GOLF
CARROLLTON, Texas — Under the blistering Texas sun and the watchful eyes of more than 50,000 passionate golf fans, LIV Golf Dallas delivered exactly what its organizers — and its star players — had hoped for: hometown heroes rising to the occasion, a record-breaking crowd, and a finale packed with drama worthy of the league’s ambitions.
On Sunday, the Crushers GC, helmed by local favorite Bryson DeChambeau, captured their third straight team title with an emphatic 11-shot victory — equaling the largest margin seen this LIV Golf season. Meanwhile, Houston native Patrick Reed claimed his first individual LIV Golf crown, finally adding the elusive solo win to a resume already rich with team success.
For DeChambeau, the significance of this week’s event was clear well before the first tee shot. The Dallas-area native went all-in on promoting the tournament, ensuring local fans embraced LIV Golf’s unique blend of top-tier competition and festival atmosphere. The payoff? A record U.S. single-day crowd of more than 20,000 on Saturday and an electric three-day total that spoke to the growing pull of this controversial but undeniably disruptive golf league.
“Dallas showed up — this is exactly what I imagined was possible,” DeChambeau reflected, visibly moved by the turnout and his team’s dominance. The Crushers’ consistency was on full display, with all four team members finishing inside the top 11 individually — a testament to the new scoring format that now counts every player’s score each round. Their eighth regular-season win (and ninth overall, counting the 2023 Team Championship) cements them as LIV Golf’s gold standard for team competition.
While DeChambeau celebrated the Crushers’ dynasty in the making, Patrick Reed’s win resonated on a deeply personal level. In his 41st LIV Golf start — a stat he candidly admitted he’d rather forget — the 2018 Masters champion finally lifted his first individual trophy. Remarkably, it also marked his first professional victory on Texas soil since his junior golf days.
Reed’s path to the winner’s circle was anything but straightforward. After opening Sunday’s final round with a three-shot cushion, he briefly expanded that lead before watching it evaporate under the weight of five bogeys over seven holes. By the time he made the turn, the lead had slipped to Tyrrell Hatton of Legion XIII. But Reed’s resilience has always been his calling card: a gritty up-and-down on the par-4 12th hole settled the nerves and set the stage for nine consecutive pars that kept him in contention.
The dramatic four-man playoff — matching the largest in LIV Golf’s short but turbulent history — featured Reed, Stinger GC’s Louis Oosthuizen, Iron Heads GC’s Jinichiro Kozuma, and Crushers GC’s Paul Casey. When the dust settled, only Reed was left with a birdie look on the playoff hole, a slick 16-and-a-half-footer that found the bottom of the cup — and carried special meaning.
“I looked down at my putter — it’s actually my daughter’s, with her name Windsor-Wells on it — and I said,
‘Come on honey, we’ve got to make one,’”
Reed said afterward. “For that putt to drop, and to win here at home — it means a lot.”
Reed’s clutch finish was the personal highlight, but the event also showcased the strategic evolution of LIV’s team format. By counting all four scores each round instead of the best three, the league now rewards depth and consistency — exactly what the Crushers delivered. DeChambeau and Anirban Lahiri both caught fire early with runs of three straight birdies, setting a tone that the 4Aces, the Crushers’ nearest rivals, couldn’t match.
As Paul Casey noted, “Losing in a playoff is tough, but seeing the joy on everyone’s faces here makes it worthwhile. This was our home game, and we delivered for Bryson and Dallas.”
Their third straight win equals the streak posted earlier this year by Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs GC — a sign that a true team rivalry may be brewing within a league that’s still fighting to carve out its identity in the wider world of professional golf.
Beyond the leaderboard, LIV’s Dallas stop also underscores the league’s broader ambitions. Big crowds, music acts, and family-friendly activations gave the event a festival feel that traditional tours often lack — a deliberate tactic to draw new fans. Despite persistent debates around its funding and format, LIV Golf is banking on these moments to shift the conversation.
In many ways, this event felt like a statement: hometown heroes, local promotion, and big attendance figures may offer a blueprint for how LIV can break into traditional U.S. golf strongholds — a challenge that remains its biggest hurdle.
Meanwhile, the Crushers’ dominance shows how team golf can generate repeat narratives that individual competition alone often struggles to maintain. For all the noise, it’s working: LIV’s loyalists are growing, and the league’s players — many with past PGA Tour glory — continue to deliver must-watch finishes.
With the Crushers moving atop the team standings and Reed finally shaking off the ‘best without a win’ label, LIV Golf’s 2025 season is set up for more fireworks. Whether this surge in local fan support can be replicated elsewhere remains to be seen, but Dallas was a reminder that golf, when packaged right, still has the power to capture new hearts.
In the words of DeChambeau:
“This is what I thought was possible.”
