up with Adrian Meronk. In a back-and-forth match, Meronk outlasted the LIV Golf 2025 Individual Champion, 2&1. Rahm three-putt from less than 10 feet on the 17th hole to decide his fate in the match.
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“It feels really nice,” Meronk said. “I knew it’s going to be a hard match. We were going back and forth. It was very enjoyable, and I really enjoyed it. I’m glad I got that point.”
In the foursomes match, the young Legion XIII duo of Tom McKibbin and Caleb Surratt defeated Cleeks GC Captain Martin Kaymer and Frederik Kjettrup, 2&1. With the match tied at one point apiece, the deciding point came down to Tyrrell Hatton and Richard Bland, who needed extra holes to decide who advanced to the semifinals. Bland missed a short par putt, sending Legion XIII the semifinals.
Crushers GC, the No. 2 seed, rolled over Majesticks GC and were led by captain Bryson DeChambeau, who defeated Lee Westwood, 4&2.
“I was just playing more of my game,” DeChambeau said. “I felt like this golf course was super gettable. Wedges, I was at a bit of a disadvantage, but I said, ‘Let’s lock in, let’s focus in and not let that affect me and give myself the best chances.’ “
The new pairing of Paul Casey and Charles Howell III looked phenomenal as they defeated Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson, 5&4. Sam Horsfield beat Anirban Lahiri 2&1 to give the Majesticks their only point of the match.
In a match that included a combined seven major championships, 4Aces GC Captain Dustin Johnson defeated Smash GC Captain Brooks Koepka, 1 up. With Graeme McDowell and Jason Kokrak beating Thomas Pieters and Harold Varner III in a blowout, the match came down to the final hole. It was Smash GC which prevailed as Talor Gooch won his match against Patrick Reed, eliminating his former 4Aces team.
LIV Golf’s most recent team event winners, Torque GC, carried the momentum of their record breaking 64-under performance at LIV Golf Indianapolis into Michigan, eliminating RangeGoats GC. Captain Bubba Watson had an early lead on Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann, but the 2025 five-time winner was too much for Watson and eventually did enough to win the match 2&1. Mito Pereira’s struggles continued as he lost his match to Ben Campbell, 2&1, but the dynamic duo of Carlos Ortiz and Sebastian Munoz took care of Peter Uihlein and Matthew Wolff , 2&1.
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