So, he’s trying something new this week. Something different. Something he hopes will lead to an exciting new chapter of his competitive life.

The 2013 PGA Championship winner is arguably the most decorated player of the 73 competitors at this week’s LIV Golf Promotions event at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. He’s the only player with a major win, and he also has Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup experience, along with the most PGA Tour wins of anyone (5).

Now he has a chance to join the 2024 LIV Golf League if he can finish in the top three after Sunday’s 36-hole final day. It would be a considerable career U-turn for Dufner, who has spent the last 18 years playing an American-based schedule. He’s certainly embracing the possibility; otherwise, he wouldn’t be here.

“For me, it would be a new experience, obviously,” the 46-year-old Dufner said Thursday on the eve of a first round that he doesn’t need to play, thanks to a tournament invite directly into Saturday’s second round.

“At this point, maybe something new, maybe something different might refresh me a little bit. … Looking forward to the week of qualifying and seeing where I stack up.”

The decision to play in the Promotions tournament, Dufner said, is mostly related to his category status on the PGA Tour. “I’d be in the past champion category,” he explained. “I think that’s going to be very limited starts with the way things have changed on the PGA Tour, and I just looked at it like maybe I could come over and play this tour. Maybe that would be an opportunity for me.

“I’m an independent contractor, so I’m always looking for opportunities to play. … If I could come over here and have a good week, that would open up some doors for something new and something different for me to be part of LIV Golf.”

Although Dufner has competed against many of the current LIV golfers, he said he doesn’t have close relationships with any of them. But he certainly is aware of the success of the league’s biggest names, including Brooks Koepka, who has won three of the 10 PGA Championships played since Dufner’s victory at Oak Hill.

“There are great players on this tour. I know that,” he said. “I’m familiar with these guys, and when I do see these guys, they always have good things to say about this tour.”

LIV Golf’s global schedule certainly is appealing to Dufner. The 2024 regular-season schedule was recently released; of the 12 tournaments announced, seven will be held in nations outside the United States – Mexico (Mayakoba) in February, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong in March, Australia (Adelaide) in April, Singapore in May, and Spain (Andalucía) and England in July.

Dufner’s appearances outside North America have been rare in recent years, although he did play the Saudi International in 2022. He’s even played at Abu Dhabi Golf Club before, in 2013 when he tied for ninth.

“When I was in my prime for that decade or so, I played a lot around the world and I enjoyed it,” he said. “I enjoyed going to different places. I enjoyed bringing the game of golf to places.

“I think in the States, we’re spoiled because every week is almost a new event in a different location that is in the United States. But people in Hong Kong or Australia or in Abu Dhabi don’t get to see the best players in the world on a week-to-week basis, so I always thought it was important when I was one of the best players in the world to kind of go and play globally. I think that is very interesting to me that this tour kind of plays that global schedule and hits all these different spots.”

Asked what kind of form he’s in, Dufner called it “reasonably well” since the U.S. Open in June. He tied for 19th recently in Napa, California, one of his top results in recent years. Once he committed to playing LIV Golf Promotions, he’s put in proper prep time.

“I feel like we see it in all professional sports – guys that struggle or aren’t playing great,” Dufner said. “Every week is a new opportunity. I think that’s the great thing about professional golf. Things can change pretty quickly.”

If Dufner finishes inside the top 3 this week, things will definitely change quickly for him as the next chapter begins.

Main Image: Turk Pettit, Jason Dufner and Jed Morgan (l-r). LIV Golf

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The impressive American golfer held a significant lead over nearest challengers David Puig of Spain and Zimbabwe’s Kieran Vincent going into the Hong Kong Open, and the 25-year-old knew the title would be secured barring any disasters, with one of his rivals realistically having to win outright at the Hong Kong Golf Club to stand any chance.

In the end, Ogletree carded a final-round 69 for a -12 total, level with International Series Singapore champion Puig who shot a final round 68, while Vincent ultimately finished five strokes further back on seven under after a five-under round of 65.

Ogletree, a winner of The International Series events in Qatar and England this season, has now secured a spot on the lucrative LIV Golf League next season as Order of Merit champion, following in the footsteps of Scott Vincent, last year’s overall champion.

