Tag: Phil Mickelson

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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LIV Golf: 2024 Power Rankings through Andalucia and The Open

Jon Rahm keeps packing on the Top 10’s and Bryson DeChambeau lit up the first three majors of the year–yet Joaquin Niemann continues to hold the lead in the LIV Power Rankings.

Of the 18 LIV players to tee it up for The Open Championship at Royal Troon, 11 made the cut where brutal wind and gnarly rough saw 10 of the Top 20 players in the World Rankings head home for the weekend.

The weather continued to play havoc with scoring as rain came in on Saturday afternoon, adding another element to the difficult conditions at Troon, and then on Sunday the wind abruptly turned 180 degrees presenting the players with an entirely new look—and requiring a big shift in strategy and approach amidst the pressure of the final round at a major championship.

As the leaders came back to the field, Jon Rahm battled the elements and stayed within striking distance at 2 over through the first three rounds. On Sunday Jon came out guns blazing with 3 birdies on the first 3 holes and 32 on the front-nine to pull within 2 shots of the lead before a wayward tee shot on the 11^th hole led to a bogie that derailed his run.

Although Rahm didn’t pick up his third major, his T7 adds another Major Top 10 to an already phenomenal record, and he will join Phil, DJ, Sergio and Lee Westwood among the first 50 in All-Time Top 100 Players.

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 Joaquin Niemann: 87.4 Rating

Along with his two wins at Mayakoba and Jeddah, Niemann has also recorded 6-Top 10’s including his T6 at Andalucia last week, and improved his average finish of 9.6, second only to Jon Rahm.

Although his performance at the major’s has not met expectations thus far in his early career, it is only a matter of time before Joaquin breaks out in a big way—and there is nothing not to like about this young man (exemplified by the 4 birdies he made on the back nine Friday at Troon following a nightmare 8 at the Postage Stamp Par 3).

No. 2 Jon Rahm: 86.0 Rating

Still no LIV wins (incredibly), but five Top-5’s and four Top-10’s in nine LIV events this year is pretty tough to beat. And with all those great finishes, it’s not a surprise that Rahm also holds a substantial lead in average finish at 6.0.

Although Jon came up short at The Open, there was a glimpse of the fire that the world is used to seeing from Rahm when he is in the hunt on Sunday—look for him to break through with his first LIV win this weekend at The UK.

No. 3 Bryson DeChambeau: 84.6 Rating

In addition to his U.S. Open win, runner up at the PGA and T6 at The Masters, Bryson has recorded 2-Top 5’s (Jeddah and Nashville) along with 4 Top-10’s (including a T9 at Andalucia last week).

While Bryson missed the cut at The Open this week, his 2024 season has been nothing less than spectacular—and you can look forward to watching him bomb his way to the top of the leaderboard at major championships for many years to come.

No. 4 Tyrell Hatton: 77.9 Rating

Hatton recorded a T3 at Andalucia on the heels of his first LIV win in Nashville at The Grove, where he dominated for a six-shot margin of victory.

For the season, Tyrell has recorded 3 Top-5’s and a Top-10 to go along with his win, while sporting the third best average finish at 10.1—just behind Niemann.

No. 5 Sergio Garcia: 67.9 With his home-court win at Andalucia last week, Sergio jumped into the Top 5 on the Power rankings. In addition to his win, Garcia has also recorded a pair of runner-up finishes (Mayakoba and Trump Doral in Miami), as well as a T5 at Houston.

No. 5 Dean Burmester: 67.0 Rating

Dean got off to a fast start in the ’24 season with a T3 at Mayakoba, a T8 in Hong Kong, a win in Miami at Trump National Doral and another T3 at Adelade—but cooled off with no Top 10’s in his last four LIV events.

It seemed that the Burmester magic was back as he stayed among the leaders through Thursday and Friday at The Open, but as the rain and wind grew stronger on Saturday afternoon Dean’s hopes were washed away with a 41 on the back, and a 3^rd round 76.

Burmester re-set and shot an even par 71 on Sunday for a solid Top 20 Open finish, so it seems that he’s ready to resume his early season success.

Notables

Brooks Koepka (No. 6/63.9 Rating)

For a lot of players making the cut at all four majors wouldn’t be all that bad, but for Koepka it’s a dismal year.

Brooks has recorded a win, a Top 5 and 2-Top 10’s thus far in 2024 however, so he’s still in position to make a move with big finishes at the U.K., Greenbrier and Bolingbrook Golf Club in Chicago. But will he be motivated?

Phil (No. 41/33.0 Rating

Phil continues his slumber in the LIV events, but he was teeing it up on Saturday at Royal Troon while ten of the top twenty players in the world were lounging on the couch.

And although it wasn’t the same Phil who fought Henrik Stenson tooth and nail at Troon in 2016, firing that brilliant final found 65, he’s still got some game at 54 years old (finished in a tie with 2023 Open Champion Brian Harmon and ahead of Hideki Matsuyama, another World Top 20 player).

The 2024 Open Championship was also the 102^nd time that Mickelson has made the cut at a major championship, tying Gary Player for second behind Jack.

2024 Upcoming LIV Schedule

United Kingdom: JCB Golf and Country Club (July26-28)

Greenbrier: Old White-Greenbrier (August 16-18)

Chicago: Bolingbrook Golf Club (September 13-15)

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

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LIV Golf: 2024 Power Rankings through Nashville

While all eyes have been on Jon Rham since he joined LIV for the 2024 season, Joaquin Niemann quietly remains atop the LIV Power Rankings through the first nine events. And although Rahm has finished among the top 10 in every LIV event he’s played, Bryson DeChambeau has bulled past him into the No. 2 slot with his powerhouse performance at the U.S. Open.

Not only has DeChambeau moved to the top of the LIV Power Rankings, his fantastic play at the 2024 major championships (U.S. Open win, runner-up at the PGA Championship and Masters T6), has also moved Bryson onto the list of the All-Time Top 100 Players.

