Three big team changes made ahead of LIV Golf season finale

LIV Golf has confirmed three big team changes have been made ahead of this week's season-ending Team Championship at Trump National Doral in Miami.

The biggest change comes with Ian Poulter replacing Lee Westwood as captain of the Majesticks GC team, which also comprises LIV Golf Bedminster champion Henrik Stenson and Sam Horsfield. 

The decision has been made as a result of the team captains playing in singles matches, and Poulter having an undefeated singles record at the Ryder Cup. 

Westwood will then be able to compete in the Foursomes, a format in which he has taken 11 points from 18 at the Ryder Cup. 

The Poulter/Westwood change is interesting. Why would the Majesticks do it, you might ask? Well, the captains play singles matches at Doral, and Ian Poulter is undefeated in singles play in his Ryder Cup history (and Westwood has 11 4some points in 18 matches). 2/2

— LIVStats (@livstats) October 24, 2022

Poulter's Ryder Cup singles record stands at 6-0-1 (W-L-H) compared to Westwood's record of 4-7-0. 

The Englishman recently revealed how his Majesticks GC have received so many messages from golf fans.

Other team changes see recent DP World Tour winner Adrian Otaegui moving back into Joaquin Niemann's Torque GC side and replacing Japan's Hideto Tanihara in the process.

Otaegui, who clinched his fourth DP World Tour title with a runaway victory on home soil at the Andalucia Masters just two weeks ago, will now make his fourth appearance in a LIV Golf tournament. 

The Spaniard became the first LIV Golf player to win on the DP World Tour following his victory on home soil. 

The DP World Tour has tried to prevent its members who have played in LIV Golf tournaments this season from returning to the circuit, but that move has been blocked by a UK court that will rule further on the matter in February 2022. 

Jediah Morgan and Scott Vincent also form part of Niemann's Torque GC for the season finale. 

Elsewhere, Hennie du Plessis, who has also been reverting between the DP World Tour and LIV Golf this season, is replacing Shaun Norris in the Stinger GC team that is captained by former Open champion Louis Oosthuizen.

Charl Schwartzel and Branden Grace, who have both won on the LIV Golf Tour this season, also represent Stinger GC. 

LIV Golf Team Championship Teams:

Related: LIV Golf Miami - How It Works

Team Championship Format

Friday, October 28 – Quarter Finals

• Teams seeded 1-4 will receive a bye
• Teams seeded 5-12 will compete in head-to-head match-play competitions
• Highest-ranked teams select their opponents
• All 32 players amongst those eight teams will compete simultaneously in a shotgun start
• For each head-to-head team match-up, three matches will take place: two singles matches and one alternate-shot (foursomes) match
• Matches will be played until a winner is determined; there will be no ties. Each match winner receives one point
• Teams earning two points will advance to Saturday’s Semifinals

Saturday, October 29 – Semi Finals

• Teams seeded 1-4 will join the winning four teams from Friday for another day of head-to-head team match play
• Highest-ranked teams select their opponents
• All 32 players amongst those eight teams will compete simultaneously in a shotgun start
• Teams compete in the same format as Friday: two singles matches and one alternate-shot (foursomes) match, with each match winner receiving one point
• Matches will be played until a winner is determined; there will be no ties
• The four teams earning two points will advance to the Team Championship

Sunday, October 30 – Team Championship

• The four winning teams will compete in a shotgun-start round of stroke play
• All 16 players will compete in twosomes, with Team Captains playing together
• All four scores count towards the team’s score
• At the end of Sunday’s round, the squad with the lowest team score is the LIV Golf Invitational Series Team Champion

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