Dallas recap: Giant-slaying Iron Heads finish incredible week with first podium of season
CARROLLTON, Texas – Captain Kevin Na and his Iron Heads GC scripted one of the most memorable chapters in the short history of LIV Golf when, against all odds, they finished tied second in the Team Championship in Dallas.
With just 9.33 points from the regular season, Iron Heads reached Maridoe Golf Club as the 13th ranked team, and were the first pick for Smash GC in quarter-finals, and then the first pick again in the semi-finals for Crushers GC.
However, they shocked Brooks Koepka and his team 2-1, and then took down Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers 3-0 on Saturday.
And in the strokeplay format on Sunday with all four scores counting, Iron Heads produced one of their finest collective results of the season to tie for second place alongside 4Aces at 8-under. That fell three shots shy of new champions Ripper GC, but it made up for all the heartbreaks earlier in a season in which they yearned for a podium finish, but could not get any.
“It was tough out there, and I saw my boys playing well, I fought hard, Overall, pretty pleased. I know we tied for a second, but it is a big week for the boys. Obviously, we wanted to win, but besides winning, this is the second best thing to happen to us,” said Na, who led from the front and shot a 3-under par.
“We did not get a podium finish all season, but no better place to do it than the last tournament, right? If you're gonna make the podium, then you might as well make it in theTeam Championship. I’m very happy.”
Jinichiro Kozuma also shot a 69, while Danny Lee closed with a 2-under. Scott Vincent finished on even-par, but importantly, that round included two birdies in his last three holes.
Lee, who defeated the 2023 Individual champion Talor Gooch in the quarters, followed by DeChambeau a day later in his singles matches, was thrilled with the result.
“This feels so good. We have all worked so hard throughout the year and it was very disappointing and upsetting to come into the Team Championship ranked last. It’s so satisfying to finally get to the podium and such a relief,” said the Las Vegas resident.
“I knew I was trending in the right direction. I started working with my new caddie (Ki Taek Lee), who is like a brother to me. He is a very good player himself and the best part of his game is his putting. He is helping me a lot with my reads and how I should practice. I am just upset right now that our season has ended at this point.”
SEMI-FINALS - beat Crushers GC 3-0
For the second straight day, Iron Heads turned into giant slayers. After taking out Smash GC in the quarter-finals on Friday, Na and his men produced an even more stunning result by upsetting the reigning Team champions, pre-tournament favorites and top seeds Crushers GC.
In a clean sweep that everyone thought was impossible, Lee beat local favorite DeChambeau 2-up and Vincent handed a 1-up defeat to Paul Casey on the 18th hole. Na, who switched to foursomes with Kozuma after playing singles on Friday, combined well to beat Anirban Lahiri and Charles Howell III 3&1.
DeChambeau, cheered on by a partisan crowd, made three birdies and an eagle and rarely made any mistakes, but he was still unable to quell the challenge of a dogged Lee, who made seven birdies during the round and made some massive putts.
“It was a tough match and I felt like I took down a Goliath today. Man…it’s Bryson DeChambeau, the most popular golfer on the planet right now,” said Lee after his round.
“All the fans seemed to be against me and rooting for him. I kind of tried not to listen to the fans and what they were saying. I just tried to turn that into a positive energy for myself, which I manages to do, and I thought I putted solid today.”
Results
Singles 1: Danny Lee def. Bryson DeChambeau 2-up
Singles 2: Scott Vincent def. Paul Casey 1-up
Foursomes: Kevin Na/Jinichiro Kozuma def. Anirban Lahiri/Charles Howell III 3&1
QUARTERFINALS - beat Smash GC 2-1
In one of the biggest upsets in LIV Golf Team Championship, Iron Heads defeated Smash GC, the fourth seeds.
Kozuma and Vincent were the heroes as they won their foursomes match against Jason Kokrak and Graeme McDowell on the 19th hole, after Lee defeated Gooch 1-up.
Four-down after 11 holes, the turnaround was kickstarted when Vincent decide to make the par-3 14th hole a mere formality by holing out his tee shot. Kazuma later got into the act, tying the match on the 18th hole with a birdie putt from 10 feet, and then closed it by making a 30-footer for par on the first extra hole.
Earlier, Na had lost to a rampant Koepka, who hardly made a mistake in winning 6&5.
“That was unbelievable, very exciting,” said Vincent. “This is exactly what the match play brings…just a lot of unknowns and amazing opportunities. To bounce back from being four holes down at one stage, that was just incredible.
“The funny thing about that hole-in-one is that my caddie (Jacob Flech) told me before the shot that 'we need to be going straight at this pin, like we're going to make a hole-in-one’, and sure enough it happened. Seems like he had a good feeling about it.
“Jini was absolutely unbelievable. He's the best putter out here. So you just got to get him on the green, get out of the way and let him do his thing. He just showed today how amazing a putter he is.”
Results
Singles 1: Kevin Na lost to Brooks Koepka 6&5
Singles 2: Danny Lee def. Talor Gooch 1 up
Foursomes: Jinichiro Kozuma/Scott Vincent def. Jason Kokrak/Graeme McDowell, 19th hole