Bryson (No. 90) joins a long list of LIV players already residing among the Top 100, starting with Phil at No. 9 and DJ at No. 29, Sergio (32), Lee Westwood (34), Rham (52), Koepka (57), Paul Casey and Hendrick Stenson (T64), Louis Oosthuizen (85), Charl Schwartzel (90), Bubba Watson (T99) and Cameron Smith (T99)

Should DeChambeau keep it rolling and win The Open Championship, he would vault all the way into the All-Time Top 75.

And if Jon Rahm were to kick it up a notch and win The Open, he would move into the All-Time Top 50.

Young Joaquin Niemann will need to marshal all of his talent to keep the big guys at bay—and keep in mind that Brooks Koepka is also due for a big performance at a major.

One thing is for sure, the race is heating up and the next few weeks will be about as exciting as it can get.

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. There is one LIV event coming up before The Open Championship—Andalucia at The Real Club Valderrama (July 12-14).

Top 5

No. 1 Joaquin Niemann: 83.0 Rating

Niemann has won two LIV events in 2024 (Mayakoba and Jeddah), and also recorded 5-Top 10’s with an average finish of 10.0, second only to Jon Rahm.

Coming off a solid T3 at The Grove in Nashville, Joaquin will need to keep it going at Valderrama and have a good showing at Royal Troon if he hopes to hold off Rahm and a hard charging DeChambeau.

No. 2 Bryson DeChambeau: 81.1 Rating

Bryson moved steadily up the board last year after a strong showing at the 23’ PGA Championship (T4), finishing at No. 10 on the LIV Power rankings.

In 2024 DeChambeau has ramped it up further, mashing the pedal to the floor with a win at the U.S. Open, runner up at the PGA and a T6 at The Masters—not to mention 5 LIV top 10’s.

It’ll be a wild ride watching Bryson bomb it off the tee at Royal Troon.

No. 3 Jon Rahm: 78.5 Rating

Rahm has still not notched an LIV win, but he’s recorded a top 10 in all eight events he’s played. His amazing 5.5 average finish leads the league by a wide margin, but that first win has somehow eluded him—perhaps some home court vibes at Valderrama will push him over the top (and get him revved up for The Open as well).

No. 4 Tyrell Hatton: 73.1 Rating

Hatton recorded his first LIV win at Nashville last week, dominating the field at 19 under and a six-shot margin over runner-up Sam Horsfield. Tyrell has also posted 3-Top-10’s in the ’24 campaign and added a strong showing at The Masters (T9).

At 32 years old, Hatton is in the prime of his career—and he’s been knocking on the door at The Open for a while now (2016–T5, 2019–T6, 2022–T11 and a T20 in 2023). Tyrell was born and still resides in Buckinghamshire, England, so The Open Championship is a prize he would dearly love to take. His game is very sharp right now, so look for Hatton among the leaders on the weekend at Troon this year.

No. 5 Dean Burmester: 66.0 Rating

Dean got off to a fast start in the ’24 season with a T3 at Mayakoba, a T8 in Hong Kong, a win in Miami at Trump National Doral and another T3 at Adelade.

Following a solid tournament in Singapore (T14) and a terrific performance at The PGA with all four rounds under par and a T12 finish, Burmester was pretty mediocre in Houston and Nashville (T18 and T 25).

He still holds the 5^th highest average finish in the league at 14.0, but Dean will need to step it up at Valderrama and The Open if he hopes to stay in touch with the leaders.

Notables

Brooks Koepka (No. 6/62.9 Rating)

Brooks was showing signs of life before his dismal performance in Nashville (42) with a win in Singapore and 2-Top 10’s (Adelade and Houston). And although he hasn’t recorded a major Top 10 in 2024, he’s not been very far off (a poor third round knocked him out at the PGA and a tough second round cost him at the U.S. Open).

Koepka’s trademark at major’s has been his consistency and resilience—so three consecutive mediocre major championship finishes is a surprise.

In his last 7 starts at The Open, Brooks recorded 4 Top 10 finishes (2015–T10, 2017–T6, 2019–T4, and a T6 in 2021).

Looks like Brooks is due.

Cameron Smith (No. 7/62.6 Rating)

Cam recorded his second runner-up of the year in Singapore after a T6 at The Masters, and had a strong finish in Nashville last week (T9). When Smith has a putter in his hands, anything can happen—and if the short stick heats up as it did in 2022, there’s a good chance he’ll be raising the Claret Jug again in July.

Carlos Ortiz (No. 9/58.8 Rating)

After a slow start to the 2024 LIV season, Carlos posted a T4 in Hong Kong in April and climbed into the Top 10 with his first LIV win 3 weeks ago at the Golf Club of Houston and continued his strong pay with a T9 in Nashville.

Phil (No. 43/30.1 Rating

Phil hasn’t made the cut at The Open Championship since 2018, and it’s been over ten years since he fired that brilliant 66 in the final round at Muirfield to come from 5 back and win the 2013 Championship.

Mickelson has done nothing in the LIV events this year other than a T6 at Jeddah back in March, and he missed the cut at both the PGA and the U.S. Open.

His last two starts at Houston (T37) and Nashville (T40) were disappointing to say the least, but as George Patton would say that is exactly why you should expect Phil to mount a major offensive at Troon a couple of weeks from now.

On the other hand, Phil may finally have run out of hat rabbits—but it’s always fun to watch him tee it up again a major championship.

2024 Upcoming LIV Schedule

Andacucia: Real Club Valderrama, Spain (July 12-14)

United Kingdom: JCB Golf and Country Club (July26-28)

Greenbrier: Old White-Greenbrier (August 16-18)

Chicago: Bolingbrook Golf Club (September 13-15)

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

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2024 PGA Championship: Showdown at Valhalla

**Scottie Scheffler: Amazing 2024 Season**

Seem’s like we were just watching Scottie Scheffler slip the green jacket over his shoulders, and suddenly the PGA Championship is upon us. The eve of a major championship is always alive with anticipation and excitement, but the ‘24 PGA has the protentional for all-time greatness.

This may be the most highly talented field ever assembled for a golf championship, when you consider Tiger’s 15 majors, Phil with 6, Brooks Koepka at 5, Rory at 4, and Jordan Spieth with 3—a total of 33 major championships between them.

For perspective, the 1963 PGA Championship included Ben Hogan with 9 majors, Sam Snead and Arnie with 7 each, while Gary Player had won 3 majors at that point and Jack 2 (the ’63 PGA was Jack’s third major)—28 total majors.

