MIAMI – Bubba Watson was playing one of his best rounds of his season on a huge stage. And even that wasn’t enough to help his team catch Crushers Golf Club on Sunday at the Blue Monster.
Watson, captain of RangeGoats Golf Club, did all he could and was near flawless while receiving help from his teammates at LIV Golf’s Team Championship in Miami. But Crushers GC did just enough to pull out the victory.
RangeGoats GC finished second at the Blue Monster, just two shots behind Crushers GC in a finale that saw plenty of late drama and tension at Trump National Doral.
It was quite a late season run for the team. RangeGoats GC made a jump into fourth place in the season-long team standings last week at LIV Golf Jeddah, which earned a bye for Friday’s quarterfinals. Then after a successful Saturday in the semifinals, the team found itself in Tier 1 for Sunday, meaning it was one of only four teams that could win the season-long team title.
And they gave the eventual champions a great fight, although things were a bit shaky at the start. RangeGoats GC’s Talor Gooch, who won the season-long individual championship last week, and Harold Varner III were a combined 3 over through each of their first seven holes. Meanwhile, Watson and Thomas Pieters were a combined 3 under through the same stretch.
Gooch, however, got it back with an eagle on the par-5 eighth to get him back to even. Gooch would end his day with a solid 2-under 70.
RangeGoats GC got it to 5 under as a team when Watson elicited a roar from the crowd with an eagle on the par-5 eighth hole. That tied Crushers GC for the lead as the turn neared. Just a few moments later and with nine holes to play, the team found itself still in second place but three shots behind Crushers GC.
The team kept the gas pedal down as Varner III made birdie at No. 12 to get to within one shot of Crushers GC’s lead at 8 under. That’s when Crushers GC hit another level. Its lead eventually grew to as many as five shots as the final holes were approaching, and the cushion was needed due to the RangeGoats GC’s late charge, which came up just short.
With its second-place finish, RangeGoats GC earned $8 million in prize money, with $4.8 million going into the team’s account and each player receiving $800,000.
Gooch had a chance to win both the individual and team championships this season, a feat that 4Aces Golf Club captain Dustin Johnson accomplished last year. Gooch played for 4Aces GC last season when the team won the championship.