Tag: Louis Oosthuizen

LIV Golf 2025: Preview and Power Rankings

**Jon Rahm: Looks to light it up in 2025**

Jon Rahm had a phenomenal 2024 LIV season, capping off the year with a dominating 3-shot victory over Joaquin Niemann and Sergio Garcia at the final event of the year in Chicago and finished atop our LIV Power Rankings by a wide margin.

Rahm’s performance at the ’24 majors, however, has no doubt left him burning through the winter with just one Top-10 finish (Open Championship)—so you can bet he will be laser focused in 2025 (uh-oh Scottie).

2024 was a break-out season for Joaquin Niemann as he led our Power Rankings through most of the year until Rahm finally ran him down with a win at the UK and then followed with a runner-up at the Greenbrier.

Although Niemann faltered a bit down the stretch, he still finished well ahead of #3 Bryson DeChambeau, in spite of Bryson’s fantastic performance at the ’24 major championships.

It also seems the Masters Tournament Committee was keeping an eye on Niemann’s fantastic 2024 LIV season, offering Joaquin a special invitation to Augusta National in April.

**Joaquin Niemann: Heading for Augusta**

All the leaders in our year-end rankings recorded a Top 10 finish in the final event of 2024 at Bolingbrook Golf Club, so when you look at the way the big guns finished up the year, the 2025 LIV season should deliver a ton of excitement.

Keep in mind that 12 LIV players are included among our All-Time Top 100 Players, starting with Phil at #9, DJ at #29, Sergio at #32 and Lee Westwood at #34.

Jon Rahm broke into the top 50 with his T7 at The Open Championship, and Bryson BeChambeau moved up to #91 with his win at the U.S. Open, runner-up at The PGA and T6 at The Masters.

Brooks Koepka, currently #57, can move into the the top 50 all-time with a big year at the ’25 majors (and he is due after last year where he made all the cuts but failed to record a Top-10).

Power Rankings Overview

Players are rated and ranked on the basis of events played, average finish, wins, runner-up, Top 5 and Top 10 finishes—as well as performance at the major championships.

Top 5

No. 1 Jon Rahm: 110.2 Rating Jon started the ’24 season with a T3 at Mayakoba and kept his foot on the gas all year, finishing in the top 10 week after week until finally torching the field with 2 wins and a runner-up in the final 3 events of the year.

In 12 LIV tournaments, Rahm recorded 2 wins, a runner-up, 5 Top 5’s and 4 Top 10’s—with an average finish of 4.8.

Unless he suffers a signifacant injury, Rahm will dominate again in 2025—and it’s a good bet there will be another major championship trophy on his mantel before the year is out.

No. 2 Joaquin Niemann: 99.1 Rating

Joaquin jumped out early winning 2 of the first 3 events of 2024 (Mayakoba and Jedda), and applied heat through the final round of the last tournament of the year in Chicago.

In 13 events, Joaquin recorded 2 wins, 2 runner-ups, 3 Top 5’s and 3 Top 10’s, with an average finish of 8.9.

Rest assured, the sweet swinging Niemann, who only just turned 26 in November, will continue to dog Rahm though the 2025 season (and perhaps grab a major championship as well).

**Bryson: Huge year at the Majors** **in ’24**

No. 3 Bryson DeChambeau: 90.2 Rating

The 2024 LIV season was a good one for Bryson with 2-Top 5’s and 5-Top 10’s, but considering his powerhouse performance at the major championships (including his second U.S. Open win), you would have expected quite a bit more—particularly after recording 2 LIV wins in 2023.

Still, DeChambeau was very consistent throughout the season and ended the year at 4th in average finish (12.8)—look for Bryson to elevate his game further at LIV events, while remaining a force (and a big draw) at the majors in 2025.

No. 4 Tyrell Hatton: 87.8 Rating

Hatton posted a win in Nashville at The Grove in 2024, his debut season with LIV, and also recorded a runner-up, 4 Top 5’s and a Top 10.

Tyrell posted an average finish of 10.2, 3rd in the league behind Rahm and Niemann, while recording his best ever showing (T9) at The Masters.

