TORQUE BEATS STINGER IN SEMIFINALS, WILL COMPETE FOR TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
MIAMI – Torque GC won all three matches against Stinger GC in Saturday’s semifinal of the LIV Golf Team Championship and will now compete for the title in Sunday’s every-round-counts stroke-play final at the Blue Monster at Trump National Doral.
Torque captain Joaquin Niemann beat his Stinger counterpart Louis Oosthuizen,2 & 1. Niemann never trailed after winning three of the first four holes with birdies.
Sebastián Muñozbeat Branden Grace 7 & 6. After halving the opening hole, Muñoz won the next six (five with birdies) and was never threatened.
Mito Pereira/David Puig beat Dean Burmester/Charl Schwartzel (Stinger), 2 up. Torque rallied from an early deficit by winning four holes during a five-hole stretch midway through the round before holding off a late Stinger rally.
“It was a lot more stressful at the end than I thought,” Niemann said. “I thought we were dominating pretty good. I was 4-up. Our foursome was 3-up and Sebastian already won. I think that's what match play brings. We had to close it out, and yeah, Louis on my side, he started playing great golf at the end, and I was able to make good putts in the end, so pretty happy.”
With the sweep, Torque should carry plenty of momentum into Sunday’s championship round.
“Obviously this was our goal,” Niemann said. “We worked hard the whole year. We still have one more day but this is the position we want to be this morning, and we were happy that we are here right now.”