Staff WriterThe LIV Golf Championship Finals have delivered the script we were all secretly hoping for: Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Louis Oosthuizen marching their teams into the last dance of the season after a Saturday that had more knife fights than a spaghetti western.
Legion XIII, Crushers GC, and Stinger GC all scraped through their semifinals 2–1 at The Cardinal at Saint John’s, setting up a Sunday finale where no scorecard will be safe.
Rahm edges Mickelson, Legion XIII stay ruthless
Jon Rahm, the two-time Individual Champion, found himself across from mentor-turned-opponent Phil Mickelson and got the better of him, 2 & 1.
The young duo of Caleb Surratt and Tom McKibbin banked another foursomes win, keeping Legion XIII’s ruthless machine ticking along.
“He’s such a good friend. You never want to beat a friend,” Rahm admitted. “In a weird way, it feels good because Phil and I have a fun rivalry going. It’s a weird feeling but proud of myself and how I fought today.”
Legion XIII have bullied the league all season with the lowest scoring average and the best closing form, but Rahm’s not interested in stats anymore.
“Whatever we’ve done until right now doesn’t matter anymore,” he said. “Tomorrow, you have 18 holes to prove it again, and that’s all we have. It’s the same thing for all of us. It’s been a great season – and now it’s time to hopefully finish it.”
On his young pairing, Rahm couldn’t hide the pride: “They both wanted to be here, and they both wanted to do well. They’re both for the most part quite collected individuals. Me and Tyrrell take the other side of the coin. It’s nice to see two young guys so even keel throughout the whole thing.”
And on McKibbin’s future? “When I first spoke to Tom before coming to LIV, this is the tournament that obviously one of the weeks that came to mind and something we’re really excited. That can get you ready for many future things.”
Bryson gambles on Gooch, Crushers grind past Smash
Bryson DeChambeau, ever the scientist, made a bold call—he sent Talor Gooch out for singles instead of taking on Brooks Koepka himself. The choice worked. Gooch birdied eight times and clinched a 1-up win on the final hole, while Koepka edged Lahiri and the Casey/Howell III pairing brought home the final point for Crushers GC.
“These teams up here are incredible teams, incredible golfers,” DeChambeau said. “It’s going to be a tough test tomorrow because it’s scoring conditions out there for sure.”
Asked why he dodged Koepka, Bryson didn’t flinch: “Look, I could have gone up against him. Brooks is a great fighter, and I would have loved to have played against him, but I felt like from a matchup perspective, Talor was going to be a more difficult force today.”
Koepka, meanwhile, blamed the pace. “I think it took us five holes,” he said. “It wasn’t long, but I felt like we could play the rest of the holes at my pace, and I felt like I did.”
DeChambeau smirked at the delay: “They were definitely farther behind. I’m sorry about that. It’s just fun. We’re trying to have a good time. We’re trying to win, right?”
On what a win would mean, he was blunt: “It would mean a lot for our team. Hopefully we end on a high note.”
Burmester slays Niemann, Stinger ride the vets
Five wins this year made Joaquin Niemann the bogeyman of LIV Golf. Dean Burmester didn’t care. He raced 4 up through 12, survived a Niemann birdie blitz, and closed the door with a birdie at the last, 2 up.
“I knew I had to still hit good shots,” Burmester said. “He’s a class player and he proved it.”
Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel then did what they always do: win together. Their 2 & 1 victory over Sebastián Muñoz and Carlos Ortiz kept them a perfect 4-0 as a foursomes duo.
“We’re just very comfortable around each other,” Oosthuizen explained. “I don’t think we’ve ever said sorry to each other if we hit a bad shot. … It’s just a very good relationship. We’re pretty good together.”
The Stinger GC captain knows Sunday is a different beast: “We all play to be in this situation, to have a shot at it tomorrow. It’s going to be go big or go home. We’re going to try our best to upset everyone.”
The final day: no hiding places
Sunday at the LIV Golf Championship Finals isn’t match play—it’s survival. Stroke play, all four scores count, and every mistake could cost the trophy.
Final group tee time (ET): 1:38 p.m. – Jon Rahm (Legion XIII), Bryson DeChambeau (Crushers GC), Louis Oosthuizen (Stinger GC).
Legion XIII have been the best all year (-267 total, 69.5 avg), Crushers GC are deadly out of the gate (-243 total, best Round 1 team), and Stinger GC, sneaky as ever, have the third-best closing form in the league (-94 in Round 3).
By Sunday evening, one of them will be lifting the title—and the rest will be left wondering how the hell they let it slip.
