Do LIV Golf players have a better record in the PGA Tour than their American League adversaries? The rivalry between Jay Monahan’s Tour and Greg Norman’s League has been a hot topic for nearly 3 years now.

Ever since the inception of LIV Golf, the PGA Tour has been in a constant state of competition since 2022, trying to outperform them. This has seen Monahan & co. introduce a lot of changes to their format, including overall schedule, exclusion of events, and modification of rules among many other things.

Despite that, it seems that LIV Golf has had the upper hand over the PGA Tour due to its fast-paced gameplay and inclusion of technology to enhance the viewer’s experience. That has helped them garner a loyal fan base that constantly deflects any criticism the league faces on social media.

LIV Golf has another advantage over the PGA Tour which comes from the players they have stolen from them. Of course, Greg Norman has been able to attract some of the biggest faces of golf from Jay Monahan, but these renowned players also hold a unique record in the PGA Tour.

The players in question are Cameron Smith, Jon Rahm, & Matt Jones and the record they hold is unmatched by even the GOATs of the game. Here are the lowest 72-hole scores of 3 LIV Golf players that place them above any PGA Tour player on the same list.

Cameron Smith

Probably on his best run in the PGA Tour, Cameron Smith had taken the golf community by surprise in 2022. His domination began at The Sentry, where he broke all records. Teeing off at the Kapalua Plantation Course on January 6, 2022, Smith had only one goal in his mind, to win the first signature event of the season. Having come off a T4 finish at the RSM Classic, he was a fan favorite going into the tournament. Over the next 4 rounds, Cameron Smith averaged an astonishing -8.5 per round. This meant that on January 9, 2022, at the end of the round, the Australian had accumulated a score of 34-under par 258 to win the title. This was a record-setting 72-hole low achieved by anyone on the PGA Tour. The previous record of -31 was held by Ernie Els at the 2003 Mercedes Championships.

Jon Rahm

The Spanish giant was also a part of The Sentry in 2022. He too was eager to win the title and start the year on a positive note. However, he fell short by 1 stroke to his fellow LIV Golf player, Cameron Smith. Yes, Jon Rahm ended the 4 rounds at the Plantation Course in Maui, Hawaii with a score of 33-under par 259. Unfortunately, his 3rd round performance of -12 was not enough to help him beat Cameron Smith and capture the signature event title.

Matt Jones

We go back to the Kapalua Plantation Course in 2022 as Mattew Jones had two splendid rounds of golf on Saturday & Sunday. He managed to score -11 and -12 in rounds 3 and 4 respectively. However, Jones’ efforts fell short of a victory as he ended with a score of -32. Yes, Matt Jones was 2 points off Cameron Smith and 1 point behind Jon Rahm on the leaderboard of The Sentry 2022 ensuring that the event was one of the most exciting contests of golf seen in many years.

It’s surprising to see that all 3 72-hole lowest score records were set in the same event. That too only a few months before Greg Norman and LIV Golf had come hunting for players to move to Saudi Arabia. Perhaps each of their performances at The Sentry 2022 convinced the LIV Golf commissioner to pursue them. Smith and Jones joined the PIF-funded promotion in 2022. One year later, Jon Rahm made the switch to form the Legion XIII team in LIV Golf.

Interestingly, after Ernie Els, there is another LIV Golf player who holds the record for the lowest score and he is the 4Aces Golf Club captain, Dustin Johnson. He scored a 30-under par 254 at the 2020 Northern Trust.

Based on this, do you think LIV Golf has superior players than the PGA Tour? Share your views in the comments section.