Stinger’s Charl Schwartzel was mad at himself following a double-bogey midway through Sunday’s final round at LIV Golf Greenbrier.

So he did what many golfers of all levels have done out of frustration through the years. He kicked his bag. Unfortunately this time, the bag won.

Schwartzel broke the big toe on his right foot, forcing him to withdraw one hole later. Left with just three active players in the line-up, the Stingers held on for third place — the fifth podium finish for the South African team in the last seven tournaments. It was a result worth celebrating, but Schwartzel was hardly in the mood as he struggled to climb the stairs at Greenbrier that evening after receiving treatment. “Not a good moment,” he recalled on Thursday.

There is good news, though. Schwartzel will be in the line-up this week, teeing off on Friday with the other Stingers at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster. Although still painful to walk, Schwartzel said there’s almost no pain when he swings a club. That was the deciding factor when he told Stinger captain Louis Oosthuizen he was ready to go.

“He played nine [holes] yesterday,” Oosthuizen said. “He’s a lot better. He strapped it up. He’s fine.”

“No restriction in my golf swing,” Schwartzel added. “Walking is the hard part but we can suffer through that.”

Welcome back to Bedminster ?#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/hQqndUz6Ol

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) August 9, 2023

There will be one significant change for Schwartzel this week. He’ll be wearing different shoes. More to the point — sturdier golf shoes. Schwartzel has worn FootJoy shoes for years but about five months ago, he switched to Nike Air Jordans. He was happy with them … until the realisation on Sunday that they weren’t made for kicking a golf bag.

“Those Nike Jordan shoes, the real soft ones, are almost like slippers,” he said. “That thing’s got nothing on the toe. When I kicked it, I realszed that was a mistake. One hole later, I couldn’t walk. Couldn’t swing. Something was seriously wrong. I’m not proud of kicking the bag. Just frustration, which I’ve done many times at the bottom. But there’s just no support on the shoes. It’s like kicking barefoot.”

Oosthuizen added: “We’ve all been there, done that. He was just wearing the wrong shoes to do that.”

Schwartzel, who won LIV Golf’s inaugural tournament last year in London, will return to his FootJoys this week. He said they offer more support and protection on his toe when he swings. He tried wearing the Air Jordans but his toe is too sore. “The FootJoys with the support takes all the pressure away from the toe,” he said.

But at some point when his toe is fully healed, Schwartzel will return to the Air Jordans. “Oh, I’ll go back to my other shoes, the slippers,” he said. “But I won’t kick the bag again.”

The post Charl Schwartzel to tee it up at LIV Golf Bedminster after freak ‘slipper’ incident results in broken toe! appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

After winning their LIV Golf League-leading fourth team trophy of the season last Sunday in record-scoring fashion, Torque had a bit of fun — and maybe an undercurrent of frustration — in discussing the season-long standings.

Torque are still in second place. Still behind 4 Aces, who have produced half the success (two wins) this season.

“It’s a running joke on this team how the Aces keep going in front even though we keep winning,” said Sebastian Munoz, who at 30 is Torque’s elder spokesman. “Mito says the score is biased.”

That would be teammate Mito Pereira, who added, “I can’t believe we’re still second. Something is wrong here.”

Actually, it’s not so much about right or wrong but consistency.

With points weighted heavily toward higher tournament finishes, the defending champions, 4 Aces, have been atop the standings since grabbing the lead after the second tournament of the season. Dustin Johnson’s team didn’t win either of the first two events, but with consecutive runner-up results, they acquired enough points to overtake the first two team winners (Crushers in Mayakoba, Fireballs in Tucson).

Even after Torque won for the first time in Orlando in the third event, the Aces were still No. 1, thanks to a third-place finish. Finally, the Aces claimed the team trophy in Adelaide — their fourth consecutive podium result.

Through the first six events of 2023, the Aces led with 120 points while Torque were in sixth place at 65 points. In the five subsequent tournaments, the Aces claimed 48 points (with one win) while Torque added 96 points (thanks to their three wins, worth 32 points each).

That’s left the Aces in first going into this week’s LIV Golf Bedminster with 168 points, with Torque in second at 161 points.

Joaquin Niemann. Asian Tour

“We’re still second,” Captain Joaquin Niemann sighed.

“I guess they’re really solid and getting points every week,” added Pereira, almost grudgingly.