In addition, the 2024 PGA includes future Hall of Famers Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler–each with 2 major championships.

**Tiger and Phil (21 Majors Between Them)**

And although the odds are pretty long that Tiger or Phil will be among the leaders on Sunday, it won’t be for lack of will—and watching them battle once again to turn back the hands of time will make for memorable viewing (and hopefully they will both be teeing it up on the weekend).

The big show without doubt, however, will be Scottie Scheffler–and if anybody can take him down.

Scottie’s Run

With victories at The Masters and The Players, and 9 Top-10’s without missing a cut in his first 10 starts, Scheffler is off to the hottest start on the PGA Tour since 1960 (including Tiger in 2000 and Jack in 1963).

On top of that, Scottie’s momentum has reached a crescendo coming into the PGA, with 4 wins and a runner-up in his last 5 starts. Keep in mind as well that this wave has been gathering strength for quite a while, with 26 Top-10’s in his last 33 starts going back to last year (and with no missed cuts)—so anybody who steps up to take him on better be ready to absorb some heavy blows.

**Brooks Koepka: Looking for Sixth Major**

The Top Contenders

Koepka: Defending champion Brooks Koepka is coming off a Top-10 and a win in his last two LIV events, and looks like he is primed and ready in pursuit of his sixth major. Koepka lives for major championships, so don’t expect him to take a dive.

McIlroy: It’s been ten years since Rory won his last major championship, but it was The PGA and it was at Valhalla. And although Rory was the invisible man in his first 8 starts of 2024, he’s posted a win in each of his last 2 (including a heavyweight performance at Quail Hollow last week). If McIlroy is making a few putts, even Scheffler will need his best to hold him off.

Rahm: Jon Rahm put up the highest career cut and Top-10 percentages on the PGA Tour outside of Tiger and Jack, and has finished in the top ten of every LIV event he’s played. At 29 years old, Rahm is just now coming into his prime—look for him to rebound from the lackluster Masters performance and put some heat on Scheffler as he goes for major number 3.

Schauffele: Xander is having a heck of a 2024 season with 8 Top-10’s in 12 starts, and he hasn’t missed a cut in two years—but somehow that first major championship has eluded him. Always a great ball striker, Schauffele has made vast improvement from the tee (currently 6^th in Total Driving) and stands at No. 2 behind Scheffler in scoring average. It’s just a matter of time before he breaks through at a major, and remember that Phil didn’t win his first until he was 33.

Notables

Twenty-four-year-old Ludwig Aberg is going to be a major force on the PGA Tour for another decade and more, currently standing at No. 3 on the Tour Power Rankings with 5 Top-10’s in 10 starts, including a runner-up at The Masters. He bombs it from the tee and sticks his irons like Miller, but the putter has been holding him back—if the short stick heats up look for Ludwig toward the top of the leaderboard late on Sunday.

Joaquin Niemann is the young star on the LIV circuit, and he’ll be flying under the radar with Koepka and Rahm grabbing most of the attention—but he has 2 wins and leads the LIV Power Rankings by a pretty wide margin. Niemann has major championship ability and a golf swing that’s easy on the eyes—watch for him this weekend.

Valhalla Golf Club

A Jack Nicklaus masterpiece, Valhalla will present a stiff test for the PGA Championship with a USGA Course Rating of 77.5 and a Slope of 154. 2024 will be the fourth time that Valhalla has hosted the PGA (1996, 2000, 2014).

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LIV Golf: 2024 Power Rankings and PGA Preview

There will be sixteen LIV players teeing it up at Valhalla for the PGA Championship next week, led by the reigning champion—Brooks Koepka.

If Koepka can go back-to-back at the PGA, it will be his sixth major championship, matching Lee Trevino, Nick Faldo and Phil. His chances looked a bit dim only a few weeks ago after the no-show at Augusta and mediocre start to the ’24 LIV season, but then Brooks notched a T9 down under at Adelaide and a 2-shot win over Cam Smith in Singapore.

Koepka is plenty long, and he can hit an iron with anybody, but what separates him from the field at major championships is the putter from 10 feet and in, where steel nerve under stifling pressure is a requirement. Brooks wasn’t making many putts at Augusta, but the short stick started heating up in Singapore—so it’s a pretty good bet he won’t relinquish his title without a fight next week.

Rahm v Scheffler II

A 74 in the first round at Augusta led to an early K/O for Rahm when Scheffler came out smoking with a 66, sending him to the canvas—and he never got up.

Don’t look for that to happen again. In the seven LIV events Rahm has played this year, he’s recorded four Top 5’s and 3 Top 10’s. Before moving to LIV, Jon notched 9 PGA Tour wins along with his 2 major championships (’21 U.S. Open and ’23 Masters).

Rahm’s cut percentage (90.2) and Top 10 percentage (50.2) is second only to Tiger (90.4/54.3) among active players, and his next major Top 10 will move him into the Top 50 players of all-time—and he’s still only 28 years old.

In addition to his two wins, Rahm’s major championship record includes a runner-up, 5 Top-5’s and 4 Top-10’s. And like Koepka, Jon saves his best for the toughest tracks and the biggest stage—so this time he’ll come out swinging for sure.

Cam Smith, Bryson DeChambeau and Joaquin Niemann

While Cam will look to deliver magic with the wand, Bryson will be launching bombs into the stratosphere. If Smith drives it in the fairway, the short stick will keep him among the leaders—and then anything can happen (as it did at the ’22 Open Championship).

DeChambeau had the driver under control at Augusta, but his putter let him down—and unfortunately following up with a T26 and a T27 could not have done much for his confidence. Still, with all that power you can’t count Bryson out.

Joaquin Niemann has been showcasing his talent at every LIV event this year, and its high time he stands up to take his place among the elite players in the world. With the way he hits it tee to green, you have to believe he’ll break through soon—but will Valhalla be his first?