He said: “It’s awesome! I am so excited to win the Order of Merit. It’s been a lot of hard work this year and a lot of great golf has gone into this. I just want to thank everyone that’s gotten me to this point: the Asian Tour for all that they’ve done, and my team back home for allowing me to play the way I’ve played this year. I couldn’t be more excited, and I can’t wait to play LIV next year.

“I’ll definitely play a few events on The International Series along with all the LIV events that I’m going to play, so next year should be a great year and I just can’t wait to get started.”

Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO of the Asian Tour said: “Andy has played some outstanding golf this year and has been head and shoulders above his peers on The International Series. The way he has worked his way back to the top after some injuries has been very admirable and it’s a testament to his hard work and determination. It can’t have been easy for him to travel halfway across the world to play the Asian Tour and we are glad to have him as our International Series Order of Merit Champion.”

Rahul Singh, Head of The International Series, said: “Andy is a worthy champion and an outstanding ambassador for The International Series. As an emerging young international player, competing in this series of marquee Asian Tour events and wonderful venues around the world, he has exemplified what The International Series is all about.

“His example shows the pathway that is open and available to top golfing talent from all over the world, an opportunity we are committed to delivering on The International Series, and we look forward to seeing him play in the LIV Golf League as well as future events on The International Series.”

This year’s Hong Kong Open was won in thrilling style by Ben Campbell. The International Series, a set of 10 elevated events on the Asian Tour, now heads to Jakarta for the final event on the schedule, the BNI Indonesian Masters presented by Tunas Niaga Energi from 16-19 November.

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It is fair to say that the second LIV Golf season already stands the test of time and will live long in the memory. 

The embryonic tour took the bold step of expanding from seven events in its first season in 2022 — doubling to 14 showdowns, with a colossal $320 million on offer to the 48 contestants before we even think about the bonus money pocketed by Talor Gooch, Cameron Smith and Brooks Koepka. 

The memories are already in the locker, but let’s take a look back at some of the pivotal moments in an amazing season.

Howell’s fast start
Charles Howell III made Mexico his home from home as he romped to the inaugural LIV Golf League crown. Mayakoba was the venue, the American only shot two holes over par, and an eight-under 63 on Sunday saw him over the line.

Jon Ferrey/LIV Golf

Brooks is back
Brooks Koepka showed he was back to his best — well before his fifth major in the PGA Championship — at the Orlando LIV event in early April as he began a landmark season in style with his second LIV crown. 

Gooch gets going
Another dawn began in Adelaide as Talor Gooch proved his former 4 Aces captain, Dustin Johnson, wrong, and vindicated his switch to Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats line-up with a convincing victory in Oz. The event also saw another Smash man, Chase Koepka, make a piece of history as he aced the ‘Watering Hole’ and was showered in beer cans for his troubles.

Montana Pritchard/LIV Golf

Back to back
Gooch showed he was no flash in the pan, going back-to-back with another win in Singapore, before DJ bit back with his own victory in Tulsa.

Going on
By the time July rolled around, Gooch had victory No. 3 and was way ahead in the points standings. Harold Varner III had registered the win in Washington DC, but Gooch proved he is the best American on the road, with the Andalucia trophy under his belt. 

Cam time
The 2022 Open Champion Cameron Smith was not going to let Gooch get everything his own way and a win in London at Centurion made things interesting as the Aussie found his stride.

Four horses
Now it was getting to business time and there were four men looking to grab the Individual title — we had Gooch, Smith and Koepka, so who else would make the grade? We arrived at Greenbrier and Bryson DeChambeau stepped up in remarkable fashion, shooting a final-day insane 58 in the rain (he even had a bogey in there) to produce one of the most iconic moments of the year, leaping like a kid as history was made. 

Scott Taetsch/LIV Golf

Cam bounces back
Smith would not go quietly and launched himself to the top of the standings with a solid win at Bedminster, for the first time making Gooch look worried, with an $18 million bonus cheque on the line.

