Is LIV Golf in Desperate Need of a New Face on the Leaderboard?

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Read More: The Road Less Traveled By: Why LIV Golf Might Be a Better Stop for Anthony Kim After a 12-Year Hiatus?

LIV Golf, for its part, has inducted World No. 3, Jon Rahm, World No. 16, Tyrrell Hatton, World No. 42, and DP World Tour Player of the Year, Adrian Meronk, to the roster. So, now there will be a few more multiple-title winners vying for the $4 million winner’s paycheck in the 54-hole event with no cuts. How well amateur Caleb Surratt, International Series winner

Andy Ogletree, and promotion-qualified Jinichiro Kozuma, Kieran Vincent, and Kalle Samooja can perform remains to be seen.

Watch this Story: Phil Mickelson to Face a Huge Roadblock Amid LIV Golf  Takes a Huge Leap Towards a Brighter Future