Hatton is loaded with talent, and if he keeps his temper in check it’s almost certain he will record another win (or two) in 2025

No. 5 Brooks Koepka: 79.6

Brooks notched 2 more LIV wins in 2024 (Singapore and Greenbrier), bringing his league leading total to 5 since joining LIV in 2022 (and matching his number in major championship victories).

In spite of the wins, Koepka’s 2024 season was dissapointing, with an average finish of 16.4 which ranked him at 10th in the league. Brooks also failed to record a Top-10 at any of the majors (although he made the cut in all of them).

Koepka appears as fit as he’s ever been, but he will turn 34 years old in May and the clock is beginning to tick—it’s time for Brooks to bring the hammer down more often at LIV events to sharpen his game, particularly those preceding the major championships.

A sixth major win would bring Koepka even with Phil and Lee Trevino, and two more tie’s him with Arnie and Sam Snead—look for Brooks to make his move in 2025.

Movers

Sergio Garcia: Sergio nailed down his first LIV win in 2024 at Andalucia, and also recorded 3 runner-up finishes (Mayakoba, Miami and Chicago), while adding a T5 at Houston and T8 at The Greenbrier.

Sergio ended the year at No. 6 in our Power Rankings and 6th in average finish at 14.7—a big jump from his 2023 season.

Although Garcia just turned 45, he’s in fantastic shape and remains one of the premier ball-strikers in golf–don’t expect him to fade away any time soon.

Louis Oosthuizen: Oosthuizen looked like the Louis of old in 2024, recording a runner-up (Adelaide), a T4 (Andalucia), and 4 Top 10’s. He also ended the year 5th in average finish at 14.6, jumping to 9th in our power rankings.

Let’s hope the back holds up in 2025, because there is nothing more enjoyable than watching Oosthuizen strike a laser-like long iron pin seeker (see double eagle at Augusta in 2012.)

Cameron Smith: After leading our Power Rankings in ’23 with 2 LIV wins, a runner-up, 2-T5’s and a pair of Top-10’s (as well as a couple of major Top-10’s), Smith went winless in 2024 and plummented all the way down to No.7.

Cam didn’t exactly fall off a cliff though, with 3 runner-up finishes, 4 Top-10’s and a T6 at The Masters—but two extremely poor performances (Houston and Chicago) knocked his Average Finish down to 17.3 (12th in the League).

Expect Smith and his putter to get back on track with a couple of wins in ’25, and if that wand heats up at a major he will be very tough to beat.

**Riyadh Golf Club, Saudi Arabia: Feb 6-8, 2025**

2025 LIV Schedule

Riyadh: Riyadh Golf Club, Saudi Arabia(February 6–8)

Adelaide: The Grange Golf Club, Australia (February 14–16)

Hong Kong: Hong Kong Golf Club, Hong Kong (March 7–9)

Singapore: Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore (March 14–16)

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LIV Golf: 2024 Recap and Power Rankings

Jon Rahm put an exclamation point on his phenomenal season with a dominating 3-shot victory over Joaquin Niemann and Sergio Garcia in Chicago, finishing atop the final 2024 LIV Power Rankings. Niemann led the field throughout the year until Rahm finally ran him down with a win at the UK and followed with a runner-up at the Greenbrier.

Niemann had a break-out season, finishing well ahead of #3 Bryson DeChambeau, despite Bryson’s fantastic performance at the 2024 major championships that gave him a big boost in the power rankings.

All of the top players in the year-end rankings recorded a Top 10 finish at Bolingbrook Golf Club, keeping the heat on Rahm right through the last round of the season’s final event.

When you look at the way the big guns finished up the year, the 2025 LIV season should provide a lot of excitement.

Keep in mind that 12 LIV players are included among the All-Time Top 100 Players, with Phil in the top 10, Jon Rahm breaking into the top 50 with his T10 at The Open Championship, and Bryson moving up to #91 with his win at the U.S. Open, runner-up at The PGA and T6 at The Masters.

Team Championship

At the year-end Team Championship held at Maridoe Golf Club in Texas, Ripper GC, the Australian contingent of Cam Smith, Lucas Herbert, Mark Leishman and Matt Jones recorded a 3-shot victory over the Aces (Dustin Johnson, Pat Reed, Harlod Varner III and Pat Perez). Iron Heads, consisting of Jinichiro Kozuma, Kevin Na, Danny Lee and Scott Vincent finished in the 3rd position.