Bryson’s boom
Chicago was the next stop and DeChambeau proved why he was a serious contender for the Ryder Cup (he did not get selected) as he convincingly bagged LIV Golf win No. 2

The final showdown
Jeddah was a match made in heaven, as Gooch and Koepka slogged it out over 54 holes. DeChambeau (fourth) and Smith (second) faded in the Individual Championship as the weekend went on and Brooks took the weekend title on the second extra hole and secured third overall. Gooch was still smiling however as he took the Individual Championship title, with the bonus money going to his foundation to help bring on the next batch of stars.

Montana Pritchard/LIV Golf

TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RESULTS

For Sunday’s Finals, all 48 players among the 12 teams competed in one round of stroke play, with all four players’ scores counting toward their team’s score. The four semifinal winners competed for places 1-4, with the teams defeated in the semifinals competing for places 5-8. The teams defeated in Friday’s quarterfinals competed for places 9-12. Of the prize money earned by each team, 60% goes to the team, with 10% going to each of the four participating players.

TIER 1

1. CRUSHERS (-11). Anirban Lahiri 65, Bryson DeChambeau 67, Charles Howell III 72, Paul Casey 73.
Prize money: $14,000,000

2. RANGEGOATS (-9). Bubba Watson 67, Talor Gooch 70, Thomas Pieters 70, Harold Varner III 72.
Prize money: $8,000,000

3. TORQUE (-6). Joaquin Niemann 66, David Puig 71, Sebastián Muñoz 72, Mito Pereira 73.
Prize money: $6,000,000

4. 4ACES (E). Peter Uihlein 69, Patrick Reed 71, Pat Perez 73, Dustin Johnson 75.
Prize money: $4,000,000

TIER 2

5. STINGER (-7). Dean Burmester 67, Branden Grace 67, Charl Schwartzel 73, Louis Oosthuizen 74.
Prize money: $3,250,000

6. FIREBALLS (-4). Carlos Ortiz 64, Eugenio Chacarra 73, Sergio Garcia 73, Abraham Ancer 74.
Prize money: $3,000,000

7. CLEEKS (+4). Martin Kaymer 72, Bernd Wiesberger 72, Richard Bland 74, Graeme McDowell 74.
Prize money: $2,750,000

8. HYFLYERS (+5). Cameron Tringale 70, Brendan Steele 71, Phil Mickelson 72, James Piot 80.
Prize money: $2,500,000

TIER 3

9. RIPPER (-5). Matt Jones 66, Jediah Morgan 71, Marc Leishman 73, Cameron Smith 73.
Prize money: $2,000,000

10. SMASH (E). Jason Kokrak 69, Brooks Koepka 70, Matthew Wolff 72, Chase Koepka 77.
Prize money: $1,750,000

11. MAJESTICKS (+4). Henrik Stenson 69, Ian Poulter 72, Lee Westwood 74, Sam Horsfield 77.
Prize money: $1,500,000

12. IRON HEADS (+5). Scott Vincent 70, Danny Lee 71, Kevin Na 73, Sihwan Kim 79.
Prize money: $1,250,000

Images: Jon Ferrey/LIV Golf

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What is looking clear, should the 2024 season play on, is the unlikelihood that Matthew Wolff will remain on the Smash GC team captained by Brooks Koepka.

On Friday, after the opening round of the LIV Golf Invitational event in Saudi Arabia, Koepka was asked a question about the “brotherhood” between the members of his team, which includes Wolff, Chase Koepka (Brooks’ younger brother), and Jason Kokrak. His response was telling.

“There’s only three of us on our team,” said Koepka, who would go on to win the tournament in a playoff over Talor Gooch. “I mean, obviously my brother, I’m pretty tight with him, and then—I’ve enjoyed being around Jay for the last—I’ve been pretty close with Jay for maybe the last three years. I’ve enjoyed being around him. He’s a good player, super talented. It’s been fun to be around him, and he’s played pretty solid this year. Yeah, I can’t say anything bad about him.”

But in saying nothing about Wolff, Koepka sort of said a lot.

In July, Koepka did specifically call out Wolff during an interview with Sports Illustrated.

“I mean, when you quit on your round, you give up and stuff like that, that’s not competing,” Koepka said. “I’m not a big fan of that. You don’t work hard. It’s very tough. It’s very tough to have even like a team dynamic when you’ve got one guy that won’t work, one guy is not going to give any effort, he’s going to quit on the course, break clubs, gets down, bad body language, it’s very tough. I’ve basically given up on him—a lot of talent, but I mean the talent’s wasted.”

