Chicago Recap: Smash GC earns first pick of match-play opponents in Dallas

BOLINGBROOK, Ill. - Things didn’t go exactly how Smash Golf Club wanted at LIV Golf Chicago, but it went well enough to give the team members a slight advantage entering the final event of the season.

Smash GC showed plenty of fight at Bolingbrook Golf Club and finished eighth on the team leaderboard. And while that might sound pedestrian, they were only five shots back of a podium finish and seven shots off the lead. What hurt most was a 5-over combined score on Saturday, but in the final round when all four scores counted, the team combined to shoot 7-under to post a respectable showing.

The team had entered the week with a chance to grab third place in the final team standings of 2024 (the top three seeds earn a bye at this week’s Team Championship). But Ripper GC played well enough to earn the third spot. All was not lost, however. As the No. 4 seed, Smash GC will get to pick its quarterfinal opponent. The team will get to choose from the following list: Torque GC, Fireballs, GC, Stinger GC, Cleeks GC, RangeGoats GC, 4Aces GC, Majesticks GC, HyFlyers GC and Iron Heads GC.

The five quarterfinal matches will take place on Friday and the matchups will be determined at a live press conference featuring the team captains. The five winners of the opening match play round will then advance to the semifinals. Also, to add strategy to the competition, team captains may opt to participate in the singles or foursomes matchups during the first two days of match play.

But before leaving Chicago in the past, there were plenty of positives for Smash GC to draw from as they enter Maridoe Golf Club this week. Captain Brooks Koepka had yet another standout week with a T6 finish and ended the regular-season finale at No. 5 in the season-long individual standings, well inside the Lock Zone. In fact, Koepka had a line to a top-3 finish in the season-long standings but was clipped by some late, stellar play by Sergio Garcia and Tyrrell Hatton.

Smash GC stalwart Talor Gooch, who won the Individual Championship in 2023, finished No. 10 in the season-long standings and proved to be a valuable offseason pickup by Koepka. Gooch finished T15 in Chicago and is primed to help lead the team in Dallas.

Teammates Graeme McDowell (T23 in Chicago) and Jason Kokrak (51st in Chicago) didn’t fare as well at Bolingbrook, but Kokrak finished in the Lock Zone and secured his spot for the 2025 LIV Golf season. McDowell was close to finishing in the Lock Zone, but fell into the Open Zone where players face potential trades or releases. However, players in the Open Zone can be retained by their captains.

Now the team’s sights are set on Dallas, where teams that are trending in the right direction tend to shine. And looking at Smash GC’s play in recent events, expect the team to be one to keep a close eye on.