Doral, Fla. — Dustin Johnson’s season with big LIV money ends with another seven-figure check.
Johnson and the 4Aces GC team are among four teams playing in the finals of the Saudi-sponsored LIV Golf Team Championship, with $16 million — $4 million for the four players — awaiting the tournament’s winning list. – Event completed at Trump National Doral.
Johnson’s side came from behind to beat Clix GCN 2-1 on Saturday, with Pat Perez and Talor Cook scoring the winning points, with Graeme McDowell and Richard Bland taking the extra holes.
“For us, it’s all about the competition,” Johnson said. “We want to win our first championship in LIV Golf. It’s anybody’s ballgame. Every team here is obviously playing well. There are no favorites in my eyes.”
Also making it to the finals were: Sergio Garcia and Firebirds GC, who finished 2-1, and Cameron Smith and Punch GC. Stinger GC, captained by Louis Oosthuizen, went 2-1 at Crusher GC as Oosthuizen defeated Bryson DeChambeau in 23 holes. And Smash GC, captained by Brooks Koepka, defeated Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Majestic GC 3-0.
“I’m happy we made it to Sunday,” Oosthuizen said.
The first two rounds in Miami were match play; Sunday is stroke play and the scores of all 16 players – four players from each of the four teams – will be tallied. The winning team will share $16 million, the second-place team will receive $8 million, the third-place team will receive $6 million, and the fourth-place team will receive $4 million.
“I’m really happy with the way everybody’s playing,” Koepka said. “Anything can happen (Sunday) … it could make for a very exciting finish.”
That means all 16 players look certain to pocket at least $1 million in Sunday’s tournament, the eighth and final LIV event of the season.
“We had a great year,” Johnson said. “And whatever happens tomorrow, we’ve had a great year.”
Johnson entered the week as the reigning individual champion with $13,637,767 in earnings and an additional $18 million. That’s $31,637,767, and he’s now guaranteed to win at least one million dollars on Sunday.
Add in the $1.6 million Johnson won on the PGA Tour between January and June, and he’ll finish the 2022 calendar year with somewhere between $34.3 and $37.3 million. And that’s on top of the $125 million he reportedly paid for signing with LIV, though it’s not yet known how much of that bonus he received.
The four teams eliminated Saturday received $3 million each, or $750,000 per player.
