JEDDAH PREVIEW: 4ACES GC, JOHNSON REMAIN HOT
Team: 4Aces Golf Club
Previous event team finish: 2nd at LIV Golf Las Vegas
Season-long team standings: 4th
Top finisher from previous event: Dustin Johnson, Winner
Fun stat: Through two events, there isn’t a better putting team than 4Aces GC, which has a 1.51 combined putting average.
Preview
If you have to pick one team and one player as favorites this week at LIV Golf Jeddah, it would be 4Aces Golf Club and its captain, Dustin Johnson. Not only because of what they did at LIV Golf’s previous event, but what they did at this previous venue.
Johnson won the individual trophy at LIV Golf Las Vegas earlier this month to become the first player to win in each of LIV Golf’s first three seasons. He went and grabbed the victory in Vegas by making birdies on two of his final four holes for a one-shot win and currently sits atop the season-long individual standings. His team, meanwhile, made a strong run at Las Vegas Country Club and finished in second place on the team leaderboard.
Johnson’s dominance not only shows his current top-notch form, but he can gain even more positive vibes by harkening back to his previous performances at this week’s venue, Royal Greens Golf & Country Club.
Johnson’s comfort level on the course is apparent. The two-time major champion has finished in sixth place at LIV Golf Jeddah the last two years, and his 5-under 65 on Sunday last year was one of the best rounds of the day. He finished a mere three shots behind winner Brooks Koepka of Smash Golf Club.
The confidence builds when considering Johnson’s other performances at Royal Greens. He is a two-time winner of the PIF Saudi International at this venue and has played the layout in multiple conditions.
Speaking of the Saudi International, 4Aces GC’s Harold Varner III will feel at home as well. He won the event in 2022 after holing a 90-foot putt for eagle on the final hole to go from one shot behind to a stunning victory. Varner III is coming off a T-26 finish in Las Vegas and is expected to improve on that as he moves to a venue with which he has fond memories.
4Aces GC Patrick Reed is looking for a bounce-back at Jeddah after finishing at even par for the week in Las Vegas. He did finish 2 under on the weekend and will look for an uptick in the third event of 2024. Reed has top-20 finishes at LIV Golf Jeddah in the last two years.
Pat Perez flashed nicely in Las Vegas and was a big reason why 4Aces GC finished second on the team leaderboard. He finished under par all three days and will look to do the same in Jeddah, where he finished 41st last season.