LIV Golf UK Preview: Smash GC wants more than just OK in UK

News
Written by
Bryan Mullen, LIV Golf correspondent
Jul 24 2024
- 3 MIN
Smash UK preview STORY image

Team: Smash Golf Club
Previous event team finish: 13th at LIV Golf Andalucía
Season-long team standings: 7th
Top finisher from previous event: Brooks Koepka, T27
Fun stat: Smash GC continues to take full advantage of its accuracy. The team leads LIV Golf in Fairways Hit Percentage (62.07%) and Eagles Made (17).

Preview

There’s not much for Smash Golf Club to overthink entering LIV Golf UK this week. With only four events remaining before a team champion is crowned, it’s time to make a major move.

The team sits in seventh place in the season-long team standings, which at first might appear to be out of the running. But upon further inspection, Smash GC is only 18 points out of fourth place and is on the heels of the two teams directly in front of it. Couple that with the world class talent on the team and its success earlier in the season, and it’s not a reach to suggest the team is in the mix.

First, Smash GC must put its previous two finishes in the rearview mirror. The team finished 12th and 13th in Nashville and Andalucía, respectively. But before that, it had back-to-back top-four finishes, including a T2 in Houston. Also, firmly in the mind of Smash GC is its team victory in Las Vegas from which it can continue to draw positives.

Captain Brooks Koepka enters the week No. 8 in the season-long individual standings and is well positioned for a run. The five-time major champion is coming off a T43 finish at The Open at Troon, where he started well during the first two rounds before some Saturday challenges.

Koepka’s T27 two weeks ago in Andalucía might seem like a pedestrian result, but Valderrama was playing historically difficult and Koepka showed major grit. His 3-under 68 on Saturday was the only under-par round all week for Smash GC and was one of the best tallies of the day.

A bright spot at Valderrama was the weekend play of Jason Kokrak, who shot a combined 1-over on Saturday and Sunday which was one of the best combos of any player in the field. It might be the spark Kokrak needed after not recording a top-15 finish in any of the last seven events. Prior to that frustrating streak, Kokrak had back-to-back top-six finishes in Las Vegas and Jeddah.

Teammates Talor Gooch and Graeme McDowell have been in a small funk in their last two events, but they can look back to the early portion of the season, and even at times during the middle part, when at times they led the team. Getting Gooch and McDowell back on form, combined with Koepka’s superb play and Kokrak’s positive momentum would allow Smash GC to move up the standings.

It must start this week, and the challenge will be finding a comfort level at JCB Golf & Country Club. The course is new to the LIV Golf League, but it has a spectacular reputation throughout the golf world, from top professionals to amateurs alike.

JCB Golf & Country Club is in Rocester, United Kingdom, and stretches more than 7,200 yards. It’s considered a modern masterpiece and is sculpted from the picturesque English countryside. The layout is illuminated by island greens, rolling meadows and a rambling stately home, where aristocrats once ruled.

Seemingly every hole is laden with trouble, but the long and snaking 18th might prove to be the toughest test. It’s heavily guarded like a Medieval citadel, and like every other hole on this course, strategy and scrambling will be keys to Smash GC’s success.