16 contracted LIV Golf pros will travel to Royal Troon this week. The number is the same as the PGA Championship, but this time Greg Norman should be more hopeful. In the last three majors, Bryson DeChambeau has led the pack, deftly accompanied by Tyrrell Hatton in the Masters, Dean Burmester in the PGA Championship, and Sergio Garcia in the U.S. Open. While a handful of LIV golfers are expected to lurk near the top 20 or top-10 in the leaderboard, these five will vie for the title.

Joaquin Niemann

Niemann has been on a scorching run since last year. He seamlessly translated his globetrotting performance to LIV Golf winning twice in the first three starts. Barring Las Vegas, and Houston, the Chilean is yet to finish outside the top-seven in his ten starts. His Open Championship form has been uninspiring, but the 25-year-old can turn things around this season as a more mature player since Royal Liverpool last year. Joaquin Niemann is 3rd in reaching greens in regulation and 2nd in driving distance on LIV Golf. 

Brooks Koepka

Like we said before, you can’t keep Brooks Koepka out of a major. His past three majors have ended in disappointment. But Koepka is one hungry beast, and he hasn’t been fed yet. All the more reason to believe we might see the vintage Brooksie at Royal Troon. Koepka has four top-10s in the Open Championship; the T4 in 2019 being his best-place finish. 

This will be his debut at the South Ayrshire course, but the five-time major champion knows the deal with links golf. “I think it takes a lot of creativity and imagination. In the States a lot of times you just throw it up high in the air and the ball is going to stop, where you’ve really got to pay attention where the ball is going to bounce into the green. You might have 50 yards but you’ve got about six clubs you could play,” the Florida resident said in 2021. Among the 16 that will travel there, the 34-year-old is definitely a top draw. 

Tyrrell Hatton

Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII teammate and fellow Ryder Cupper has looked solid since joining LIV Golf. The Englishman has seven top-15s this season that culminated in the podium finish at Nashville. Hatton carried the momentum in Andalucia as well, settling for a third-place finish. 

His country’s record at the Open Championship might not spark much hope. Hatton was a toddler of ten months when Nick Faldo won the 1992 Open Championship. But the British International has turned the tide in the last few iterations.

After starting his Open Championship resume with four back-to-back missed cuts, Hatton has bagged two top-20 finishes in the last two editions. Don’t be surprised if Royal Troon sees the Englishman firing on all cylinders like Augusta National. 

Jon Rahm

Rahm’s major disappointments are quite baffling. The Spaniard swatted aside any suggestion that LIV’s 54-hole stroke play has impacted his game. Rahm was curt when asked if the PIF-funded side lacks in competition. Rahm is not worried about his poor show in the majors, and Royal Troon provides a perfect opportunity to subdue the criticism. 

Rahm has again fired up in LIV Golf after skipping the Houston event & U.S. Open due to injury. His past records at the Open Championship should spark hope. In his last three appearances, Spanish International has two top-three finishes. Rahmbo is leading the LIV Golf field in reaching greens in regulation (73.41%). 

Bryson DeChambeau

Expectations are high for the 30-year-old, who has carried the LIV Golf banner in all three majors this season. DeChambeau has spectacular form on his side. Sure, links golf presents a unique challenge to the two-time major winner: he has only one top-10 at the Open Championship. But DeChambeau is well-equipped this time. The Crushers captain is 11th in scrambling, and 9th in reaching greens in regulation. He needs to eliminate the mistakes off the tee because that can be fatal to his title chances. 

Aside from them, it’s hard to ignore Dean Burmester and Cameron Smith. The Stinger GC pro managed a T11 the last time he teed off in the Open Championship. Whereas, Smith, the Ripper GC captain, has seven top-10s in LIV Golf this year. The former champion’s best major finish this year has been a T6 at the Masters. 

The Open Championship kicks off on July 18 at Royal Troon. The last time, the South Ayrshire course hosted the fourth major, Phil Mickelson, and Henrik Stenson dueled in the final round. Both now ply their trades on the Saudi-backed side.