Power Rankings Overview

Players are rated and ranked on the basis of events played, average finish, wins, runner up, Top 5 and Top 10 finishes—as well as performance at the major championships. DJ led the league in 2022 at 80.9, and Cameron Smith set a new standard in 2023 at 89.0—but Jon Rahm’s rating of 110.2 in 2024 is truly mind-blowing.

Top 5

No. 1 Jon Rahm: 110.2 Rating Jon started the season with a T3 at Mayakoba and kept his foot on the gas all year, finishing in the top 10 week after week until finally torching the field with 2 wins and a runner-up in the final 3 events of the year.

In 12 LIV tournaments, Rahm recorded 2 wins, a runner-up, 5 Top 5’s and 4 Top 10’s—and his average finish was 4.8.

It would seem impossible to improve on the year Jon had in 2024, but you don’t want to bet against him in 2025—plus he’ll be loaded for bear at the majors next time around.

No. 2 Joaquin Niemann: 99.1 Rating

Joaquin jumped out early winning 2 of the first 3 events at Mayakoba and Jedda, and battled Rahm tooth and nail all year to the bitter end.

In 13 events, Joaquin recorded 2 wins, 2 runner-ups, 3 Top 5’s and 3 Top 10’s, with an average finish of 8.9.

In the tournaments Rahm won at the UK and Chicago coming down the stretch, Joaquin was right there fighting his heart out—but came up just short with runner-up finishes in both.

Before shedding too many tears for Joaquin though, remember he is just 25 years old, having turned pro at age 19—and with that swing he’s going to pile up plenty of wins before too long.

No. 3 Bryson DeChambeau: 90.2 Rating

Bryson had a good year in 2024 with 2-Top 5’s, and 5 Top 10’s, but considering his incredible performance at the major championships, you would have expected a bit more—particularly after recording 2 LIV wins in 2023.

Still, DeChambeau was very consistent throughout the season and finished 4th in average finish at 12.8—and it’s pretty hard to complain about a year that includes a U.S. Open win.

No. 4 Tyrell Hatton: 87.8 Rating

Hatton posted a win at The Grove in Nashville in his debut season with LIV, and also recorded a runner-up, 4 Top 5’s and a Top 10.

Tyrell also posted an average finish of 10.2, 3rd in the league behind Rahm and Niemann. Hatton is loaded with talent, and when he keeps a handle on the temper it’s almost certain to see him among the leaders come Sunday.

Keep in mind as well that in 2024 Tyrell was seeing many of the LIV tournament courses for the first time, which is always tough—and that won’t be the case in 2025. Don’t be surprised if next year is a multiple win season for Hatton.

No. 5 Brooks Koepka: 79.6

Brooks notched 2 more wins in 2024, bringing him to a total of 5 since joining LIV in 2022, matching his major championship total, and 2 more than DJ, Cam Smith and Talor Gooch who each have 3.

For all the even tempered consistency Koepka brings to the major championships, Brooks is remarkably inconsistent when it comes to regular events. Along with his two wins, Koepka recorded a Top 5 at Mayakoba and 3 Top 10’s—but then had a couple of big-time stinkers at Trump National Doral in Miami (45) and Nashville (42).

With an average finish of 16.4, Brooks ranked 10th in the league behind Richard Bland (8) and Paul Casey (9). Bland and Casey are fine players, but they are not close to the level of Brooks Koepka.

It looks like Brooks is past the injuries and appears as fit as he’s ever been—so what’s up? Certainly the putter went cold at some key points in the majors this year, but that doesn’t explain so many poor performances at the regular LIV events.

Brooks needs to step it up in 2025, and he will no doubt be a bigger force at the majors—but Koepka should borrow a page from Jon Rahm and show up every week ready to play. And wouldn’t that be fun to watch.

Movers

Bryson DeChambeau: Bryson joined LIV the first year back in 2022, played the second event in Portland and recorded a T10. The rest of his year, though, was underwhelming with only 1 more Top 10 (Chicago) while finishing up the year at No. 17.

In 2023 DeChambeau pumped it up and recorded 2 wins, vaulting to No. 4, and in 2024 Bryson continued to move up, finishing at No. 3. Look for some good battles with Rahm and Koepka in 2025.