PGA Championship Field

Brooks Koepka
Jon Rahm
Cameron Smith
Joaquin Niemann
Bryson DeChambeau
Dustin Johnson
Tyrell Hatton
Phil Mickelson
Patrick Reed
Talor Gooch
Dean Burmester
Adrian Meronk
David Puig
Lucas Herbert
Martin Kaymer
Andy Ogletree

LIV Power Ranking Update

Players are rated and ranked on the basis of events played, average finish, wins, runner ups, Top-5 and Top-10 finishes–as well as performance at the major championships (LIV Player Rankings).

Joaquin Niemann continues to hold the top spot in the Power rankings with a pair of wins, 2 Top-5’s and 2 Top-10’s. Jon Rahm is close behind with 4 Top-5’s and 3 Top-10’s.

Major championship performance moves the needle in a big way, and Rahm would jump to the top with a win at Valhalla–unless Niemann records a Top 10.

Top 5

No. 1 Joaquin Niemann: 80.1 Rating

Niemann added a couple more Top 10’s with a T3 at Adelaide and a T7 in Singapore, and also improved his average finish to 7.9, edging closer to Rahm’s league lead of 5.9—and well ahead of the rest of the field.

No. 2 Jon Rahm: 74.1 Rating

Although remaining winless, Rahm keeps churning out the Top 10’s, adding a T3 and a T10 while continuing to lead the league in average finish at 5.9—so you have to believe that first LIV win is right around the corner.

No. 3 Dean Burmester: 65.1 Rating Burmester maintained his No. 3 position with a T3 and a T14, and also punched his ticket to the PGA Championship.

No. 4 Abraham Ancer: 62.1 Rating

Since his win in Hong Kong, Ancer has posted 3 consecutive Top 10’s (T9’s at Miami and Adelaide with a T10 in Singapore), while improving his Average Finish to 12.9. Abraham will also be among the LIV contingent looking to make some noise this week.

No. 5 Tyrell Hatton: 61.7 Rating Tyrell held his position among the Top 5 with a T14 and a T5 following the solid performance at The Masters. Hatton is loaded with talent, so don’t be stunned if he’s hanging around the leaderboard again at Valhalla.

Notables

Cameron Smith (No. 6/61.3 Rating)

After a solid showing at The Masters, Smith posted a T14 at Adelaide and a runner up to Koepka in Singapore—and as long as that putter doesn’t break, expect to see him lurking on the leaderboard come Sunday next week.

Brooks Koepka (No. 8/59.0 Rating)

With a T9 and a win in Singapore (his fourth since joining LIV), Brooks jumped from the middle of the pack to the Top 10—and he’s tuned and ready to defend at Valhalla.

Dustin Johnson (No. 10/57.4) Johnson started the season right on track with a T5 in Mayakoba followed by a win in Vegas, but then the train left the rails as he finished outside the top twenty in each of the following four events—while also missing the cut at The Masters. Hopefully his T7 at Singapore last week means that Dustin is back in the groove and ready to put some heat on Scheffler next week.

Phil (No. 40/28.9 Rating

Come on Phil, 38th at Adelaide and a T22 in Singapore? Really?? One of these days you’re going to reach into the hat and there won’t be any more rabbits.

This will be his 102^nd major cut if he can pull it off, tying him with Gary Player for number 2 all-time behind Jack—let’s hope there’s one more bunny hiding in there…

2024 Upcoming LIV Schedule

Houston Golf Club of Houston (June 7-9)

Nashville The Grove (June 21-23)

Andalucia Valderrama, Spain (July 12-14)

United Kingdom JCB Golf and Country Club (July 26-28)

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LIV Golf: Masters Wrap-up and 2024 Power Rankings

**Bryson DeChambeau: Finds His Footing at Augusta**

Thirteen LIV players teed it up at Augusta last week for The Masters, eight made the cut, and 3 finished in the Top 10. Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith both finished at 2 under (T6) while Tyrell Hatton came in at even par (T9).

The big story at the 2024 Masters was the weather, where extremely high winds wreaked havoc with scoring as only eight players finished under par (as compared with twenty-five players under par in 23’). After storming out of the gate with an opening round 65, Bryson followed up with three mediocre rounds of 73-75-73—mainly because the continual buffeting by the wind eventually turned his putter into a block of ice.

Cam Smith was steady throughout, recording rounds of 71-72-72-71, anchored by the short stick. While not the pure magic seen at his 2022 Open Championship victory, his putter and short game held up well in all that wind—securing him another major T10.

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 (LIV Player Rankings).

**Joaquin Niemann: #1 in the Power Rankings**

While fifty-five players have participated in one or more tournaments this season, we’ve included only the top fifty. While most would expect Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Cameron Smith or Dustin Johnson to be occupying the top spot, instead you will see a 25-year-old Joaquin Niemann standing atop the mountain. There are two LIV events coming up before the PGA Championship in mid-May, however–Adelaide at La Grange Golf Club in Australia (April 26-28) and Singapore at Sentosa Golf Club (May 3-5), so there’s opportunity for someone to make a big move.

Top 5

No. 1 Joaquin Niemann: 72.0 Rating

Niemann has won two of the five LIV events played in 2024 (Mayakoba and Jeddah), and also recorded a T4 in Hong Kong and a T9 in Miami with an average finish among the Top 10 (9.0–second only to Jon Rahm.)

While he didn’t have his best at Augusta, Joaquin still finished in the Top 25 at +4 (tied with Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantley.) He’ll have his work cut out for him to hold off Jon Rahm for the top spot in the LIV rankings all year, but keep a close eye on Joaquin at the PGA next month—he can hit it with anybody.

No. 2 Jon Rahm: 67.4 Rating

Although Rahm has not yet won a LIV event, he finished among the Top 10 every time he teed it up (3, 4, 5 and 2-8’s). His average finish of 5.6 is also the League’s best by a wide margin, so it’s just a matter of time before the door bursts open. While the much-anticipated showdown with Scottie Scheffler at Augusta didn’t materialize, you can be sure that the 23’ Masters champ will make his presence felt at Valhalla for the PGA Championship.

No. 3 Bryson DeChambeau: 62.8 Rating

Bryson moved steadily up the board last year after his strong showing at the 23’ PGA Championship (T4), and finished the year at No. 10 with 5 LIV Top-10’s. In 5 events this year, DeChambeau has recorded a T4 (Jeddah) and 3 Top-10’s (Las Vegas, Hong Kong and Miami). With his T6 at The Masters, Bryson is chomping at the heals of Niemann and Rahm—it would be a big surprise if he were not among the leaders again on Sunday at the PGA.