Wolff, who has been open about mental-health challenges he has faced since turning pro in 2019,  responded in a statement by saying Koepka’s comments were “beyond disappointing”: “When I chose to join his team in 2023, I did so with much optimism about my new home as part of Team Smash and equally as important the chance to be around and learn from a player of Brooks’s stature. Like everyone who has ever played the game at the highest level, I have had competitive moments in the past that I feel I have let myself down and even others in our new team environment. This has been quite difficult for me. My challenges on and off the golf course with my mental health have been well documented. I deal with those challenges every day.”

Wolff is scheduled to compete for Smash at this week’s LIV Golf team championship event in Miami. But with his T-38 in Jeddah, he wrapped up the regular season in 27th place on the individual points list. Outside the top 24, it means he can be traded or released from his team during LIV’s offseason.

Main image: Chris Trotman/LIV Golf

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For those out there who feel like giving up after that eagle chance lipped out or it took seven swipes to get out of a greenside bunker, look no further than Anirban Lahiri to inspire you to dust yourself down and give it another go.

The 36-year-old Indian, a seven-time champion on the Asian Tour, has had an impressive season so far in the face of adversity, helping his Crushers team take the top spot in the LIV Golf League 2023 opener at Mayakoba, before bouncing back from a disappointing showing at Tuscon with a runners-up spot at the International Series Vietnam behind Kieran Vincent and then matched that result at LIV Golf Adelaide in April, after starting the final round 11 shots behind eventual champion Talor Gooch.

“There have been some amazing strides on the Asian Tour,” Lahiri told Gold Digest Middle East. “I just missed out in Vietnam on the International Series and it is great getting to travel to all these places on the Asian Tour and also on LIV, with the likes of Singapore and Australia on the schedule.

Lahiri has had little time to relax as he is now gearing up for the International Series ‘UK Swing’, as well as having squeezed in LIV Golf events at Valderrama and a return to Centurion Club near London. 

“We are going back to England on both the Asian Tour and LIV Golf League, and then we have the wonderful bonus of heading to Scotland and St Andrews to play the Fairmont on the International Series, too, before we finish up back in Jeddah for the LIV Golf finale, where this journey all began really with the elevated PIF Saudi International joining the Asian Tour and really reinvigorating the tour.

“You couldn’t ask for more. We were in a rut with Covid, but thanks to LIV Golf Investments, the Asian Tour could not be in a stronger position, and then there is the added incentive of playing your way on to the LIV Golf League for 2024, with the Asian Order of Merit winner booking an automatic spot, while the next 30 or so go into a playoff for the remaining spots.” 

Lahiri is also loving the team bonding on the LIV tour, as he plays alongside Bryson DeChambeau, Paul Casey and Charles Howell III for the Crushers, who are fifth in the season-long team standings at the halfway stage, with the highlights being a win, a third and two fourth-place finishes. 

“LIV Golf is amazing, there is a real unity in the team with Casey and Bryson each bringing their own ideas and experience to the table, while Charles has been playing phenomenal golf with that win in Mayakoba to open the season and get us the double,” Lahiri said.

That team unity was something Lahiri leaned on — along with family support and his own resilience — as tragedy struck during that period in Adelaide.

Lahiri shot 66 and 65 over the weekend at The Grange, matching his 13-under par show (67-64) over the final two rounds at the International Series Vietnam the week before. At KN Links as well, he came close, falling one short of winner Vincent.

The two performances came after a couple of tumultuous weeks for the family, which saw him reach Vietnam without playing golf for a fortnight.

Lahiri was preparing for the LIV Golf event in Orlando when he got a call from India that his mother-in-law, battling cancer, had to be rushed to hospital after she took a turn for the worse. He immediately flew back to Pune to be by her side with his family before heading to Vietnam for the International Series event two weeks later. While there he heard the news she had been moved to palliative care.

In Adelaide on Sunday, moments after finished his round of 65, Lahiri discovered his mother-in-law passed away during the round.