Stinger’s Charl Schwartzel, whose team sits third in the standings, said the points structure may need to be evaluated. “There needs to be more reward for winning,” he said. “If you’re winning four times, I think you should be leading.”

Although the win differential favours Torque, there are a couple of other data points that favour the 4 Aces and helps explain why they remain No. 1:

• Podium results: 4 Aces have 6, Torque have 5
• Average finish position: 4 Aces are at 4.2, Torque are at 4.3

Essentially, while Torque have more top-eight points finishes this season (nine to eight), the 4 Aces have more quality finishes.

But those are just numbers. What’s the perception among their LIV Golf competitors who are chasing the two teams? Who’s the team to beat right now — 4 Aces or Torque?

“It’s a tough choice between them, but they both played really, really well and really solid this year,” said Majesticks co-captain Henrik Stenson. “It will be interesting to see if any of the other teams can bring them down in Miami.”

“Obviously you’re trying to bait me a little with this question,” smiled HyFlyers’s Cameron Tringale.

Cameron Tringale. LIV Golf

Said Stinger captain Louis Oosthuizen: “The 4 Aces have a lot more seconds and thirds, but right now, Torque are by far the team that, at the moment, look like they’re going to finish at the top with the way they’re playing.”

Fireballs captain Sergio Garcia added: “I wouldn’t go just with those two. Obviously yeah, those are the usual suspects that you may say, but I think Crushers, obviously Bryson [DeChambeau] is playing very well, and Anirban [Lahiri] is very solid. Paul [Casey], if he’s fit, he’s a great player. Obviously Charl [Charles Howell III] is a really solid player, too.

“I think there’s several teams that have improved a lot this year. RangeGoats are much better than they were last year. You have to be aware of several of them, but at the end of the day, I think, like I said, I have a lot of belief and confidence in my team, and I think that if we’re firing on all cylinders, we can beat anyone.”

Certainly, DeChambeau’s 61-58 weekend at Greenbrier to win the individual title has the rest of the league on notice. A hot hand posting super-low scores alleviates some of the pressure for his teammates. The RangeGoats, for instance, have relied heavily on Talor Gooch’s league-leading three individual wins this season, as well as Harold Varner III’s win.

Lahiri said his Crushers captain is playing with the momentum of “a freight train”.

“We’re just going to ideally just ride his coattails,” Lahiri said. “But that’s what team golf is about. You need one guy to go super-hot or two guys to play really well, and then you want the other two guys to have those performances that pick the team up.”

But at the top of the standings, team depth matters the most.

The 4 Aces have just one individual win in 2023 (captain Dustin Johnson in Tulsa) but have combined for 16 top-10 points finishes. Every player has contributed at least three top 10s: DJ 5, Patrick Reed 4, Peter Uihlein 4, Pat Perez 3. Of the team’s 40 individual starts this season, 27 have resulted in points. And they’re the only team with all four players inside the top half of the individual season standings.

Torque are nearly as impressive. No individual wins this season, but 13 top 10s: Pereira 5, Munoz 4, Niemann 2, David Puig 2. Of their 40 cumulative starts, 25 have produced points.

The intriguing development is the rise of Puig, who at 21 years old is LIV Golf’s youngest player. Both of his top 10s have come in his last three starts, including his LIV-career best fourth at Greenbrier. He has emerged as one of the most valuable No. 4 players in any line-up.

“Probably the key thing for that team is how much David has improved, and that shows a lot,” Garcia said. “Obviously he’s gotten a lot more comfortable out here. At the beginning was probably a little bit nervy and stuff, but now you can see that he’s playing much better. He’s playing with a lot of confidence, and that’s helping the team a lot.”

With three tournaments left in the regular season, 4 Aces and Torque are virtually assured of first-round byes at the Team Championship. They can still jockey for position, which is important since the higher-seeded teams get to “draft” their opponent in the semi-final match-play round.

For now, the emphasis will be on acquiring more trophies.

The Aces, coming off their worst-ever result as a team — last place in Greenbrier — hope that Bedminster will offer better vibes. They won the team title here last year during a stretch of four consecutive victories.

Welcome back to Bedminster ?#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/hQqndUz6Ol

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) August 9, 2023

Meanwhile, Munoz said at the start of the season that he expected Torque to win three times. They’ve already surpassed that total. He’s now having to readjust his projections.

“We’re trending. We’re playing good,” Munoz said. “Our rookie, David, is playing great. He’s fighting for tournaments. I feel like we could make a couple more.”

If so, Torque may finally overtake the Aces and rise to No. 1 in the standings. The Spanish-speaking quartet is tired of the joke. Time now for serious business.

The post 4 Aces or Torque: Who’s really the team to beat as LIV Golf League 2023 reaches final stretch? appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Fresh from his stunning 58 at the Greenbrier last week, Bryson DeChambeau with have the honour off the first tee for Friday’s first round of LIV Golf Bedminster.

The big-hitting American has been paired with 4 Aces captain Dustin Johnson and Majesticks co-skipper Henrik Stenson for the 1.15pm shotgun start.

Among the other eye-catching groups are Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia and Cameron Smith (Hole 2) and Talor Gooch, Matthew Wolff and Patrick Reed (18).

Here is a quick look at each of the 12 LIV Golf League teams going into the first round of LIV Golf Bedminster.

4 ACES

LIV Golf

• Current individual points standings: Patrick Reed (6), Dustin Johnson (8), Peter Uihlein (11), Pat Perez (21)
• Team followed their win in London with a lowly 12th place in Greenbrier
• No player finished with points (top 24) in Greenbrier, first time that has happened to the team
• Team leads league in par-5 scoring this season (207-under)
• Scoring averages in 2023: Johnson (68.7), Reed (68.8), Uihlein (68.9), Perez (69.4)

TORQUE

• Current individual points standings: Mito Pereira (4), Sebastián Muñoz (10), Joaquin Niemann (26), David Puig (27)
• Team bounced back from their only non-points finish of season in London by winning in Greenbrier, their fourth team title this season
• Team set a LIV record with a winning counting score of 49-under
• Pereira’s 62 in Round 2 Greenbrier is his lowest LIV round, and his second-place finish is his best result
• Scoring averages in 2023: Pereira (68.5), Muñoz (68.7), Niemann (69.2), Puig (69.6)

STINGER

• Current individual points standings: Branden Grace (7), Dean Burmester (15), Louis Oosthuizen (18), Charl Schwartzel (38)
• Team’s third place in Greenbrier is thier fourth podium finish in last five tournaments
• Burmester has led the field in driving distance in three of the last four tournaments
• Schwartzel withdrew during Round. 3 Greenbrier with an injury; his status for Bedminster is TBD
• Scoring averages in 2023: Grace (68.7), Burmester (68.9), Oosthuizen (69.3), Schwartzel (70.4)

RANGEGOATS

• Current individual points standings: Talor Gooch (1), Harold Varner III (9), Thomas Pieters (34), Bubba Watson (36)
• Only team this season with points finishes (top 8) in first 10 tournaments
• Varner’s 6th place in Greenbrier is his fourth top-10 points finish in last six League tournaments
• Gooch is only team member who competed in 2022 LIV Golf Bedminster
• Scoring averages in 2023: Gooch (68.0), Varner (68.7), Pieters (69.7), Watson (70.1)

CRUSHERS

• Current individual points standings: Bryson DeChambeau (5), Charles Howell III (12), Anirban Lahiri (22), Paul Casey (33)
• DeChambeau’s record-setting 58 fuelled 20-under counting score in Round 3 Greenbrier, tying for team’s lowest counting score in a single round this season
• Team’s secnd place in Greenbrier is their fourth podium finish of the season and best result since winning season-opener in Mayakoba
• DeChambeau’s active streak of 20 consecutive rounds under par is longest in LIV history
• Scoring averages in 2023: DeChambeau (68.5), Howell (69.1), Lahiri (69.4), Casey (69.8)

FIREBALLS

• Current individual points standings: Carlos Ortiz (13), Sergio Garcia (16), Eugenio Chacarra (31), Abraham Ancer (41)
• Team’s 19-under total in Round 3 Greenbrier was their best counting score of the season
• Ancer’s 4-under 66 in Round 3 Greenbrier is the lowest non-counting score in the League this season
• Team rallied from ninth to fifth in Round 3 Greenbrier to finish with points for eighth time this season
• Scoring averages in 2023: Ortiz (68.9), Garcia (69.0), Chacarra (69.9), Ancer (69.9)

SMASH

LIV Golf

• Current individual points standings: Brooks Koepka (3), Jason Kokrak (19), Matthew Wolff (20), Chase Koepka (48)
• Wolff’s 61 in Round 1 Greenbrier is lowest round shot by a team member in 2023
• Wolff’s fifth-place finish in Greenbrier matches his best result of the season
• Brooks Koepka saw his streak of 29 consecutive counting scores snapped in Round 2 Greenbrier
• Scoring averages in 2023: B. Koepka (68.3), Kokrak (68.8), Wolff (70.3), C. Koepka (71.7)

RIPPER

• Current individual points standings: Cameron Smith (2), Marc Leishman (30), Matt Jones (35), Jediah Morgan (46)
• Smith leads League in putting as well as par-3 scoring (-12)
• Smith’s LIV-record streak of 33 consecutive counting rounds snapped in Round 3 Greenbrier
• Team finished 11th in Greenbrier, their third non-podium result in last four events
• Scoring averages in 2023: Smith (68.2), Leishman (69.3), Jones (70.1), Morgan (71.9)

HYFLYERS

• Current individual points standings: Cameron Tringale (14), Brendan Steele (17), Phil Mickelson (44), James Piot (47)
• Team’s fourth-place finish in Greenbrier ties for its best points result this season (also 4th in Adelaide)
• Tringale is only League player to finish with individual points (top 24) in all 10 starts in 2023
• Steele’s 10th place in Greenbrier is his best result in his last eight LIV events
• Scoring averages in 2023: Tringale (68.4), Steele (69.0), Mickelson (70.5), Piot (71.2)

MAJESTICKS

• Current individual points standings: Henrik Stenson (25), Ian Poulter (32), *Sam Horsfield (39), Laurie Canter (40), Lee Westwood (45) (*-injured)
• Poulter’s active streak of 118 consecutive par 5s at par or better is LIV Golf record
• Team’s second-place finish in Bedminster last year is their best result in LIV history
• Stenson’s best result since winning in Bedminster last year is a fifth place this year in DC
• Scoring averages in 2023: Stenson (69.4), Poulter (69.6), Canter (69.9), Westwood (70.7)

IRON HEADS

• Current individual points standings: Danny Lee (24), Kevin Na (28), Scott Vincent (29), Sihwan Kim (50)
• Team finished 10th in Greenbrier and have claimed just one team point in last five events
• Lee, playoff winner in Tucson, starts this week on the bubble (24th) inside the Lock Zone
• Vincent’s 14th in Greenbrier is his best points finish since fourth place in Singapore
• Scoring averages in 2023: Vincent (69.3), Na (69.5), Lee (70.0), Kim (74.5)

CLEEKS

• Current individual points standings: Richard Bland (23), Graeme McDowell (42), Bernd Wiesberger (43), Martin Kaymer (49)
• Bland’s third-place finish in Greenbrier is first podium result (individual or team) this season
• Bland moved inside the Lock Zone (top 24 in points) after starting the week in 32nd
• Team have finished with points in three of the last four tournaments
• Scoring averages in 2023: Bland (69.4), McDowell 70.3), Wiesberger (70.4), Kaymer (71.4)

The post LIV Golf Bedminster tee times and preview notes appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

After Bryson DeChambeau’s heroics at the Greenbrier, the LIV Golf broadcasters are back with their picks for the individual and team winners at this week’s LIV Golf Bedminster, the 11th event of the 2023 LIV Golf League. (Experts listed in order of latest standings.)

DAVID FEHERTY

INDIVIDUAL
Dustin Johnson I got absolutely no credit for picking DeChambeau at Greenbrier and I expect even less when I get this one right, as well.
TEAM
RangeGoats I’m going to keep picking my beloved RangeGoats and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.

TROY MULLINS

INDIVIDUAL
Bryson DeChambeau Mr 58. Enough said.
TEAM
4 Aces I am disappointed that my guys backed their win in London with a 12th place finish at Greenbrier. However, I have faith they will come back.

ARLO WHITE

INDIVIDUAL
Bryson DeChambeau If he retains his focus after his heroics at the Greenbrier, he’ll be unstoppable,
TEAM
RangeGoats Only having narrowly missed the podium in West Virginia, the Goats will respond to Torque’s recent dominance.

DOM BOULET

INDIVIDUAL
Bryson DeChambeau Well, I have to go with Bryson after that scintillating performance in Greenbrier. Talor Gooch went back to back, I’m confident Bryson will too.
TEAM
Torque Going with a repeat for team as well. Back-to-back for Torque.