No. 4 Dean Burmester: 58.8 Rating

Who? Not a household name to American golf fans, South African Dean Burmester played his entire career on the Sunshine and European Golf Tours accumulating 14 wins before joining LIV for the 23’ season (where he picked up 3 Top-10’s). With a win in Miami at Trump National Doral, a T3 at Mayakoba and T8 in Hong Kong, Dean is making himself known in a big way. His average finish of 13.2 places him 7^th through the first five events, ahead of Dustin Johnson (15.6), Cam Smith (16.5), and Brooks Koepka (20.4).

No. 5 Tyrell Hatton: 56.0 Rating

Hatton recorded a Top-10 in his first LIV event at Mayakoba, but dropped steadily in his next 3 starts until a T4 in Miami propelled him upward to his strong showing at the Masters (T9). He’s a superlative ball-striker and there’s something piratical about Tyrell–look for him to hoist his Jolly Roger among the leaders at the PGA in a couple weeks (unless his temper sends him off the plank).

**Tyrell Hatton**: **T9 at The Masters**

Notables

Cameron Smith (No. 10/52.5 Rating)

After finishing #1 in the 2023 LIV Power rankings, Cam was wallowing in the middle of the pack until a runner-up in Hong Kong and a T6 at The Masters shot him up to the 10^th position.

Perhaps the first major of the year got his blood flowing.

Brooks Koepka (No. 19/42.6 Rating)

Outside of a T5 in the first LIV event of the year at Mayakoba, Brooks has been sleep-walking through the 2024 season—and his performance at Augusta (+9/T45) did nothing to indicate he was ready to emerge from his slumber.

As everybody knows, Brooks puts the bulk of his focus and energy into the majors, particularly the PGA Championship and U.S. Open. Hopefully The Masters will serve as a blaring wake-up call and he’ll arrive at Valhalla tuned up and ready to defend his title.

**Brooks Koepka:** **Reigning PGA Champion**

Phil (No. 43/37.2 Rating

At 53 years old, Phil can still play–there’s no doubt about it. Last year he did nothing in the LIV events leading up to The Masters, and magically recorded a runner up finish. Once again in 24’ he’s done virtually nothing in the LIV tournaments, yet makes the cut at Augusta by a comfortable margin —and finishes ahead of both Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka.

What’s up with that? Perhaps Phil should put his foot on the gas in the upcoming LIV events at Adelaide and Singapore to sharpen his game and then see if he can add another PGA Championship to his major trophy case. The 2024 Masters was the one hundred and first major championship cut he’s made in his career, one behind Gary Player (who is second only to Jack).

**Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta GA**

Masters Summary

Bryson DeChambeau	T6
Cameron Smith	T6
Tyrell Hatton	T9
Patrick Reed	T12
Joaquin Nieman	T22
Phil Mickelson	T43
Jon Rahm	T45
Brooks Koepka	T45
Dustin Johnson	MC
Sergio Garcia	MC
Bubba Watson	MC
Charl Schwartzel	MC
Adrian Meronk	MC

2024 Upcoming LIV Schedule

Adelaide The Grange Golf Club, Australia (April 26-28)

Singapore Sentosa Golf Club (May 3-5)

Houston Golf Club of Houston (June 7-9)

Nashville The Grove (June 21-23)

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LIV Golf: 2022-23 Power Rankings and Masters Look Back

To the surprise of many, twelve of the eighteen LIV players who were invited to Augusta for The Masters made the cut. On top of that, three finished in the Top 5 (Phil and Brooks Koepka tied for runner-up, while Patrick Reed landed a T4). Young Joaquin Niemann also had a solid week, finishing among the Top 20 (T16).

The big story of the 2023 Masters was Koepka, dominating the field through the first three days of rain interrupted play. When the third round was halted through 6 holes on Saturday, Brooks appeared to be unstoppable in pursuit of his 5^th major championship, standing at 13 under par with a 4-shot lead over Jon Rahm.

And as play resumed on Sunday, with both Phil and Pat Reed rocketing up the leaderboard, it looked like the PGA Tour’s worst nightmare was about to unfold.

The golf pundits had universally been saying that the LIV players would have a rough time because they were not used to stiff competition, and LIV tournaments were only 3 rounds. Phil (at 52 years old) closed with a fourth round 65 and Reed fired a 68—both finishing in the top 5 and putting a stopper on that theory.

Although Brooks faltered on Sunday and Rahm was able to overtake him, he exhibited a degree of humility and class worthy of a four-time major champion. There is no question that Koepka is back, and you can expect to see him among the leaders at the PGA Championship at Oak Hill in May.

LIV Power Ranking Update

Players have been 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 2022 and 2023 major championships (LIV Player Rankings).

While seventy-five players have participated in one or more tournaments since the inaugural event in London last year, we’ve included only the top forty-eight. Not surprisingly, Dustin Johnson has dominated pretty much from day one. With his T4 at The Masters, however, Patrick Reed continues to move closer to DJ, and Brooks Koepka is beginning to bull his way toward the top with his second LIV win and runner-up at Augusta National.

Top 3

No. 1 Dustin Johnson: 81.9 Rating
After opening with an 8^thplace finish at the initial event in London, Dustin recorded a T3 in at Pumkin Ridge Portland, a T2 in Bedminster and then won the fourth event in Boston. In the ten stroke play tournaments held thus far, DJ has recorded a win, a runner-up, three top 5’s and two top 10’s with an average finish of 9.1.

While DJ made the cut at Augusta, his T48 finish was very forgettable—and allowed Reed and Koepka to close the gap quite a bit in the LIV Player Rankings.

No. 2 Patrick Reed: 67.6 Rating
Reed recorded a T3 in his first LIV event in Portland, and finished among the top 5 in four of the ten events he’s played (including a T3 at Orange County National in March). Patrick is also among the top echelon for consistency with an average finish of 12.4.

On the heels of his Top 5 finish at the Masters, Reed will look to carry the LIV banner through each of the remaining majors in 2023.