“The last few weeks have been tough for the family. Mom was in a lot of pain the last few days. So, we’re just relieved that she is probably at peace and she’s in a better place now,” Lahiri said at the time.

“It’s hard to wrap your head around a lot of this. So just trying to process it right now. It breaks my heart not to be there with my wife Ipsa and my children. I’m here in Adelaide, but mentally and in spirit, with them. I guess these are some of the professional hazards that we have to deal with, and I am so very proud of my wife.”

Unable to return for the funeral, Lahiri instead poured his emotions into his golf and remained on tour for the LIV event in Singapore. Remarkably, he finished inside the top 20.

Doug Defelice/LIV Golf

Lahiri said his run of form was due to gaining a new perspective in life, and taking that to the course.

“I did not have any expectations when I reached Vietnam. The family was going through a very challenging phase. We were just taking it one day at a time,” he told the LIV Golf website.

“I was forced to hit the refresh button. You have to still look at the positives and try to receive the messages that the universe is sending. What happened the last few weeks made me kind of reset and re-establish my goals, my perspectives in life.

“I think mentally I’ve managed to just get clearer, more focused, and get more involved in my processes. Honestly, I am just counting my blessings and enjoying a new perspective. Probably, I am just playing with a lot less fear and probably not trying so hard and just letting go a little bit more.

“I’ve always found that a very hard thing to do. I think all golfers find that hard. But you know, the last couple of weeks, it’s come a little easier.”

The Asian Tour Order of Merit champion in 2015 is proud to be the only Indian on the LIV Golf roster, and is delighted to see the next generation of golfers coming through. Now at the age of 35, Lahiri is happy to help pass the torch to the likes of Shubshankar Sharma and Aditi Ashok.

“Jeev [Milkha Singh] held my hand through the Asian Tour and on DP World Tour as I was learning the ropes, and now it is my turn to help the younger players,” Lahiri said.

“Sharma has done some great things in the past decade with eight wins and is up around 60th in the world. He also had a great showing in Abu Dhabi [at the HSBC Championship] with a seventh-place finish and is showing the way for the future.

“Aditi is doing great things for the women’s game and has had some stunning results this year, with her win in Kenya followed by a third in Morocco and then a runners-up in the Aramco Saudi Ladies International behind world No. 1 Lydia Ko.

“The team events like the Aramco Team Series and LIV are really helping enhance the game on both men’s and women’s tours and it is an exciting time.”

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LIV Golf announced today that the 2023 LIV Golf League Team Championship will take place October 20-22 at Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami. The iconic Blue Monster at Doral will stage the seeded three-day tournament featuring both match play and stroke play, delivering the excitement of head-to-head competition to determine the season’s team champion.

“We’re thrilled to return to the Blue Monster at Doral to celebrate a historic year and crown the 2023 LIV Golf League team champion,” said LIV Golf CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman. “The team concept has come to life this year in exciting new ways as our players and fans embrace the launch of team golf. We’re building up for an action-packed weekend with headline entertainment that will put an exclamation point on another can’t-miss LIV Golf event.”

LIV Golf Jeddah, previously scheduled for November 3-5, will take place October 13-15 at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club as the thirteenth and final tournament of the regular season. At the conclusion of the regular season, the player at the top of the individual standings is named the Individual Champion and the top three players receive bonuses. Final team standings following LIV Golf Jeddah will determine seeds 1-12 for the Team Championship, with the top four teams receiving first-round byes. Additional details on the Team Championship format and music entertainment will be released in the near future.

Points are awarded at each regular-season tournament to teams finishing in the top eight positions, with 32 points awarded to the winning team down to one point for the eighth-place finish. Through nine events, 4 Aces GC – featuring two-time major winner Dustin Johnson, 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed, Peter Uihlein and Pat Perez – sit atop the team standings with 168 points after seven top-four finishes including team wins in Adelaide and London. Torque GC, featuring Chilean stars Joaquin Niemann and Mito Pereira, Colombian Sebastian Muñoz, and Spanish rookie David Puig, are in second with 129 total points after team wins in Orlando, DC, and Andalucía. RangeGoats GC, led by two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson and current individual standings leader Talor Gooch, trail closely behind in third place with 127 points thanks to a string of five consecutive top-three finishes, including a victory in Singapore, followed by a fourth-place finish in London. The all-South African Stinger GC featuring major champions Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace and Dean Burmester, currently sit in fourth place with 124 points.

