Is LIV Golf in Desperate Need of a New Face on the Leaderboard?
Follow Us
LIV Golf Mayakoba is just a day away. Yet, we are looking at last year’s leaderboard. The Greg Norman-fronted league unveiled the full 52-man roster, throwing little surprises. Tyrrell Hatton, who had an on-again, off-again flirtation with the upstart league, finally joined his Ryder Cup teammate, Jon Rahm. Caleb Surrat, just as early reports indicated, was standing by the Spaniard during his first press conference. Adrian Meronk, too, joined Cleeks GC, confirming the speculations.
A lack of surprise is also what LIV Golf’s leaderboard has thrown towards the world last season. Talor Gooch, after coming in fifth in 2022, blazed a red-hot trail to come on top at the season-ending leaderboard. Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, and Bryson DeChambeau topped the chart as well. As the Great White Shark added two more bigwigs to his roster, will this season also turn into a game of Monopoly for the handful of top names?
Does LIV Golf lack diversity?
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Only five players raked in 10 titles in the 13-event series last season (the season-ender doesn’t have an individual title on offer). Talor Gooch, who cashed in around $36 million in 2023 alone, came on top at three events, while Koepka, DeChambeau, and Cameron Smith all earned the top spot twice. Dustin Johnson, with one title cap off the top five. Measured in tangible terms, 75 percent of the winner’s payout went to only five players.
Trending
‘Rattled’ Scottie Scheffler Reveals Police Officer’s Unsettling Question That Left Him Speechless
May 17, 2024 10:07 PM EDT
Outraged PGA Tour Golfers Demand Justice for Scottie Scheffler After Arrest
May 17, 2024 01:45 PM EDT
How Much Would Erica Stoll Receive from Rory McIlroy in Divorce Settlement?
May 16, 2024 05:18 AM EDT
Why Scottie Scheffler’s Prison Debacle Is the Final Straw for PGA of America’s Valhalla Dilemma
May 17, 2024 09:48 PM EDT
Left Shaken by Valhalla Tragedy, Scottie Scheffler Reveals Harsh Truth Behind Arrest: ‘Big Misunderstanding’
May 17, 2024 03:36 PM EDT
Get instantly notified of the hottest Golf stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.
Follow Us
Except for Charles Howell III’s victory at the season opener in Mayakoba and Danny Lee’s hard-earned playoff victory at the very next event in Tucson, the rest of the titles went to the above-mentioned players. Only Harold Varner III could slip into the winner’s circle in between.
The PGA Tour, on the other hand, had 14 first-time winners last year. Of course, the Tour had almost tripled the number of events in the calendar year. And, yes, the fields were arguably ‘weaker’ with a chunk of past champions in many events bolting to the other side. But the Tour has been consistent in throwing up first-time winners in double digits even before that.
In 2020–21, 10 players sniffed victory for the first time. In a season where future LIV Golf stars, including Koepka, DeChambeau, Smith, Sergio Garcia, and Rahm, were in the winner’s circle, Sam Burns made eight top-ten finishes in addition to earning his first victory at the Valspar Championship.
Jason Kokrak, also a first-time winner that season, finished 33rd in the first season at LIV Golf, bettering that with a 23rd-place finish last year. Abraham Ancer, another first-timer from 2021, switched to the PIF-funded side in 2022. The Mexican Pro only managed two top-ten finishes last season.
How do the youngsters perform in both leagues?
The success rate of rookies was higher on the PGA Tour. Ludvig Aberg, who had two offers from LIV Golf but rejected both, netted eight top-25 finishes from his 11 outings, including a victory at the RSM Classic. Eric Cole, the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, bagged seven top-10 finishes from his 37 outings, including four top-five finishes from his last five events.
Eric Cole is the 2022-23 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year!
The 35-year-old is the oldest player to win the award since 2004. pic.twitter.com/WOuYGljsx7
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 3, 2024
On the other hand, Joaquin Niemann, once a rising star on the tour, finished in the 21st spot with four top-tens to his name. David Puig, who was a top-ranked amateur when he joined the PIF-funded side, fell to 31st place in the season-long standings. Among 11 players from the age bracket of 20s, only one, Mito Pereira, could find a place in the top ten.
The PGA Tour got what LIV Golf couldn’t
After only four events, the tour has four new winners. When Chris Kirk won the Sentry, the odds were against him 200-to-1. Grayson Murray bested the odds 400-1 to come on top at the Sony Open. But the next victory was the one that nobody saw coming.
Nick Dunlap, an amateur, rode past Justin Thomas and Sam Burns to claim the American Express title, becoming the first amateur to do so since Phil Mickelson’s history-shattering feat in 1991. Dunlap had the odds stacked against him, 300-1.
Congratulations to Nick Dunlap for winning the American Express and becoming the first amateur since Phil Mickelson in 1991 to win a PGA Tour event.
Witnessing history never gets old. 👌🏻
pic.twitter.com/BLgR4jU6Oz— Tour Pro 🏌️♂️ (@OfficialTourPro) January 22, 2024
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
At the next event, a Frenchman topped the leaderboard, surging from behind to claim his first PGA Tour title in his 11th start. The odds against Pavon were 140-1, by the way. The partnership with the DP World Tour, whereby the top ten players from previous years have punched their PGAT tickets, has infused a lot of fresh blood into the Tour.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Edited by:
Riya Singhal
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT