The format for the 2023 LIV Golf Team Championship at Trump National Doral, Oct. 20-22, will look similar to last year’s event near Miami: a little bit of match play, a little bit of stroke play with a whole lot of money on the line.
Teams have been earning points all season based on their finishes: the winning team goes home with 32 points, while Nos. 9-12 in the weekly standings leave empty-handed. After LIV’s final regular-season event in Jeddah this week, teams will be seeded based on their position in the final standings for the Team Championship.
The three-day shotgun start event in Miami features a $50 million purse as well as a mix of singles and foursomes matches in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds on Friday and Saturday, with stroke play for Sunday’s final round.
Last year, only the four teams that advanced from the semifinals competed on Sunday. This season, all 12 teams and 48 players will play, including those eliminated in Friday’s quarterfinal rounds. The decision will guarantee all players will compete twice and aims to enhance the fan experience for the final round. That said, it may be rather confusing for fans to follow.
Team Championship format
Friday, Oct. 20 – Quarterfinals
- Teams seeded 1-4 receive a bye.
- Teams seeded 5-12 will compete in head-to-head match-play, where the highest-ranked teams select their opponents.
- All 32 players from those eight teams will compete simultaneously in a shotgun start, with three matches taking place: two singles matches and one foursomes (alternate-shot) match.
- Matches will be played until a winner is determined with no ties. Each match win earns a point. The first team to win two points will advance to Saturday’s semifinal round.
Saturday, Oct. 21 – Semifinals
- Teams seeded 1-4 will play the winning teams from Friday, where once again the highest-ranked teams will choose their opponents.
- All 32 players from those eight teams will compete simultaneously in a shotgun start, with three matches taking place: two singles matches and one foursomes (alternate-shot) match.
- Matches will be played until a winner is determined with no ties. Each match win earns a point. The four teams who win two points will qualify to finish in the top four after Sunday’s final round. The teams eliminated in the semifinals will finish in the Nos. 5-8 bracket after Sunday’s final round. Eliminated teams on Friday will finish in the Nos. 9-12 bracket after Sunday’s final round.
Sunday, Oct. 22 – Finals
- All 48 players and 12 teams will compete in one round of stroke play. All four individual scores count towards the team score.
- The four teams that won in the semifinals will compete for 1st-4th place. The four teams eliminated in the semifinals will compete for 5th-8th place. The four teams eliminated in the quarterfinals will compete for 9th-12th place.
For example, if Kevin Na’s Iron Heads lose on Friday, then get hot on Sunday and win the final day of stroke play, they’d finish in ninth place. If Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers win in the quarterfinals, lose in the semifinals and finish first on Sunday, they’ll finish in fifth place.
Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces, last year’s winner of the inaugural Team Championship, are currently in first with a 10-point lead over Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers. Torque, captained by Joaquin Niemann, leads the league with four team victories this season and are in third place.
