MIAMI – Hard work, great play from each team member and high finishes throughout 2023 have put 4Aces Golf Club atop the team standings entering the final event.
Now they know it’s time to close the deal. Again.
Captain Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Peter Uihlein and Pat Perez enter the Team Championship in Miami as the favorite to win the season-long team title Sunday at Trump National Doral. 4Aces GC won the inaugural title last season, and this year leads the standings with 192 points, which is a slim six points ahead of Crushers Golf Club and nine ahead of Torque Golf Club.
“We've got a chance again on Sunday,” said Johnson, who finished fifth in the final individual standings. “Obviously we've got to make it to Sunday, but if you make it, any team has a chance.”
The team’s stellar play during the season earned it one of the four first-round byes, so 4Aces GC won’t be competing in Friday’s quarterfinals. The team will get back on the course Saturday for the semifinals.
But before then, the team will play a fun round with members of RangeGoats Golf Club at a nearby undisclosed course on Friday to stay sharp entering the weekend competition.
Last season’s team title saw plenty of drama. 4Aces GC led by one shot late in the day, but Marc Leishman from then-Punch Golf Club made a birdie on his final hole to tie it at 6 under.
That’s when Reed and Johnson delivered. Reed made a gutsy birdie on his final hole to regain the lead at 7 under, then Johnson made par on his final hole to secure the season-long team title.
“It wasn't that far of a putt,” Johnson said. “But I was definitely a little shaky over it. I'm not going to lie. It was a lot of fun. You couldn't have drawn it up any better than the way it finished.”
Before winning the finale last year, 4Aces GC played lights out during the regular season. During one stretch, the team won four consecutive events in the United States.
To this point in 2023, the team hasn’t taken a step back. 4Aces GC won LIV Golf Adelaide in April and LIV Golf London in July. And while some teams have just as many wins this year, and while Torque Golf Club leads with four victories, it’s been the consistent high finishes from the 4Aces GC which has separated it from the field. The team has finished in the top six in 11 of 13 events this year, and has six top-three finishes, including the two wins.
The team’s 2023 performance is even more impressive considering Talor Gooch was a member last season. Gooch moved from 4Aces GC to RangeGoats Golf Club this year and won the individual season-long title last week at LIV Golf Jeddah, pocketing $18 million.
Reed has been a force this year for 4Aces GC and his legendary short game has been a main reason. He is second in putting average (1.55), third in scrambling (69.16%) and finished sixth in the final individual standings. Teammate Peter Uihlein (12th in the final standings) led all players in driving distance (322.5 yards) and finished third in putting average (1.56). Pat Perez, who played brilliantly last season at the Team Championship in Miami, has counted multiple crucial scores for his team and finished 28th in the standings.