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AUGUSTA, Ga. — Of the 31 LIV golfers who played in the Masters the past two years, 20 made the cut.
Of those, six finished in the top 10, including Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson sharing the second spot in 2023 behind Jon Rahm, who had yet to join LIV.
Koepka, Mickelson and Rahm are at Augusta National for the 2025 Masters, along with nine others from the Saudi-financed golf league. But of the dozen LIV golfers in the field, who truly has a chance to wear the green jacket?
Before we break that down, some background and a little of what LIV golfers say.
The one question put to LIV golfers – and we'll never really know the true answer – is whether playing in a limited number of 54-hole events hurts those in the Masters.
The example where it didn't hurt:
Koepka played nine total rounds of competitive golf on LIV entering the 2023 Masters and finished tied for second.
In 2022, Koepka finished 22 stroke-play rounds on the PGA Tour since the start of the year and missed the Masters cut.
Then, the other side:
Dustin Johnson had the same LIV schedule as Koepka in 2023 – nine rounds – and was 48th.
The previous year, he played 18 rounds of stroke-play on the PGA Tour before placing 12th at the Masters.
LIV golfers agreed the Masters, and the majors in general, are all about preparation. And it doesn't matter how many competitive rounds you play if you have the time to properly prepare.
“My prep is still the same, doesn't matter what I do,” Koepka said last week prior to LIV's event at Doral. “My prep started a month ago. Nobody is changing their prep. We've still got a lot of time to practice.”
Which is what Bryson DeChambeau likes about playing LIV's limited schedule.
"I like having time off, getting ready for these events, focusing on them, and getting my game good into a good place, getting a strategy and game plan set up," he said. "So if anything, I think it's been a tremendous help for me personally, giving myself a little bit more time to get ready for these events, and it's honestly been a blessing for me."
DeChambeau also put a spin on LIV's unique 54-hole format.
"Every shot matters more out here at LIV because if you make a double or triple (bogey) you're so far behind the eight ball that it's tough to get back," he said. "Getting off to that fast start, to be in that mindset of attack, attack, attack, has helped us in certain (majors)."
DeChambeau had half of the six top 10s recorded in the 58 majors played by LIV golfers in 2024, including his win at the U.S. Open. The others were by Cam Smith, Tyrrell Hatton and Rahm.
Not all of them are in top form entering this week's Masters. Here are the four LIV golfers who have a legitimate shot to win the green jacket:
At +1400, Rahm is tied for third with Collin Morikawa behind prohibitive favorites Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, according to BetMGM. Rahm has yet to finish outside the top 10 since joining LIV 16 months ago. And although he has plummeted to No. 80 in the Official World Golf Ranking, which does not recognize the LIV tour, Data Golf, a better indicator for LIV golfers, has him at No. 4.
Easily the LIV golfer with the most recent success in the majors, DeChambeau has placed in the top 10 in half of the 10 majors he has started since joining LIV. He is just behind Rahm at +1400.
The underrated Niemann is tied for ninth with +3000 odds to win. He leads LIV's individual standings after five events, having won in Singapore and Australia. Niemann has not had much luck in the majors recently, but his highest finish was a T16 at the Masters two years ago.
This is strictly on reputation, although that will last only so long. The five-time major champion slumped in the majors last season, finishing out of the top 25 in all four, but he's been inside the top 10 in three of his last five Masters. Koepka's odds to win are +3300, tied for 10th.
Worth keeping an eye on: Sergio Garcia (six missed cuts in five starts since winning the 2017 Masters), Tyrrell Hatton, Cam Smith, Patrick Reed.
Do not count on making cut: Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, Charl Schwartzel.
Tom D'Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Who are the LIV golfers with the best chance to win 2025 Masters?
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Of those, six finished in the top 10, including Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson sharing the second spot in 2023 behind Jon Rahm, who had yet to join LIV.
Koepka, Mickelson and Rahm are at Augusta National for the 2025 Masters, along with nine others from the Saudi-financed golf league. But of the dozen LIV golfers in the field, who truly has a chance to wear the green jacket?
Before we break that down, some background and a little of what LIV golfers say.
The one question put to LIV golfers – and we'll never really know the true answer – is whether playing in a limited number of 54-hole events hurts those in the Masters.
The example where it didn't hurt:
Koepka played nine total rounds of competitive golf on LIV entering the 2023 Masters and finished tied for second.
In 2022, Koepka finished 22 stroke-play rounds on the PGA Tour since the start of the year and missed the Masters cut.
Then, the other side:
Dustin Johnson had the same LIV schedule as Koepka in 2023 – nine rounds – and was 48th.
The previous year, he played 18 rounds of stroke-play on the PGA Tour before placing 12th at the Masters.
LIV golfers agreed the Masters, and the majors in general, are all about preparation. And it doesn't matter how many competitive rounds you play if you have the time to properly prepare.
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“My prep is still the same, doesn't matter what I do,” Koepka said last week prior to LIV's event at Doral. “My prep started a month ago. Nobody is changing their prep. We've still got a lot of time to practice.”
Which is what Bryson DeChambeau likes about playing LIV's limited schedule.
"I like having time off, getting ready for these events, focusing on them, and getting my game good into a good place, getting a strategy and game plan set up," he said. "So if anything, I think it's been a tremendous help for me personally, giving myself a little bit more time to get ready for these events, and it's honestly been a blessing for me."
DeChambeau also put a spin on LIV's unique 54-hole format.
"Every shot matters more out here at LIV because if you make a double or triple (bogey) you're so far behind the eight ball that it's tough to get back," he said. "Getting off to that fast start, to be in that mindset of attack, attack, attack, has helped us in certain (majors)."
DeChambeau had half of the six top 10s recorded in the 58 majors played by LIV golfers in 2024, including his win at the U.S. Open. The others were by Cam Smith, Tyrrell Hatton and Rahm.
Not all of them are in top form entering this week's Masters. Here are the four LIV golfers who have a legitimate shot to win the green jacket:
Jon Rahm: Don't pay attention to his Official World Golf Ranking
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At +1400, Rahm is tied for third with Collin Morikawa behind prohibitive favorites Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, according to BetMGM. Rahm has yet to finish outside the top 10 since joining LIV 16 months ago. And although he has plummeted to No. 80 in the Official World Golf Ranking, which does not recognize the LIV tour, Data Golf, a better indicator for LIV golfers, has him at No. 4.
Bryson DeChambeau: Great success in recent majors
Easily the LIV golfer with the most recent success in the majors, DeChambeau has placed in the top 10 in half of the 10 majors he has started since joining LIV. He is just behind Rahm at +1400.
Joaquin Niemann: Not much success but could be due
The underrated Niemann is tied for ninth with +3000 odds to win. He leads LIV's individual standings after five events, having won in Singapore and Australia. Niemann has not had much luck in the majors recently, but his highest finish was a T16 at the Masters two years ago.
Brooks Koepka: Still have to respect his reputation in majors
This is strictly on reputation, although that will last only so long. The five-time major champion slumped in the majors last season, finishing out of the top 25 in all four, but he's been inside the top 10 in three of his last five Masters. Koepka's odds to win are +3300, tied for 10th.
Worth keeping an eye on: Sergio Garcia (six missed cuts in five starts since winning the 2017 Masters), Tyrrell Hatton, Cam Smith, Patrick Reed.
Do not count on making cut: Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, Charl Schwartzel.
Tom D'Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Who are the LIV golfers with the best chance to win 2025 Masters?
Continue reading...