Fans can pre-register at LIVGolf.com to be the first to access early birdie tickets for LIV Golf Jeddah and the LIV Golf Team Championship in Miami, where single-day and three-day grounds passes will be all-inclusive of the fan activities on site. Single-day and three-day hospitality packages for the popular Club 54, Gallery Club and Birdie Shack experiences will also be available.

LIV Golf League tournaments air from 1:00 – 6:00 p.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday on The CW, The CW App and LIV Golf Plus, with Friday rounds carried on The CW App and LIV Golf Plus. In addition, LIV Golf tournaments are carried on YouTube and on more than a dozen international broadcast partners, delivering league broadcasts in over 180 territories to more than 380 million homes worldwide. For more information on how to watch the 2023 LIV Golf League, visit LIVGolf.com/where-to-watch.

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Lee Westwood began his star-studded career back in 1993 and the former world No. 1 has 44 tour wins and an incredible 11 Ryder Cups under his belt. Following his move to LIV Golf to captain the Majesticks team alongside fellow Team Europe legends Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson, the Englishman is now preparing for an event and venue close to his heart. 

The Englishman is returning to Close House — the club where he is the Attached Tour Professional — to compete in the Asian Tour International Series England event, where he will be lining up against a stellar field that includes 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed, 2010 US Open winner Graeme McDowell and this year’s PIF Saudi International victor Abraham Ancer, plus some of Asia’s most promising talent like Gunn Charoenkul, Chonalatit Chuenboonngam, Sadom Kaewkanjan and Phachara Khongwatmai.

Following a globe-trotting career spanning four decades, Westwood is relishing teeing it up close to his home just outside Newcastle in the north-east of England. 

“I think it’s an area of the country that doesn’t get much world-class golf,” he exclusively told Golf Digest Middle East “Obviously, we had the British Masters, and they played the International Series at Slaley last year but it’s nice to see a tournament coming to Close House. 

“They’ll get a great field, a lot of world-class players that everybody will know and recognise. I expect it to be a good turnout and the fans will love it. It’s in August, mid-summer, the course will be in great condition and nice weather hopefully.”

Despite having played the Colt Course at Close House several times, Westwood knows he and the rest of the field are in for a challenge. 

“The elevation changes are tricky at Close House, there are a lot of shots uphill and downhill with big elevation changes so clubbing becomes more difficult,” he said. “The greens have got some severe slopes on them as well in certain places, that’s another defence of the golf course. It can get breezy up here as well.”

The International Series was launched last year through a historic investment by LIV Golf that created a premier level of events to develop the next generation of stars and offer pathways to top competition in the LIV Golf League. 

At the end of the 2023 10-event season, the player in the No. 1 position will book a spot in the lucrative 2024 LIV Golf League, while the next 31 will secure entry into the LIV Golf Promotions Event to vie for three further places up for grabs.

“I like it [the International Series],” Westwood said. “I think it gives people an opportunity to play their way onto LIV. It’s 10 events, there’s an Order of Merit from them and if you play well, you get a chance to play on LIV which is very lucrative. We’ve seen Asian Tour players like Andy Ogletree play well in The International Series events and then come out and play well on LIV when he’s had an opportunity. He stood in for me in Tulsa and shot 62, eight-under, and then again he stood in for Paul Casey and I think he ended up finishing top 10. It shows the strength of the players playing the International Series and on the Asian Tour.”

With a career that goes back all the way to the early 1990s, Westwood knows he is not getting any younger at 50, and these days he is just enjoying his time on the course and reflecting on highlights like his 2009 victory in Dubai that propelled him to the No. 1 spot in the world, and his most recent title at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in 2020.

“My goals are just to keep enjoying playing and enjoying playing on LIV,” he said. “I’m having a great time out there it has given me a second lease of life. After 30 years of playing tournament golf all being kind of the same tournaments, LIV is very different and I’m enjoying the change.”

He can also enjoy some home comforts when the International Series comes to town.