No. 3 Brooks Koepka: 67.0 Rating
After a slow start in 2022, Brooks recorded a T8 at Bangkok and followed that up with a win in his next event (Jeddah). After mediocre finishes in the first two events of 2023, Koepka recorded his second win in Orlando last week—making him the only LIV player with multiple wins thus far.

While his Sunday stumble at Augusta was no doubt a major let down for Brooks, he certainly sent a message that he’s far from done—and Rahm will have his hands full at the PGA this year.

**Cameron Smith: Looking to Heat Up at the PGA**

Notables

Cameron Smith: No. 7–60.6 Rating
After a fast start, Cameron Smith has tumbled from No. 2 at the conclusion of ‘22 to No. 7 after finishing 24^th at The Gallery Golf Club in Tucson, 26^th in Orlando, and a disappointing T34 at The Masters.

He will be a force at the PGA, however, should he brandish the wand as he did at The Open Championship last year.

Joaquin Niemann: No. 9–57.3 Rating
At 24 years old, Joaquin Niemann is one of the brightest young stars in golf. After joining the PGA Tour at 19, Niemann recorded 22 Top-10’s including 2 wins in 5 years–making the cut in just under 80% of the events he entered while reaching the Tour Championship in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Joaquin had an excellent Masters with a T16 finish, but we won’t see him at another major until the U.S. Open at The Los Angeles Country Club in June—where you can expext him to make some noise with his precision ball striking.

Mito Pereira: No. 12—55.3 Rating
Virtually unknown in the U.S. prior to bursting onto the scene with a T3 at the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills, Pereira’s outstanding play came as no surprise to golf fans in his native Chile. After winning multiple junior titles, including a victory on the Chilean Professional Tour in 2013 as an Amateur, Mito climbed to number 5 in the official World Amateur Golf Rankings in 2015 at twenty years old.

Mito made the cut and had a solid week at Augusta, and we’ll see him at the PGA Championship in May. Like his fellow Chilean, Joaquin Niemann, look for Mito to have a solid season at the majors in 2023.

Phil: No. 37–34.6 Rating
While Mickelson’s LIV career could only be described as a lead balloon thus far, leave it to Phil to pull a giant rabbit out of his hat when you least expect it. The stunning 65 that he fashioned in the final round at Augusta was a flashback to his incredible PGA win in 2021.

While the Masters runner-up finish propelled Phil from No. 46 to No. 37 in the LIV Player Rankings, it also appears to have ignited a flame as we head toward the PGA (Phil fired a solid 2 under round of 70 in the first round at Adelaide in Australia this week, and followed up with 65 in the second round to move into the Top 10).

Could Phil pull off another bit of magic at Oak Hill? We’ll have to wait and see….

**The Masters: 12 of 18 Make the Cut**
**PGA Tour (https://www.pgatour.com/)**

The Masters: Summary

Brooks Koepka T2

Phil Mickelson T2

Patrick Reed T4

Joaquin Nieman T16

Harold Varner III T29

Cameron Smith T34

Talor Gooch T34

Abraham Ancer T39

Mito Pareira T43

Dustin Johnson T48

Thomas Pieters T48

Charl Schwartzel T50

Sergio Garcia MC

Bryson DeChambeau MC

Jason Kokrak MC

Bubba Watson MC

Louis Oosthuizen WD

Kevin Na WD

**The Grange Golf Club: A Greg Norman Design**

2023 Upcoming LIV Schedule

Adelaide The Grange Golf Club, Australia (April 21-23)

Singapore Sentosa Golf Club (April 28-30)

Tulsa Cedar Ridge Country Club (May 12-14)

DC Trump National Golf Club, Washington (May 26-28)

Valderrama Real Club, Spain (June 30-July 2)

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The Players Who Made Time Stand Still

**Vijay Singh and Kenny Perry: Defied the Laws of Nature**

Not surprisingly, when PGA Tour players hit forty years old the wins start to become fewer and far between, and top 10 finishes occur with far less frequency. And by forty-five, the Champions Tour starts to look pretty attractive if the competitive juices are still flowing.

When Phil won the PGA Championship in 2021 at 51 years old, it sent shock waves through the golf world. A half century had passed since Julius Boros, the oldest to win a major before Phil, won the PGA in 1968 at 48 years old. And while Mickelson maintained his skills at a high level throughout his 40’s, he was still not the same player he was in his 30’s. Phil recorded 21 wins in his 30’s with a 37% top 10 percentage, but won only 6 times in his 40’s with a top 10 percentage of 22% (still very high).

**Hale Irwin and Bernhard Langer: 88 Wins on Champions Tour**

Hale Irwin and Bernhard Langer lead the list for wins on the Champions Tour (Irwin with 45 and Langer with 43), but even they did not come close to carrying the success they had when they were in their 30’s into their 40’s. In his 30’s, Langer recorded 18 wins on the European Tour (now the DP World Tour) and also won the Masters, but won only 9 times in his 40’s. And while Hale Irwin won the U.S. Open at 45, he recorded only 2 other Tour wins in his 40’s as compared with 13 wins while in his 30’s.

Players who actually got better in their 40’s are extremely rare, but Vijay Singh and Kenny Perry did exactly that—and seemingly defied the laws of nature.

Vijay Singh

Vijay was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2006, and with 3 major championships and 31 additional tour wins, he is among the top twenty players in golf history. Over the course of his career, Vijay made the cut in 87% of the tournaments he entered and finished in the top 10 over 35% of the time—but what really sets him apart is the age at which he recorded so many of those wins.

While in his 30’s, Singh recorded 11 wins, including 2 major championships while finishing among the top 10 in over 34% of the tournaments he entered. In his 40’s, Vijay won 23 times, including another major championship and ten major Top-10’s.

Most amazing is that Vijay’s top 10 percentage was over 37% from 40-49 years old, higher than it was in his 30’s—and no other player in the history of the game has performed at that level through his 40’s.

Vijay was always recognized as one of the greatest drivers of all-time, and he maintained his length and accuracy far beyond the boundaries of what mere mortals generally achieve. If his putting stroke had approached the level of his game tee-to-green, Singh would surely be smiling down from the Mt. Rushmore of golf alongside Jack and Tiger.

