2024 LIV Golf Singapore: Power Rankings, Defending Champion & More

After the roaring success of LIV Golf Adelaide, the ‘Lion City’ awaits 54 golfers on the PIF-funded tour. Serapong Golf Course, a long-time host of the Singapore Open, is one of the best in Asia and among the top 100 in the world. The par 71 layout stands at 7406 yards. But by no means, it’s a bomber’s paradise. Rather, accuracy from the tee is amply rewarded.

Notably, this is LIV’s last event before the PGA Championship. Only a handful of the 54 players will head to Valhalla on May 16, but those who qualify will take this as the launching pad for a Major bid.

Five favorites at LIV Golf Singpore

Two former Singapore Open champions will be on next week. But only one of them raises some hope. The top five consist of two usual suspects, a former champion, and two players who should’ve been in the winner’s circle by now.

Jon Rahm

It is about time Jon Rahm added a LIV title under his belt. Rahm’s worst finish this season is a T8 in Hong Kong and a solo eight in Las Vegas. The Spaniard must feel that too, considering by this time last year, he had won his second major and lifted four silverware. Rahm is second in reaching greens in regulation and also averages 313.2 yards driving distance.

Joaquin Niemann

The T30 at Las Vegas was an anomaly for the Chilean. Already with two titles under his belt, Joaquin Niemann netted another top-five in Adelaide. 2nd in driving distance, 5th in putting average, and 7th in reaching the greens in regulation, the 25-year-old is on a roll, last seen in his PGA Tour 2022–23 season when the rising star bagged six top-fives.

Bryson DeChambeau

DeChambeau’s team, Crushers GC, leads the season-long team leaderboard. The 30-year-old himself has four top-tens this season. Although Adelaide was not his venue, averaging 319 yards of driving distance will give him some advantage at the par-71 layout. In addition, the former US Open Champion is also 10th in GIR% and 13th in scrambling in the breakaway league.

 Talor Gooch

The defending champion heads to his stomping ground but without any silverware this season. Talor Gooch has three top-10s so far. The Oklahoma star is arguably in better form than last year, when he landed in Singapore. The 32-year-old is not the best driver on LIV, but he is the sixth-most accurate player with the longest club. A skill that will be tested at the Serapong Golf Course, with its short fairways belted by treelines and water.

Sergio Garcia

It’s hard to ignore the former Masters champion in Singapore. The 2018 SMBC Singapore Open champion carries the experience with him. That was on full display last year when the veteran gave Talor Gooch a hot chase till the end. Sergio Garcia made it into the top ten twice this season, and both times he was in contention for the title. It won’t be surprising if the 44-year-old makes another surprise sprint towards the $4 million paycheck.

What else do you need to know about LIV Golf Singapore?

LIV Golf Singapore will carry a purse of $25 million, one-fifth of which is reserved for the team championship. Notably, Adelaide witnessed the first team playoff to determine the winner. Last year, RangeGoats, Gooch’s former team, earned bragging rights over Garcia’s Fireballs GC. The individual winner will bag $4 million, the same as Adelaide, but the actual share will be larger because Singapore’s tax laws are not as stringent as Australia’s.

The Serapong Course is famous for its Dragon Trail, a stretch of tough holes in the front nine. It starts from 4th and covers most of the front nine. Named so because of its uncanny similarity with the primordial beast, the stretch of holes requires strategy and finesse. The par-5 4th hole offers a difficult choice from the tee. On the right, treelines dot the course; on the left, an overhit tee shot can land on the water.

It continues to play that way, but on the sixth, a unique challenge arises. The 6th is regarded as the hardest and most iconic hole on the course. In the bunker near the putting green, a rock rises out of the sand. Aptly named ‘Dragon Tooth’, it is as unique as it is intimidating. You can watch LIV Golf Singapore on the LIV Golf+ app, the CW app, and Caffeine TV.