SU-ANN HENG

INDIVIDUAL
Bryson DeChambeau I reckon it would be silly not to pick someone who just shot 119 on the weekend.
TEAM
4 Aces This week’s golf course suits this team’s game. It’s a big track but requires touch around and on the greens. 4 Aces are leading in team driving distance and putts per green.

JERRY FOLTZ

INDIVIDUAL
Bryson DeChambeau Obvious, but necessary. How can you pick against 119 (61-58) on the weekend?  Enough said.
TEAM
4 Aces I think DJ and the gang have had enough of watching the kids (Torque) celebrate.

HOW THEY STAND

Here are the standings for our LIV Golf Experts after LIV Golf Greenbrier. Each prediction received the individual and team points awarded to their respective picks.
EXPERT OVERALL POINTS, LAST EVENT
Feherty 254, DeChambeau 40, RangeGoats 4
Mullins 235, Reed 0, 4Aces 0
White 196, Reed 0, 4Aces 0
Boulet 170, Niemann 1, Torque 32
Heng 169, Smith 0, Ripper 0
Foltz 120, Reed 0, Majesticks 1

The post LIV Golf Bedminster: Experts pick their winners appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Stephen Hennessey
In what will likely be the oddest bit of golf news you’ll read all week, a New Jersey man was arrested Tuesday for causing damage twice in the span of a week at Donald Trump’s Bedminster club, just days after breaking into Taylor Swift’s mansion in Rhode Island.

Richard J. McEwan, 26, of Milford, was charged with third-degree criminal mischief before being released with a pending future court date, according to an NJ.com report. The report states that McEwan drove his car through the gates and onto the golf course (both New Jersey courses, the Old and the New, are ranked in Golf Digest’s Best in State ranking), off the 11th and 13th holes. The report is unclear as to which course McEwan damaged, and it’s also unclear whether the man drove his car onto the greens or the fairway. Nonetheless, the police report states that the man caused more than $20,000 of damage to the course by driving his blue Ford onto Trump’s property on Sept. 3 and Sept. 8. Police were able to track McEwan’s license plate number, which led to his arrest on Tuesday.

McEwan also faces charges for breaking into Taylor Swift’s mansion in Westerly, R.I., where he apparently scaled the wall to break into the star musician’s home. Swift was not home at the time. And Trump was also not at his Bedminster club either time McEwan got into the gates and did donuts with his Ford, as the report states.

The post Man reportedly terrorised Donald Trump’s golf club and Taylor Swift’s mansion in the span of a week appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The USGA and LPGA players are hoping to depoliticise this week’s U.S. Women’s Open at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J. That ambition is off to a rough start thanks to a USA Today report that says Donald Trump threatened the USGA with legal action if the governing body moved this week’s championship from his New Jersey venue.

Christine Brennan writes that the USGA’s Mike Davis informed members of the executive committee of the lawsuit during Trump’s presidential run. A person with direct knowledge of the event said Davis told the group, “We can’t get out of this. He’s going to sue us,” after meeting personally with Trump.

That Trump would threaten to sue is not surprising; no name is as synonymous with litigious proceedings. Over the past three decades, Trump has been a plaintiff or defendant in more than 4,000 lawsuits.

Trump’s relationship with the USGA — along with the PGA Tour and PGA of America — came under fire at the beginning of his campaign in 2015, as some of his comments regarding women and minorities seemed counter to golf’s ethos of creating an accommodating and welcoming environment for all. Following the release of Trump’s controversial “Access Hollywood” video, the USGA was specifically targeted by a handful of senators petitioning to move this week’s Women’s Open from Trump’s Bedminster property.

Image/Chris Keane
USGA boss Mike Davis

Publicly, the USGA has remained committed to the event, trying to shift the spotlight towards the action inside the ropes.

“Let me make it very clear that we came here, this was all about coming to a great golf course to play the greatest championship in women’s golf,” Davis said during the U.S. Women’s Open media day. “You know, the USGA since its founding in 1894 has never been involved with politics. Our focus is solely on the game of golf, and we appreciate that there’s some out there that want to make this a political event, but we’re not.”

When reached by Golf Digest, the USGA issued the following statement: “As a matter of policy, the terms of our contracts with championship host sites are confidential and accordingly the USGA will not comment. We are excited that our U.S. Women’s Open Championship week has begun and are focused on providing the ultimate test of golf for the best female players in the world.”

The post Report: Donald Trump threatened USGA with lawsuit if U.S. Women’s Open moved appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.