Kenny Perry

Kenny Perry turned 27 years old in August of 1987, his first full season on the PGA Tour—so his golf career got started quite a bit later than most. In his first 3 years, Kenny finished in the top 10 only 7 times in 85 starts, and he didn’t record his first Tour win until he was 31 (The Memorial in 1991).

In his 30’s, Perry won 3 times on Tour and made the cut in just over 68% of the events he entered, finishing in the top 10 just over 13% of the time (solid, but not among the top echelon on Tour). While Kenny had a very good year in 1998 at age 36 with a runner-up at the PGA Championship and 8 Tour top-10’s, his next 3 years were pretty mediocre as he failed to record a win and finished in the top 10 a total of 7 times.

But as the 3^rd millennium arrived and Kenny turned 40, the flood gates suddenly opened and Perry rose like the phoenix, tacking on 11 additional tour wins and 4 major top 10’s.

From age 40-49, Kenny made the cut in over 84% of the tour events he entered and finished in the top 10 nearly 25% of the time—a massive increase from the numbers he recorded in his 30’s.

No player in Tour history ever elevated his game to such a degree after turning 40, and we rank Kenny Perry among the Top 100 players of all-time. Perry also won 10 times on the Champions Tour (including 4 Senior Major championships).

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Greats of the Game: Volume II—No. 6 through 10

Major championship performance and PGA Tour wins are the biggest factors in determining where players stand in the history of golf, but making cuts and Top-10 finishes are also important for identifying excellence and consistency.

In deriving our ratings, major championship wins carry the most weight, followed by major runner-up finishes and Tour wins. Top-5 and Top-10 finishes at the majors are also given strong consideration, along with wins on the DP World Tour and to a lesser degree, wins on other recognized Tours (Japan Tour, Sunshine Tour, Asian Tour, etc.).

Making cuts and Top-10 finishes are calculated on the basis of percentage in relation to total starts at PGA Tour sanctioned events through age 49 (when players become eligible for the Champions Tour). Top 10 percentage is given considerable weight, and cut percentage is also a factor in the rating a player receives.

Cuts and Top-10 percentage are overstated as a measure for Byron Nelson and Walter Hagan because fields were limited when they were playing–but this is offset by the fact that Nelson lost prime years in his career due to WWII (Nelson was 29 in 1941), and Hagan had fewer major championship opportunities because he was 42 years old when the first Masters was played in 1934.

While Bobby Jones is certainly among the top 5 players in history with 4 U.S. Open and 3 Open Championship titles, he chose to remain an amateur and therefore has no PGA record for reference–and has not been included in our player ratings. Harry Vardon is also among the greats of the game, with 6 Open Championship titles and a win at the US Open in 1900 (plus his famous runner-up to Francis Ouimet in 1913)—but like Jones, he has no professional record for reference and has not been included in our ratings.

The Top 5 in Volume I included Nicklaus (361), Woods (346), Snead (335), Hogan (281) and Palmer (265).

In Volume II we’ll take a look at the next five on the list of all-time greatest players to round out the Top 10.

**Gary Player: The Black Knight**
**Golf Digest: (https://www.golfdigest.com/)**

Number 6: Gary Player (236)

On top of his 9 major championship wins, Gary Player recorded 35 major Top-10’s (6 runner-up’s, 8 Top-5’s and 21 Top-10’s). The Black Knight also won 15 PGA Tournaments and had 95 additional world-wide wins. Player made the cut in close to 90% of his starts and finished in the top ten over 45% of the time. He competed with Jack and Arnie head-to-head throughout his prime between 1961 and 1971—playing a substantial role in building the PGA Tour, while elevating the global popularity of the game.

Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus serve as the honorary starters at The Masters each year, and they were joined by Lee Elder in 2022.

Number 7: Byron Nelson (227)

Byron Nelson won 5 major championships and 47 PGA tournaments. He also recorded 6 major runner-up’s and finished in the top 5 another 10 times. In 1945 Nelson set the record for wins in a season with 18, including 11 in a row. After the 1946 season, at 34 years old, Nelson retired from the regular tour playing only The Masters (where he finished in the top 10 every year from 1947-1951), as well as a limited number of additional Tour events (including The Colonial in Ft. Worth).

In 1968 The Byron Nelson Classic was launched in Dallas Texas, and it continues to be one of the most popular venues on the PGA Tour.

**Walter Hagan: 11 Major Championships**
**(https://golf.com/)**

Number 8: Walter Hagan (223)

Walter Hagan is the only player to make the cut in every tournament he played through the entirety of his career, and he finished among the top 10 in three out of every four events he entered. Hagan won 11 major championships (third behind Jack and Tiger) with 22 additional top 10 finishes, and he recorded 34 PGA tournament wins.

Hagan is considered the first American professional golfer. In the first half of the twentieth century, he and Bobby Jones were the towering figures of U.S. golf, forming the foundation for the game as we know it today.

Number 9: Phil Mickelson (216)

Phil the thrill won 6 major championships, most recently at Kiawah in 2021 for his second PGA Championship at age 50 (the oldest player in history to win a major championship). Mickelson also recorded 11 runner-up finishes at the majors, second only to Jack, along with 11 Top-5’s and 11 Top-10’s.

In addition to his record at the majors, Phil won 39 PGA Tour events, making the cut in 82.3% of the tournaments he entered with a top 10 percentage of 31.5%.

Phil went up against with Tiger throughout his prime between 1996 and 2006, as well going to head-head with Ernie Els and Vijay Singh (each among the top 15 all-time).

Number 10: Tom Watson (211)

Tom Watson nearly did the impossible in 2009, when he came inches from recording his 6^th Open Championship at Turnberry at the age of 58. Perhaps it should not have been such a surprise, however, when you consider Watson’s record of excellence and consistency throughout his career.

From his second full year on Tour in 1974 at age 23, through 1998 at age 48 (a quarter of a century), Watson recorded at least 4 top 10 finishes every year.

In total, Watson won 8 major championships with an additional 38 major top 10’s (including 8 runner-up and 10 top 5’s), along with 31 PGA Tour wins.

