WRITTEN BY Mike McAllister
SENTOSA ISLAND, Singapore – Last week in Adelaide, Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces GC found the top of the podium for the first time in 2023 and for the first time ever outside the United States. Consequently, it seems like 2022 again, at least for the moment.
All the other LIV Golf teams are chasing the Aces.
“They’re getting good rounds and good tournaments from everybody all the time,” said the HyFlyers’ Brendan Steele. “I don’t think there’s a big secret there.”
But Sunday’s victory came with plenty of drama, with the RangeGoats – fueled by individual winner Talor Gooch – finishing just one stroke behind for their first podium finish.
This week at LIV Golf Singapore, Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong course will be familiar to more than a third of the field, having hosted the Singapore Open in recent years. As a second-shot course, Serapong should reward players who find the green with the most consistency. And humid conditions will test a player’s physical stamina.
Here are the picks for our top five players and top four teams this week:
5 PLAYERS
1.PATRICK REED (4Aces GC). You could probably make a case for any of the 4Aces right now; each one finished inside the top 10 in Australia. Reed tied for third in his two latest LIV starts and in between squeezed in a T4 at the Masters.
2.SEBASTIAN MUNOZ (Torque GC). The Orlando runner-up fits the profile for the Serapong – he finds fairways and ranks high in GIR on a second-shot course.
3. SERGIO GARCIA (Fireballs GC). Has a terrific track record at Sentosa, including a win in 2018, and comes off a consistent effort in Adelaide (three consecutive 68s).
4. TALOR GOOCH (RangeGoats GC). No LIV individual champion has ever won back-to-back starts, but the Adelaide winner should do well on this course. Just got to to avoid the post-victory letdown.
5. PETER UIHLEIN (4Aces GC). Would be remiss not to include the current individual points leader, the only player to finish top 10 in points in all four tournaments.
OTHERS CONSIDERED: Henrik Stenson (Majesticks GC) and Jason Kokrak (Smash GC) are trending well with consecutive top 15s … Stinger GC’s Dean Burmester has top-7 finishes in his last two starts but ranks low in driving accuracy this season … Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith might be mentally fatigued after last week; on the other hand, he can focus strictly on golf and nothing else this week.
4 TEAMS
1. FIREBALLS GC. Their previous visit to Asia went well, winning last year in Bangkok. Captain Garcia has good vibes here, and the team ranks high in hitting fairways. Young Eugenio Chacarra is due for a big performance and the foursome will want to bounce back from their first non-points finish.
2. 4ACES GC. They don’t have bad weeks. Just too much firepower, too much form and captain Dustin Johnson is getting back into the groove, which was really the only question mark earlier this season. If there was an MVP for the No. 4 player in the lineup, Pat Perez would be among the contenders.
3. HYFLYERS GC. Phil Mickelson’s team finished fourth in Adelaide, and they seem on the verge of a podium finish. Mickelson is trending up; Steele has been a terrific addition; Cameron Tringale played well in Adelaide; and young James Piot comes off a final-round 66.
4. STINGER GC. Most consistent team behind the 4Aces this season – and they’ve done it despite Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel being banged up. Dean Burmester has solidified the lineup; now it’s just a question of if the South Africans can stay healthy.
OTHERS CONSIDERED: Majesticks GC will use Laurie Canter again as a reserve for injured Sam Horsfield, but it’s the three co-captains who will lean on their experience at Sentosa … Orlando winners Torque GC appear to be a good fit with their ability to hit greens … RangeGoats GC has plenty of momentum after last week’s runner-up finish.
FANS DESERVED’ IT: CHASE EXPLAINS WHY HE TOSSED ACE BALL INTO STANDS
SENTOSA ISLAND, Singapore – Like everyone else at the Watering Hole during Sunday’s final round at LIV Golf Adelaide, Chase Koepka was swept up in the euphoria following his hole-in-one that sent the packed gallery surround the par-3 12th at The Grange into a frenzy.
After pulling the ball out of the cup, he pointed to various spots in the grandstands and eventually turned to his right to toss it into the gallery instead of keeping it for his own collection.
No regrets.
“It would’ve ended up going to my dad,” Koepka said Thursday on the eve of this week’s LIV Golf Singapore. “My dad keeps a bunch of that special stuff. But honestly, in the moment, I felt like the fans deserved that golf ball more than I did.”
The fan who caught the ball then exited the stands and went to the 13th tee to ask Koepka to sign it. The Smash GC member was happy to oblige.
“Glad he got to have that,” Koepka said. “He told me he was a member at The Grange, so that’s pretty crazy.”
Having a few days to process the moment, Koepka was still buzzing as he stood on the range Thursday at Sentosa Golf Club.
“I was not expecting anything like that to happen that epic. But it did,” Koepka said. “The crowd was amazing. In fact, I was getting standing ovations on every single tee I went to the rest of the day.
“It was a special moment for me, a special moment for my caddie, and a special moment for the fans in Adelaide. Can’t wait to get back there.
“Hopefully, we can make some more magic this week.”
*Credit Information & Images to www.livgolf.com
