With Jon Rahm out of the U.S. Open due to injury, only 12 LIV golfers will tee up on Thursday at Pinehurst No. 2. The number is smaller than the PGA Championship, and last year’s U.S. Open. And, unlike last year, no golfer from the Greg Norman-fronted side has won a major this year yet. But a handful of them shone on the grand stage, most notably Bryson DeChambeau. Before the U.S. Open tees off on Thursday, here are the top five golfers you should keep an eye on. 

Bryson DeChambeau

Bryson DeChambeau is not resting on his laurels. The 30-year-old absolutely bombed Winged Foot four years ago. If Pinehurst No. 2 is a different beast, then DeChambeau is a different hunter. The LIV Golf Pro’s game has undergone some necessary transformation.  The former U.S. Open champion wasn’t relying solely on his driver in the last two majors. DeChambeau was the third-best in tee-ot-green, and eighth-best in around the greens. Speak of 3D printed irons. DeChambeau also gained 1.12 strokes with his putter. 

His last three LIV Golf performances haven’t been that impressive, but that was a non-factor at Valhalla, and it perhaps won’t matter much at Pinehurst No. 2. The only outlier is DeChambeau, who has played only once between the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open. 

Cameron Smith

The Ripper GC captain doesn’t possess the length off the tee like DeChambeau, or Koepka. So, of course, he has a certain disadvantage to begin with. But if the tricky, fast, and treacherous greens of Pinehurst No. 2 favor anyone, it’s Cameron Smith. Indeed, the Aussie was already reveling in a chance to tackle the greens, which Wyndham Clark said are on the ‘borderline’.

Smith gained 1.06 strokes on putting, the fourth best at Augusta. Whereas, he was just behind the eventual winner, Scottie Scheffler in SG: around the green (1.51 compared to Scheffler’s 1.97). The 30-year-old was fourth last year; that’s also his best finish at the U.S. Open.

Brooks Koepka

Despite two Un-Koepka-esque performances at the first two majors, we are still hedging our bets on the five-time major winner. That’s because Brooks Koepka can turn things around quickly, and nowhere is he more focused than at the grand stages of golf. 

Last time at Pinehurst No. 2, Koepka finished T4, a prelude to his multiple heroics at the Majors. His true strokes gained of 1.04 places him far down the trend table at Data Golf. But Brooks Koepka’s strength with the longest club and predisposition to shine at the clutch moments make him an inevitable contender for the title, and one of the top-five Greg Norman will bank on. 

Dean Burmester

Dean Burmester has been trending in the right direction. Currently, the South African holds the third spot in LIV’s season-long leaderboard. Burmester hasn’t finished outside the top 15 in his last five starts. The South African was also T12 at the PGA Championship. Besides his prowess with the longest club, he has averaged 315.5 yards this season – which will be his biggest advantage. On top of that, Burmester is also 8th in scrambling and 9th in sand-save in LIV Golf. This will be his first U.S. Open since 2019.

Tyrell Hatton 

Tyrell Hatton has been lurking near the top of the leaderboard at the grand stage quite often. But his best finish at the majors in the last four years is the T9 at Augusta this April. So Hatton lifting the silverware at Pinehurst No. 2 might be a longshot, but the Englishman can move up inside the top 10 once again, perhaps fill in for his Legion XIII captain’s place. The one-time PGA Tour winner’s strength is in his iron play and short game. 

Dean Burmester will kickstart the LIV Golf campaign for the U.S. Open at 6.56 AM ET from the 10th tee. Many big names from the PIF-backed side will miss the 124th U.S. Open, including Bubba Watson, Talor Gooch, Patrick Reed, and others. Despite being small in numbers, LIV Golf pros can spring a surprise. After the Masters and the PGA Championship, that, certainly, can’t be ruled out.