Tom made the cut in 83.9% of the tournaments he entered, and recorded top 10 finishes in just under 40% of his starts.

Keep an eye out for Greats of the Game Volume III, where we will take a look at Gene Sarazen (No. 11), Billy Casper (No. 12, Ernie Els (No. 13), Greg Norman (No. 14) and Vijay Sing (No. 15).

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DJ and Phil to Headline LIV Inaugural Event

It is hard to see “LIV Golf” (Greg Norman’s Saudi-backed series of golf tournaments) posing much of a threat to the PGA Tour over the long term. At some point it will likely go the way of the USFL and the Canadian Football League, but for right now Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson have hit the jackpot. That’s not to say that there isn’t plenty of room in the marketplace for an alternative golf experience, and perhaps Greg Norman’s brainchild is just the ticket for engaging broader appeal. The field for the first event this weekend in London is a bit thin though, so the individual stroke-play portion of the format is not likely to generate much excitement–unless a handicap system is implemented to give the field a fighting chance against DJ.

The “team” element, on the other hand, may provide a dynamic and emotional outlet not generally found at PGA Tour events—with the exception of the Phoenix Open of course. Fans only have a chance to let their hair down and root for a “team” once a year at the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup. 12 teams will be competing at each LIV tournament, and each have a team name, logo and color scheme—with DJ’s team announced as the “4 Aces” and Phil’s squad the “High Flyers.” Perhaps “The Gunslingers” might have been a better choice for DJ as he sidles’ up to the first tee (complete with cowboy hat), and “Dark Thrill” for Phil’s squad, now that he’s been cast in the bad guy role (their team color could be all black—which Phil often wears anyway). And when Ricky Fowler finally makes up his mind to jump, perhaps his team can be called the “Biker Boys.”

Keep in mind that professional sport is essentially entertainment, and contemporary golf fans comprise a diverse cross-section of society, not just the high-brow country club set who expect serious golf in deadpan silence with a smattering of polite applause.

The Venues

The LIV Invitational Series will consist of eight events, with the first being played at Centurion Club in the UK just outside of London. Five of next seven will be held in the United States (two being Donald Trump courses—Trump National Bedminster in NJ and Trump National Doral, FL). The other two will be at international venues—one of which being Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in Jedda, Saudi Arabia (no surprise) and the other Stonehill Golf Club in Bangkok, Thailand.

The Format

Each event will include a field of 48 players, with both an individual and a “team” component over 3 rounds totaling 54 holes and no cut. The total purse for each event will be $25 million, with $20 million divvied up among the field for the individual competition, and $5 million split between the top 3 finishers in the team competition. The individual component is straight forward, with the winner for each event determined by the lowest 54-hole score. Individual winners will also accumulate “ranking points,” and the player with the most points will be named the over-all individual champion after the first 7 events have been completed (the overall champion will take home an additional $18 million).

The team component is a little harder to follow. Each event will include twelve 4-man teams, comprised of a “Captain” (named by “LIV”) and 3 additional players who will be selected by the captain in a “draft” prior to each tournament. Team competition is also based on stroke play, and for the first two rounds the team score will be the total of the 2 team members carding the lowest scores, with the third-round team score being the total of the 3 team members carding the lowest scores. The team with the lowest aggregate score after 54 holes will be the winner. Once the first seven events have been completed, the teams will be “seeded” and the final event will be a match play tournament held over 4 days in October at Trump National Doral, FL—with no individual competition.

The structure for the match-play finale is a bit baffling, however. Since the fields will vary for each event, and captains will be named from players among the individual fields, it is unclear how the final 12 “captains” are to be determined for the Match Play tournament (perhaps they are permanent, and required to participate in all 7 events). It is also unclear how the composition of the teams themselves will be determined—since there will be a separate draft of players held prior to each regular event (so players may end up on different teams for each event—unless previously drafted players are permanent members of a particular team, with the draft only applying to new players being added when a team player isn’t participating in a particular event). The basis on which “seeding” will be determined for the Match Play finale is equally mysterious—but all will no doubt be revealed in good time.

The Field

Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Louis Oosthuizen, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Kevin Na comprise the list of familiar names. DJ made the cut in 7 of the 10 tournaments he played this year on the PGA Tour, with 2 Top 10’s (his best being a 4^th at the Match Play and a T9 at the Players). Phil hasn’t played since he missed the cut at the Farmers back in January, and Louie Oosthuizen hasn’t recorded a Top 10 since last season. Sergio has 1 Top 10 this year (a T7 at Mayakoba) and Lee Westwood missed the cut in 5 of the 9 events he’s played.

That leaves Kevin Na (9 of 12 cuts made on Tour this year with 2 Top 10’s) standing in Johnson’s path for the $4 million individual first place check. No wonder DJ had that Cheshire cat smile on his face at the LIV press conference.

The Motivation

Johnson is reported to have received a $125 million bonus for making the move, and based on the competition, he’ll very likely pocket a great deal more. At the LIV press conference, DJ stated “I don’t want to play for the rest of my life,” so it would seem he just can’t get by on the $74 million he’s already won on the PGA Tour. On the other hand, DJ may also have looked around at Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, and a host of mega-talented young guns currently on Tour, and thought it was an opportune time to cash in his chips and slip out the door.

Phil received a signing bonus in the neighborhood of $200 million, and even though he’ll turn 52 in a couple of weeks, the light-weight fields without a cut will give him the opportunity to earn a great deal more. And since his skill with games of chance appears to be quite a few notches below his ability with a wedge, perhaps he simply needs the money.

The Future

The second LIV event will be played June 30–July 2 at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, a great track in North Plains, OR designed by Bob Cupp and Andy Johnson. It’s been reported that Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed will be joining the field, which should spice things up a bit. Chances are also pretty good that a few additional name players will announce their intention to jump over to LIV following the U.S. Open (and one of them is likely to be Ricky Fowler, who no longer enjoys exempt status on the PGA Tour).

When asked his reaction to LIV Golf at the Canadian Open press conference, Scottie Scheffler said “I haven’t really noticed anyone missing this week. Maybe outside of DJ.” Come on Scottie, you didn’t notice Kevin Na wasn’t around anymore?

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