NASHVILLE PREVIEW: HYFLYERS GC RISING STEADILY ENTERING THE GROVE
Team: HyFlyers Golf Club
Previous event team finish: 9th
Season-long team standings: 11th
Top finisher from previous event: Cameron Tringale, T9
Fun stat: Cameron Tringale was second in total birdies (18) at Houston, second only to David Puig (20).
Preview
If there’s a week to put a mostly frustrating season behind you, LIV Golf Nashville might be the perfect setting for HyFlyers Golf Club.
The team enters Nashville 11th in the season-long standings, but a new venue on a layout that rewards risk-takers could be just what it needs. What also has to be taken into consideration is the recent stretch of results compared to HyFlyers GC’s showings earlier in 2024. The team has an average finish of 6.3 in its last three events, including a third-place finish in Adelaide. What continues to hurt are the first five events of the season when the team finished 12th or worse in three of four tournaments.
So, although a quick glance at the standings looks concerning, HyFlyers GC is actually trending up and a podium finish or victory on a new course is not an outlandish pick. Captain Phil Mickelson leads a team that is on the brink of putting together three good rounds, and more importantly, four solid counting scores on a Sunday. Mickelson was 4 under through two rounds in Houston but took a slight step back with a 74 in the final round. The six-time major champion is coming off a missed cut at the U.S. Open, but his game wasn’t far off on the brutally hard Pinehurst No. 2 course.
It appears the team will lean on Cameron Tringale to lead the way. Tringale, known as one of the most consistent players during his time in the LIV Golf League, wasn’t quite himself for the first half of the season, but he recorded his first top-10 finish of 2024 with a T9 showing in Houston.
Brendan Steele has had his ups and downs in 2024 as well. But his ceiling is high considering he won the individual trophy in Adelaide just three events ago. He hasn’t finished in the top 30 in the next two events, but the win is still fresh and the confidence is high.
Teammate Andy Ogletree is looking for more consistency as well. He had a T3 in Adelaide but has finished outside the top 40 in the past two events.
Now they enter LIV Golf Nashville, a crucial week on the schedule. The Grove was designed by LIV Golf League CEO Greg Norman and is a treasure tucked into one of the lushest landscapes in the Nashville area. One of the most challenging aspects of the layout is McCrory Creek, which winds throughout holes and is known as one of the most beguiling natural hazards in competitive golf.
The water features don't stop there. There are plenty of ponds surrounding greens and fairways, which offer true risk-reward opportunities for all skill sets. The course also begs players to take chances, and if executed correctly, the payoffs are huge. The greens should be fast this week and the fairways are generous. Couple that with elevation changes and The Grove should provide plenty of drama.