Sergio Garcia: Sergio has played every event since LIV began in 2022, finally breaking out for his first win this year at Andalucia. Garcia recorded 4 top 10’s in 7 events back in 2022, finishing the year at No. 6 in the rankings, but slipped to No. 17 in 2023—and at 43 years old it looked like Sergio was fading fast.

Garcia made a statement that he wasn’t done quite yet in the first event of 2024 with a runner-up at Mayakoba. On top of his win in Spain, Sergio notched 2 additional runner-up finishes in Miami and Chicago, along with a T5 in Houston and a T8 at The Greenbrier.

Sergio ended the year at No. 6 in the power rankings, and also 6th in average finish at 14.7—a huge move from his mediocre 2023 season.

Louis Oosthuizen: With the prettiest golf swing you’ll ever see, it had to be the bad back that caused Louis to finish 2023 in the middle of the pack (No. 23).

Oosthuizen looked like the Louis of old this year though, recording a runner-up (Adelaide), a T4 (Andalucia), and 4 Top 10’s. On top of that, he finished the year 5th in average finish at 14.6 and jumped all the way to No. 9 in the power rankings.

Let’s hope the back holds up in 2025, because there is nothing more enjoyable than watching Oosthuizen strike a laser-like long iron tracking the pin (see double eagle at Augusta with a 4 iron at No. 12 in 2012.)

All-Time LIV Wins

Brooks Koepka: 5
Cam Smith: 3
Dustin Johnson: 3
Talor Gooch: 3
Jon Rahm: 2
Bryson DeChambeau: 2
Joaquin Niemann: 2

2025 LIV Schedule

Riyadh: Riyadh Golf Club, Saudi Arabia(February 6–8)

Adelaide: The Grange Golf Club, Australia (February 14–16)

Hong Kong: Hong Kong Golf Club, Hong Kong (March 7–9)

Singapore: Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore (March 14–16)

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LIV Golf: 2024 Power Rankings through Greenbrier

**Jon Rahm: Moves to #1** (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez)

Jon Rahm has been chasing Joaquin Niemann in the LIV Power Rankings all year, and with his first LIV win at the UK and a runner-up at The Greenbrier, he finally ran him down.

Niemann certainly didn’t give it up without a fight though, finishing one shot behind Rahm at the UK as runner up. Jon came out swinging with a first round 63 and a 6-shot lead over Niemann, but Joaquin fired 67 and 65 on the weekend only to come up just shy.

Niemann certainly didn’t play poorly at The Greenbrier either, finishing at 11 under par and a T15 (along with Bryson DeChambeau), but Rahm has been relentless in 2024 and his runner-up to Koepka on Old White pretty much sealed the deal.

Niemann will need to win Chicago with Rahm finishing outside the top 10 to retake the lead, and the way Rahm has played that doesn’t seem likely. As the year winds down, there are twelve LIV players included among the All-Time Top 100 Players, with Phil at the top and Bryson the most recent addition on the strength of his fantastic major championship season.

LIV Power Ranking Update

Players are rated and ranked on the basis of events played, average finish, wins, runner-up, Top-5 and Top-10 finishes—as well as performance at the major championships.

Top 5

No. 1 Jon Rahm: 100.8 Rating

Jon started to heat up with his final round at The Open and a Top 10 finish, and then kept rolling when he held off Niemann for his first LIV win at the UK. Although the last nine holes at the Olympic Tournament in France were excruciating after the first 63 holes of flawless golf, Rahm came back with another powerful performance at The Greenbrier where he recorded a runner-up, losing in a playoff to Brooks Koepka.

In 11 LIV events, Rahm has recorded a win, a runner-up, 5 Top-5’s and 4 Top-10’s—and his average finish is 5.2.

What separated Jack and Tiger was brilliant consistency and professionalism—and Jon Rahm epitomizes exactly that.

Think Jon will be among the leaders on Sunday at Bolingbrook? You can take it to the bank.

No. 2 Joaquin Niemann: 93.6 Rating

Joaquin has had an amazing year with 2 wins, 6 Top-10’s and a runner-up at the UK, going toe-to-toe with Rahm throughout the year.

Keep in mind that Niemann is only 25 years old, although you may think he’s far older (Joaquin turned pro at 19 and won his first Tour event at 20).

