BEDMINSTER RECAP: STREAK OF POINTS-PRODUCING FINISHES ENDS
BEDMINSTER, N.J. – Majesticks GC’s season-long search for a podium finish continued in Bedminster.
Expectations were high going into the week, especially with co-Captain Henrik Stenson being the defending champion and coming into the week on the back of some decent form. In Bedminster, the Swede had dropped only one shot and made nine birdies over the weekend in 2022.
In addition, Lee Westwood produced a top-10 finish and Ian Poulter a top-15. Overall, the Majesticks took second place a year ago, their best-ever podium result.
In his Thursday pre-match conference, Stenson described the Majesticks situation.
“We have obviously seen a couple of the teams play really, really solid throughout the year. As a team, we haven’t been able to put those scores down as needed to really challenge some of the best teams out there,” said the 2016 Open champion.
“We’ve got some work to do. As you know, with the team format counting three out of four scores, it’s not just enough to shoot three solid scores. You’ve got to get those low numbers on the board, as well, and that’s where I feel like we’ve kind of been lacking on our end. We’ve just got to shoot some lower scores. We just need to make a few more birdies here and there.”
Not making enough birdies continued to be the trend in Bedminster and together, the four members made only 30 and each ended up with over-par total scores. There were just two sub-par rounds – by Ian Poulter and Laurie Canter in the second round, when both shot 2-under 69s.
High counting scores in the first round (7 over) and third round (10 over) doomed the Majesticks to a 12th-place finish at 16 over for the three days. That ends a streak of four consecutive points-producing results.
Majesticks are now placed 10th in the team standings with 23 points going into the last two counting events of the season.
In a low-scoring tournament, they needed more than just three counting rounds of five-under par 65 – two by Laurie Canter and one by co-Captain Lee Westwood. Two of those 65s came in Sunday’s final round and it helped Canter and Westwood make a late charge up the leaderboard, with both finishing tied for 18th. It did lead to a point though, as they managed to beat Smash GC to the eighth place via tiebreaker, as Ian Poulter shot 69 to Brooks Koepka’s 72 in the non-counting scores.
The Majesticks have now pointed in four consecutive events and are in 10th place with three regular-season events left.
Here’s a recap of the Majesticks’ performance at LIV Golf Greenbrier:
Here is a recap of Majesticks GC's individual performances at LIV Golf Bedminster:
Henrik Stenson (+5, 34th place)
Even though Cam Smith was running away from the field, Stenson seems to have kept it together until late in the second round, before a closing bogey-bogey finish pushed him to a 3-over from the first two rounds. With a Sunday charge not materializing amidst a double and three bogeys, the Swede had to settle for tied 33rd place on the regular leaderboard and 34th on the points leaderboard. Stenson fell to 25th place in the individual points standing with 41 points.
Laurie Canter (+5, 37th place)
With a stretch of good run lately, Canter hoped to take the momentum to Bedminster. Despite a good 2-under round in tough conditions on Saturday, the 33-year-old Englishman could not make a decisive push towards the top-24 spot and secure his playing privilege for the 2024 season. He’d also be disappointed with a bogey and a double in his last three holes on Sunday, dropping him into the five-way tie for 33rd. He finished 37th on the points leaderboard due to tiebreakers.
Canter, making his eighth consecutive start for the Majesticks as an injury replacement for Sam Horsfield, slipped to 43rd place in the individual points standings.
Ian Poulter (+7, 40th place)
When Poulter made mistakes in Bedminster, they were big, as six double bogeys on his cards for three days would show. The 5-over round on Friday matched his worst score in LIV Golf. The two previous times he shot that score was in London and Portland – the first two tournaments of the Tour last year.
Poulter dropped one place to 33rd in the individual points standing with 22 points.
Lee Westwood (+20, 48th place)
A single double bogey at this elite level could prove hugely detrimental to the overall position. Westwood had five, and that resulted in the worst position of his LIV Golf career – 48th with a score of 20-over. His 9-over 80 on Saturday was also the worst round in 18 tournaments that he has played so far. The Majesticks co-captain is 45th in the standings.
STAT REVIEW
Field ranking in parentheses
Fairways Hit
Canter – 30 (T6)
Westwood – 32 (T10)
Stenson – 28 (T16)
Poulter – 27 (T22)
Driving Distance Avg.
Canter – 299.7 (21)
Poulter – 296.4 (25)
Stenson – 296.0 (27)
Westwood – 288.1 (40)
Greens in Regulation
Stenson – 33 (T35)
Poulter – 33 (T35)
Canter – 34 (T33)
Westwood – 26 (48)
Total Putts
Poulter – 89 (T18)
Stenson – 89 (T18)
Canter – 90 (T24)
Westwood – 92 (T33)
Total Birdies
Canter – 9 (T20)
Poulter – 9 (T20)
Stenson – 7 (T37)
Westwood – 5 (T45)