2022 SEASON IN REVIEW: CRUSHERS GC
Overview
No LIV Golf team was more of an enigma in 2022 than the Crushers. They were the only team to finish in the money using two completely different lineups. They scored the second-most points yet didn't win a single team title. Their original captain only spent two weeks on the team yet became one of LIV's top-3 performers. And each of their four primary players had a top 10 points finish; not even the mighty 4 Aces could say that.
The Crushers opened with Peter Uihlein as the captain, and he led them to a second-place team finish in London (albeit 14 strokes behind the winners). Bryson DeChambeau took over the captaincy upon joining LIV Golf in Portland, and the roster transformation continued for a few more weeks. The final lineup of DeChambeau, Anirban Lahiri, Paul Casey and Charles Howell III eventually finished on the podium three times in four regular-season events, a testament to their depth, experience and consistency.
Ultimately, the season ended on a sour note with a semifinals loss to Stinger GC. It was a hard-fought battle, with one match going the full 18 and the other two needing extra holes. Like the season itself, that final performance was a valiant effort, with the Crushers in contention to the bitter end. And yet the enigma remains. Despite never hoisting a single trophy or popping a single champagne bottle, 2022 will go down as a success. Just know there's another gear within reach.
Roster movement
Peter Uihlein began the year in London as captain, drafting Phachara Khongwatmai, Travis Smyth and Hideto Tanihara. He then traded Tanihara to the Iron Heads GC for Richard Bland immediately after the draft. Bryson DeChambeau joined LIV Golf in Portland, assuming captain's duties from Uihlein, the only holdover from the initial lineup. Justin Harding transferred from Hy Flyers GC and Shaun Norris transferred from 4 Aces GC to fill out the roster. New LIV members Paul Casey and Charles Howell III joined the team starting in Bedminster, replacing Uihlein and Harding. For Boston, new member Anirban Lahiri was the final move, replacing Norris. From there, the DeChambeau-Casey-Howell-Lahiri lineup remained intact for the last five events of the season.
| Player | Crushers GC starts |
|---|---|
Bryson DeChambeau | 7 |
Paul Casey | 6 |
Charles Howell III | 6 |
Anirban Lahiri | 5 |
Peter Uihlein | 2 |
Shaun Norris | 2 |
Phachara Khongwatmai | 1 |
Travis Smyth | 1 |
Richard Bland | 1 |
Justin Harding | 1 |
Top Moments
TEAM: The final round in Boston showcased the Crushers' depth. Anirban Lahiri and Paul Casey each shot 6-under 64s, while Charles Howell III and Bryson DeChambeau came in with 66s (CH3 getting credit for the counting score). Add up the four scores and that's a collective 20 under, one of the best single days that any LIV team had during the season. It helped elevate the Crushers to second place by one stroke.
INDIVIDUAL: Anirban Lahiri, in his LIV debut in Boston, came closest of any Crusher to claiming a trophy. He nearly won in regulation but saw his eagle putt on the final hole slip by. Still, he made the three-man playoff, LIV's first of the season. He again birdied the 18th hole but lost on Dustin Johnson's runaway eagle putt. It was a cruel way to lose but the smile on Lahiri's face showed that he enjoyed every moment.
MVP
PAUL CASEY. Celebrating his 45th birthday the week before his LIV debut, the Englishman had a quietly successful season. Casey finished with points (top 24) in each of his five regular-season starts; only Individual Champion Dustin Johnson made more starts with points in each event. Casey had three top-7 point finishes, including a third in Bangkok. He authored two of the three lowest scores shot by any Crusher. And he was the only team member to win a Team Championship match, beating Branden Grace (No. 2 behind Johnson in season points) in singles.
Regular Season Counting Scores
LONDON (-6), 2nd place
Rd. 1: Khongwatmai 67, Uihlein 70
Rd. 2: Uihlein 66, Smyth 69
Rd. 3: Bland 67, Uihlein 69, Smyth 76
Prize earnings: $1,500,000
PORTLAND (+1), 9th place
Rd. 1: DeChambeau 72, Harding 72
Rd. 2: Harding 67, DeChambeau 69
Rd. 3: DeChambeau 73, Harding 74, Uihlein 78
BEDMINSTER (-4), 6th place
Rd. 1: Howell 68, DeChambeau 71
Rd. 2: Casey 71, Norris 74
Rd. 3: Casey 66, Norris 70, Howell 73
BOSTON (-30), 2nd place
Rd. 1: Casey 66, Lahiri 66
Rd. 2: Lahiri 65, DeChambeau 69
Rd. 3: Lahiri 64, Casey 64, Howell 66
Prize earnings: $1,500,000
CHICAGO (-15), 6th place
Rd. 1: Howell 68, DeChambeau 69
Rd. 2: DeChambeau 70, Howell 71
Rd. 3: Casey 69, Lahiri 71, DeChambeau 71
BANGKOK (-38), 2nd place
Rd. 1: Howell 69, DeChambeau 69, Casey 71
Rd. 2: Casey 65, Howell 67, DeChambeau 68
Rd. 3: Casey 65, Howell 67, DeChambeau 69
Prize earnings: $1,500,000
JEDDAH (-26), 3rd place
Rd. 1: Lahiri 67, Casey 68, Howell 70
Rd. 2: Casey 64, Lahiri 66, DeChambeau 67
Rd. 3: Howell 66, Casey 68, DeChambeau 68
Prize earnings: $250,000 (T3)
Team Championship
SEMIFINALS: Lost to Stinger GC, 2-1
DeChambeau lost to Oosthuizen, 23 holes
Casey def. Grace, 20 holes
Howell/Lahiri lost to Schwartzel/du Plessis, 2 up
Prize earnings: $3,000,000
By The Numbers
3 – Number of times the Crushers finished 2nd in seven regular season events
23 – Cumulative strokes that the Crushers finished behind the winning team in those three events (14 strokes in London, 2 strokes in Boston, 7 strokes in Bangkok)
9 – Top 10 individual point finishes by Crushers players (Uihlein 4th in London; DeChambeau 10th in Portland; Casey 6th in Bedminster; Lahiri 2nd in Boston; DeChambeau 10th in Chicago; Casey 3rd, Howell 8th in Bangkok; Casey 7th, Lahiri 10th in Jeddah)
64 – Lowest score shot by any Crushers player during the regular season (Casey and Lahiri, Rd. 3 in Boston; Casey, Rd. 2 in Jeddah)
68.6 – Anirban Lahiri's scoring average for his 12 regular season rounds
68.6 – Paul Casey's scoring average for his 15 regular season rounds
69.3 – Charles Howell III's scoring average for his 15 regular season rounds
69.8 – Bryson DeChambeau's scoring average for his 18 regular season rounds
70.2 – Scoring average for all Crushers GC players during the seven regular season events (course average was 71.0)
327.1 – DeChambeau's driving distance average for the season, highest among all players
331.2 – DeChambeau's driving distance average when he led the field in Bedminster
348.4 – DeChambeau's driving distance average when he led the field in Bangkok
374 – DeChambeau's longest drive of the season
The Final Word
BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU ON HIS VETERAN TEAMMATES