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Cameron Smith and his Ripper GC are one of four teams this LIV Golf League season that has yet to reach the podium.

But the Australian lineup has an opportunity to end that drought at LIV Golf London – and perhaps even grab their first-ever team trophy.

Ripper GC enters the final round at Centurion Club with a one-shot lead over the defending London champion Stinger GC, while Smith has a three-shot lead on the individual leaderboard. Smith already has one individual win in his LIV career, winning last season in Chicago. He would love to have company on the podium and sweep both titles on Sunday.

“In our group chat, we’ve said multiple times that we need to get up there and spray champagne over each other,” Smith said after his 4-under 67 moved him to 12 under. “I think that would be a pretty fun experience. Still work to be done on the individual side, but it would be nice to see us at the top of the leaderboard on the team side, as well.”

Smith and teammate Marc Leishman have handled the bulk of the contributions through the first two days, with Leishman among the group of pursuers tied for second at 9 under after shooting 69 on Saturday. Matt Jones contributed a 67 to match Smith’s round, and the fourth member of the team, Jediah Morgan, shot a 69 to match Leishman’s counting score.

“If we can look after the individual, play as well as we can, all shoot good scores, the team stuff will take care of itself,” Leishman said, who will play with his captain in the same group for the second consecutive round. “Hopefully I can make a bit of a run at Cam tomorrow and make things interesting.”

Leishman will have company in trying to chase down Smith, who will defend his Open Championship title in two weeks at Royal Liverpool. Also at 9 under is Stingers GC Captain Louis Oosthuizen and RangeGoats GC’s Thomas Pieters, with 4Aces GC’s Patrick Reed (-8) and Majesticks GC Co-Captain Henrik Stenson (-7) also lurking.

The team competition certainly promises to be interesting in the final round. The South African Stingers started the day eight shots off the lead but quickly moved up the leaderboard Saturday, with Oosthuizen and defending London individual champion Charl Schwartzel off to hot starts.

Oosthuizen was 7 under through his first 10 holes while Schwartzel was 7 under through his first 11. Dean Burmester was also 5 under through his first 14. When Oosthuizen eagled the par-5 13th, the Stingers had overtaken the Rippers for the lead.

“I went through a stretch there where I made a few birdies and an eagle, and then Dean and Charl probably had to go through the same,” Oosthuizen said. “It’s unbelievable how the leaderboards can change out here with three scores to count.”

Late in the day, the leaderboard flipped again, as the Stingers finished on tougher holes while Smith and Leishman had more scoring opportunities. Smith’s birdie on the par-5 18th to finish his round not only added to his individual lead but gave the Rippers the 36-hole team lead.

“It’s nice to see Leish and I at the top of the leaderboard,” Smith said. “I know the other two boys are trying their hardest out there to get their team score up, and hopefully we can go out there tomorrow and show them what we’re really made of.”

TEAM COUNTING SCORES

Here are the standings and counting scores for Saturday’s second round of the team competition at LIV Golf London. The three best scores from each team count in every round for their total team score. The team with the lowest cumulative score after three rounds wins the team title.

1. RIPPER GC (-23): Cameron Smith 67, Matt Jones 67, Marc Leishman 69 (Rd. 2 score: -10)
2. STINGER GC (-22): Louis Oosthuizen 63, Charl Schwartzel 66, Dean Burmester 67 (Rd. 2 score: -17)
T3. 4ACES GC (-19): Patrick Reed 64, Dustin Johnson 65, Peter Uihlein 68 (Rd. 2 score: -16)
T3. RANGEGOATS GC (-19): Harold Varner III 66, Thomas Pieters 67, Bubba Watson 71 (Rd. 2 score: -9)
T5. MAJESTICKS GC (-16): Henrik Stenson 66, Laurie Canter 69, Lee Westwood 70 (Rd. 2 score: -8)
T5. CRUSHERS GC (-16): Paul Casey 65, Bryson DeChambeau 67, Anirban Lahiri 69 (Rd. 2 score: -12)
7. SMASH GC (-14): Chase Koepka 66, Brooks Koepka 66, Jason Kokrak 69 (Rd. 2 score: -12)
8. HYFLYERS GC (-13): Brendan Steele 67, Cameron Tringale 69, James Piot 70 (Rd. 2 score: -7)
9. CLEEKS GC (-12): Graeme McDowell 65, Martin Kaymer 68, Richard Bland 70 (Rd. 2 score: -10)
10. FIREBALLS GC (-11): Abraham Ancer 68, Eugenio Chacarra 69, Carlos Ortiz 69 (Rd. 2 score: -7)
11. IRON HEADS GC (-9): Kevin Na 64, Danny Lee 67, Scott Vincent 67 (Rd. 2 score: -15)
12. TORQUE GC (-7): David Puig 68, Joaquin Niemann 69, Sebastian Munoz 69 (Rd. 2 score: -7)