He charged hard but finished a shot back at the UK, and finally relinquished his lead in the LIV Power Rankings when Rahm recorded yet another Top-10 at The Greenbrier—but unfortunately for Niemann it was like trying to hold back a tidal wave.

And while he has yet to make his presence felt at the major championships, Niemann has had extraordinary success at every level since first picking up a club as a toddler—so his time will come without doubt.

No. 3 Bryson DeChambeau: 86.7 Rating

Bryson got off to a slow start at both the UK and Greenbrier, finishing strong but just outside the top 10 in both events.

With his U.S. Open win, runner up at the PGA and T6 at The Masters, Bryson had an incredible year at the majors—and 2 Top-5’s (Jeddah and Nashville) along with 4 Top-10’s in 12 LIV events is one heck of a regular season.

Bryson is back, and he’ll be hitting eye-popping bombs at Bolingbrook—so Rahm and Niemann will need to bring their A games to keep him at bay.

No. 4 Tyrell Hatton: 83.3 Rating

Hatton played great at the UK, recording a T2, but followed up with a less than stellar performance (25^th) at The Greenbrier—which pretty much sums up Tyrell’s 2024 campaign.

Tyrell’s season included brilliant performances (a win, runner-up, 3 Top-5’s and a Top-10), along with forgettable finishes (Hong Kong—21 and Houston—18) and mediocrity (T15 in Jedda and T14 at Adelaide).

Which Tyrell Hatten will show up in Chicago? We’ll have to wait and see.

No. 5 Cameron Smith: 76.9

Smith is having about as good a season as you can have without recording a win. Including a T2 in the UK, Cameron has recorded 3 runner-up finishes in 2024. When you add 4 Top-10’s and a T6 at The Masters, Smith has had a very successful season.

Like Brooks Koepka however, Cameron puts the bulk of his stock in performance at the majors, and after the good start at Augusta he was outside the top 20 at the PGA and U.S. Open, and then missed the cut at The Open Championship.

Still, Cam is coming off back-to-back Top-10’s at The UK and The Greenbrier, so a win in Chicago would be a great way to wind up the year and make a statement for 2025.

Notables

Brooks Koepka (No. 6/75.7 Rating)

Brooks applied the brakes to the Jon Rahm freight train with a playoff win at Greenbrier for his second victory of the 2024 season and 5^th career LIV championship.

It’s been a strange year for Koepka though, making the cut in all four majors while finishing outside the top 20 in every one of them. And although he has a pair of LIV wins along with a T5 and 2 Top-10’s, Brooks was downright lousy in a couple of events (Miami—45 and Nashville—42) and lackluster in others (Hong Kong—28 and Andalucia—27).

Koepka is an enigma for sure, with all that power and ability. Seems like if the putts are falling early, it’s lights out for the field—but if not, the fire begins to fade.

Let’s hope Brooks has it going in Chicago, it would be great to see another bare-knuckle brawl with Rahm.

Louis Oosthuizen (No. 8/67.2 Rating)

Is there a golf swing in golf more enjoyable to watch? Or a nicer guy on the planet? Once again Louis Oosthuizen is quietly having a solid year with a runner-up (Adelaide), T4 (Andalucia), and 4 additional Top-10’s.

Louis is also the picture of consistency, in spite of a balky back, ranking fourth in average finish at 12.8.

If you can tear yourself away from watching Bryson bomb it, check out the simple elegance of a Louis Oosthuizen long iron—brings a smile every time.

Phil (No. 44/32.8 Rating)

Still no Phil. After tying Gary Player for second behind Jack with 102 major cuts when he made it to the weekend at Royal Troon, it almost seems that Phil has packed it in for the season.

Following a mediocre performance at the UK (T34), Mickelson appeared ready to make some noise at The Greenbrier with two solid rounds, but then blew up on Sunday to finish 50th.

Mickelson also passed a comment that at 54, perhaps it was nearing the time he should “step aside,” but it’s looked like Phil was done before and then he suddenly popped back up.

Come on Phil, give us one more thrill in Chicagoland.

2024 Upcoming LIV Schedule

Chicago: Bolingbrook Golf Club (September 13-15)

Team Championship Dallas: Maridoe Golf Club (September 20-22)

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