Dustin Johnson calls out Mickelson as pair face off LIV Golf Team Championship

21 October 2023 , 16:47

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Dustin Johnson called out Phil Mickelson (Image: AP)

Dustin Johnson called out Phil Mickelson and his HyFlyers teammates, as the American pair prepare to take each other on in the quarter-finals of the LIV Golf Team Championship.

The 2023 LIV season comes to an end at their finale in Miami this weekend, and Johnson will be out to defend the title he and his 4Aces teammates won 12 months ago. The Aces' first task in their title defence will be Mickelson's HyFlyers, and this was through the choice of captain Johnson.

Having entered the week as the No. 1 seeded team, Johnson was given the power to pick his team's opponent for their last eight clash that takes place on Saturday at Trump Doral.

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When asked he had chosen to take on following the end of play on Friday, Johnson quickly named Mickelson and his HyFlyers teammates. Asked the reason behind his HyFlyers call out, Johnson simply replied: "Well, I was sitting over here with the team and they wanted to play the HyFlyers, so I said OK."

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Looking more closely at the 4Aces selection, it could well be a smart one from Johnson and co, with the HyFlyers the second-lowest ranked team left in the competition, only bettering the Cleeks. The format will see two single matchplay clashes (one played by the captains), and a third foursomes match, with two members from each team taking each other on.

This means fans will be treated to a headline Johnson vs Mickelson match-up, as they battle for a place in the final four. Johnson's 4Aces are yet to take to the Miami course having received a bar to the quarter-finals thanks to sitting top of the season-long titles.

The quarter-final matches were released on Friday (AP)

Mickelson and the HyFlyers meanwhile have already been in action, defeating Brooks Koepka's Smash GC on Friday. For Mickelson it was a tough day individually, after he was thrashed by Koepka 6&4 in the captain's clash. It was 'Lefty' who had the last laugh though, as Cameron Tringale defeated Jason Kokrak, before Brendan Steele and James Piot defeated Chase Koepka and Matt Wolff in the decider.

On the back of his own defeat, the HyFlyers skipper admitted he had some work to do overnight to ensure he contributes to his team against the league leaders. "I've got a little work to do, a lot of work to do on my game overnight," he admitted.

"But I've got a team that has really made this fun and special and came through today. I'm so proud of Steeley [Steele] and Camo [Tringale] and Riot [Piot] and these guys that really played some great golf today. We're looking forward to playing the best team in the league - well, consistently the best team in the league, and we're looking forward to the opportunity."

Joshua Lees