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For the second time during the LIV Golf League season, teammates will play together as groups in the opening round of a tournament.

Threesomes were announced for Friday’s first round of LIV Golf London at Centurion Club. All non-playing captains will be grouped as teams, while captains from various teams make up the remainder of the groups.

The only exceptions are Majesticks GC co-captains Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter playing with teammate Laurie Canter as an all-England group starting on the 18th hole. The third Majesticks co-captain, Swedish star Henrik Stenson, will start on the opening hole with Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith and Stinger GC Captain Louis Oosthuizen.

The first time groups were arranged by teams came in the opening round of LIV Golf Adelaide in Australia. In the second and third rounds, groups are determined by the individual leaderboard. In the first 15 regular-season tournaments in LIV Golf’s history, no group in the second or third round has consisted entirely of one team.

The Majesticks’ English trio should get plenty of hometown support, as will the other Englishmen in the field – Crushers GC’s Paul Casey, who starts on the 13th hole with teammates Anirban Lahiri on India and American Charles Howell III; and Cleeks GC’s Richard Bland, who starts on the 16th hole with Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger and Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell.

Along with the captains’ group on No. 1, the other captains’ groups include:

• HyFlyers GC’s Phil Mickelson, 4Aces GC’s Dustin Johnson and Smash GC’s Brooks Koepka starting on hole No. 2
• Fireballs GC’s Sergio Garcia, Torque GC’s Joaquin Niemann and Cleeks GC’s Martin Kaymer starting on hole No. 3
• Crushers GC’s Bryson DeChambeau, RangeGoats GC’s Bubba Watson and Iron Heads GC’s Kevin Na starting on hole No. 4

Shotgun start for Friday’s opening round is 2:15 p.m. local (9:15 a.m. ET).

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Redvanly, a family-owned US-based athletic apparel brand, was today announced as the official on-course apparel partner of Majesticks GC, one of the 12 teams competing in the new LIV Golf League.

The sponsorship will see team members Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson, Sam Horsfield and Laurie Canter (temporary injury replacement for Sam Horsfield) sport Redvanly apparel on the course. Through the partnership, the team and Redvanly have worked to produce a custom Majesticks GC apparel line which will go live for sale in merchandise tents at LIV Golf Andalucía this week with items becoming available for sale online at redvanly.com and on shop.livgolf.com in the coming weeks. 

“At Redvanly we are relentless at creating the absolute best and are delighted to have worked with Majesticks GC to develop this custom line and showcase the innovative team format and identity that has never been seen before in golf,” said Andrew Redvanly, Founder & CEO. “In all team sports, uniforms and apparel become a core part of the team’s identity and we are thrilled to be a part of team Majesticks GC who can showcase our product in a new and exciting way. “

“Redvanly have been providing our team kit since the beginning of the year which has allowed us to establish our team identity and importantly feel great on the course. When the opportunity arose to establish a deeper partnership and develop a custom line, it was something we were all really excited to get involved with,” said Lee Westwood, Co-Captain of Majesticks GC. “Redvanly bring a passion, expertise and agility that we were looking for in a partner, and we are excited to offer the custom collection for sale to our fans around the world soon.”

“We are delighted to announce this first-of-its-kind partnership with Redvanly, who has already become a great partner to us in establishing our on-course identity and style,” said James Dunkley, Team Principal for Majesticks GC. “We are thrilled to be launching the custom line for sale this week in Spain and online in the coming weeks.”

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