Well, who would’ve thought? The 13th-seeded Iron Heads GC are turning the LIV Golf Dallas Team Championship into their own fairy tale, knocking the socks off the top dogs, the Crushers GC, right there at Maridoe Golf Club. And, let me tell you, that’s just part of the drama unfolding this weekend.
Kevin Na’s Iron Heads aren’t the only ones making headlines. Despite losing their leader Jon Rahm to flu-like symptoms, Legion XIII showed resilience, though they ultimately fell short without Rahm’s pivotal swings.
Meanwhile, Cameron Smith’s Ripper GC is on the brink of sealing a dream season with a championship win if they can maintain their momentum.
Then there’s Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces GC, who are looking to redeem a season that hasn’t lived up to their championship pedigree after being seeded tenth this year.
The Iron Heads, in particular, have been a revelation. After dispatching the fourth-seeded Smash GC, they pulled off a remarkable victory against the Crushers.
Danny Lee, after his stunning 2-up singles victory against Crushers captain Bryson DeChambeau, said, “I felt like I took down a Goliath today.” DeChambeau, a favourite and local hero, playing before his hometown crowd, added an extra layer of drama to the match.
Kevin Na expressed his pride in his team’s performance, noting the boost in morale they’ve experienced: “I’m really proud of my boys,” Na said.
“It’s a great feeling, a confidence boost the last two days going into Sunday. I’m telling my boys, anything can happen.”
The Iron Heads, who have never won a tournament as a team and only have one podium finish in the 35 previous LIV Golf events, have surprised everyone this week.
Their ascent to the championship round is a testament to their perseverance and skill.
Paul Casey, reflecting on the Iron Heads’ unexpected success, remarked, “Iron Heads are highlighting the underdog story,” and added, “Everybody loves an underdog story. You’ve got a lot to cheer about them. … They are a great story.
I mean, in a weird way, you always kind of root for the guy that beat you. So, I’m always a Crusher, but maybe, we’ll be secretly cheering for those guys.”
As for Legion XIII, despite the setback of losing Rahm, reserve player John Catlin stepped up admirably, pushing his match against Cameron Tringale to 20 holes before succumbing.
Cameron Smith weighed in on his strategic decision to pair with Matt Jones in the foursomes, a move that seemed risky but was deeply considered: “Jonesy and I have very similar games, and we play the same ball, so it was really a no-brainer for us, although probably from the outside it looked like a bit of a squiff decision,” Smith explained.
Marc Leishman, after securing a key victory for Ripper, shared his emotional state: “That might have been the most I felt my heartbeat, ever,” an emotional Leishman said.
The anticipation for Sunday’s championship round is palpable, with each team eager to prove their worth and perhaps, for one, to turn their underdog tale into a championship saga.
SEMIFINAL RESULTS
IRON HEADS GC def. CRUSHERS GC, 3-0
Singles 1: Scott Vincent (Iron Heads) def. Paul Casey (Crushers), 1 up. With the match square with three holes left, Vincent birdied the par-5 17th for the decisive winning hole.
Singles 2: Danny Lee (Iron Heads) def. Bryson DeChambeau (Crushers), 2 up. Lee never trailed against the hometown favorite, who twice rallied from 2 down to square the match. Lee won two of the final three holes for the upset.
Foursomes: Kevin Na-Jinichiro Kozuma (Iron Heads) def. Anirban Lahiri-Charles Howell III (Crushers), 3 & 1. The Iron Heads won four holes during a five-hole stretch and responded to every Crushers threat after that.
LEGION XIII def. HYFLYERS GC, 2-1
Singles 1: Cameron Tringale (HyFlyers) def. John Catlin (Legion XIII), 20 holes. Catlin, filling in for Jon Rahm, took a late lead but Tringale won the final hole in regulation before his birdie won the last completed match of the day.
Singles 2: Tyrrell Hatton (Legion XIII) def. Andy Ogletree (HyFlyers), 5 & 4. Ogletree had the lead after six holes, but Hatton then flipped the match, winning six of the next seven holes to cruise to victory.
Foursomes: Caleb Surratt-Kieran Vincent (Legion XIII) def. Phil Mickelson-Brendan Steele (HyFlyers), 4 & 3. The young Legion XIII duo won four of the first six holes, and then reeled off three consecutive winning holes in a terrific performance.
RIPPER GC def. FIREBALLS GC, 2-1
Singles 1: Marc Leishman (Ripper) def. Eugenio Chacarra (Fireballs), 19 holes. Leishman was 2 up with five to play, then Chacarra grabbed the lead by winning three of the next four holes. Leishman squared the match after Chacarra found trouble off the tee, then won with a par on the playoff hole.
Singles 2: Lucas Herbert (Ripper) def. David Puig (Fireballs), 1 up. Herbert rallied with three consecutive winning holes down the stretch.
Foursomes: Sergio Garcia-Abraham Ancer (Fireballs) def. Cameron Smith-Matt Jones (Ripper), 3 & 1. The Fireballs played bogey-free golf to rally after an early deficit and put the match away by winning two of the final three holes.
4ACES GC def. STINGER GC, 2-1
Singles 1: Dustin Johnson (4Aces) def. Dean Burmester (Stinger), 1 up. Johnson rallied on the final nine holes with three birdies and then matched pars on the final hole to avoid a playoff.
Singles 2: Patrick Reed (4Aces) def. Branden Grace (Stinger), 1 up. Grace rallied on three different occasions, but Reed made the decisive birdie at the par-3 eighth in a match in which he never trailed.
Foursomes: Louis Oosthuizen-Charl Schwartzel (Stinger) def. Harold Varner III-Pat Perez (4Aces), 3 & 2. The South African duo won the opening hole, were 5-up through nine, and were solid the rest of the way in winning their second foursomes match this week.
