You can catch up will all our coverage by visiting the website HERE, or alternatively scroll through the ISSUU links below — from Jason Kokrak and Cam Smith to the Aramco Team Series — or download to your favourite device for later.

Issue No.1 – January 2022

Issue No.2 – April 2022

Issue No.3 – August 2022

Issue No.4 – October 2022

Issue No.5 – January 2023

Issue No.6 – April 2023

Issue No.7 – August 2023

Issue No.8 – October 2023

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If he plays well on Sunday and everything falls his way, the RangeGoats star will earn a memorable season-long title, as well as the $18 million bonus. The final round at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club will complete the regular-season competition for the crown.

“I think everyone knows what’s on the line, and that’s going to build the intensity of it,” Gooch said. “It’s such an incredible opportunity, so you’ve just got to take it in stride and just embrace it. I knew it was going to come down to Sunday.”

Starting the tournament in second place in the overall standings behind Ripper captain Cameron Smith, Gooch is now projected into the top spot after his 64 on Saturday moved him into a four-way tie for ninth on the tournament leaderboard at six-under, six shots behind tournament leader Brooks Koepka.

The Individual Championship as it stands, heading into the Final Round ?

Will @TalorGooch take the W? ?#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/tqWUknwIzq

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) October 15, 2023

Smith is at two-under after his 68 and is tied for 25th, which earns no points and would drop him to No. 2 in the Individual standings.

The other player with Individual Champion aspirations is Crushers captain Bryson DeChambeau, who made a big charge on Saturday with a seven-under 63 that leaves him at eight-under and tied for fourth. DeChambeau needs to finish in the top three to have any chance at the title, but his fate also depends on how Smith and Gooch finish.

“All I’m focused on tomorrow is winning this tournament, and the rest will take care of itself,” DeChambeau said. “The job is not even close to being done. We’ve got 18 more holes.”

Winning the tournament will be a challenge if Koepka continues his impressive play at Royal Greens.

The Smash captain won here last year after opening with a 62. He matched that score on Saturday, shooting a bogey-free eight-under round in which he opened with six birdies in his first eight holes.

At 12-under for the tournament, he leads Fireballs Captain Sergio Garcia and the Crushers’ Charles Howell III by three strokes, with DeChambeau and Scott Vincent — who also shot 62 on Saturday — another stroke back.

Koepka started the tournament too far back in points to challenge for the Individual title, but he does have an opportunity to finish third in the standings and claim a $4 million bonus. He must repeat as tournament champion and hope DeChambeau finishes no better than 14th.

“Just keep doing what I’m doing,” Koepka said. “Seems to be working since I’m at the top.”

Vincent, a member of Iron Heads, also has a huge opportunity on Sunday. He started the week outside the Lock Zone — the top 24 in points who earn guaranteed spots in next year’s LIV Golf League. But his second-round 62 now projects him into 24th in the standings.

“Tomorrow’s a big day,” Vincent said. “You can’t hide from that.”

Meanwhile, team seeds will also be determined, with the top four seeds receiving quarter-final byes for next week’s Team Championship in Miami.

RangeGoats are projected to move ahead of Stinger for the final bye, while DeChambeau’s Crushers are 22-under and have a three-stroke lead on the tournament leaderboard, projecting them to the No. 1 seed ahead of 4 Aces.

“Definitely want to win the team championship and be first in the points list going to Miami,” said DeChambeau, whose Crushers have won twice this year, including the previous LIV Golf event in Chicago. “We’re that good of a team, and my boys have worked really hard this year. If we play well tomorrow, we definitely deserve to be up in that No. 1 spot.”

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The final 18 holes of the season at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club will now have a shotgun start from 11am local time, with the leading group teeing off at 11.16am.

Fan entrances at Royal Greens will now open at 10am on Sunday.

Main image: LIV Golf

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Cleeks’s Bernd Wiesberger is projected to drop from 44th to 45th, which would put him in the Drop Zone. His captain, Martin Kaymer, could play a part in his fate.

Kaymer entered the week ranked 49th but as a captain, he is exempt from relegation. Kaymer opened with a two-under 68, which left him tied for eighth on the Jeddah leaderboard. That would give him enough points to overtake Wiesberger for 44th in the standings and push his teammate into the Drop Zone.

None of the four players currently in the Drop Zone are projected to finish with points this week. James Piot and Jediah Morgan are tied for 33rd at one-over; Sihwan Kim is tied for 41st at two-over; and Chase Koepka is tied for 46th at three-over.

Time to make a big move!

Main image: Jed Morgan. LIV Golf

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“I thought I played solid,” he said after his 66. “I didn’t birdie any of the par-5s, so that was disappointing, but four-under in this wind, all right. Two three-putts not very good, but I just hung around.”

The highlight of Koepka’s first round was a fairway hole-out eagle two on the ninth. The staid American typically took it in his stride.

“It went in,” he smiled. “I don’t know what else to tell you. It went in. A little bit of luck involved for any shot to go in, but it was a good shot, too, so it was nice.”

Koepka also admitted that golf was the furthest thing from his mind when he and wife Jena’s first child, Crew, was born six weeks premature in July and needed prolonged hospital care.

“It’s definitely changed it [my perspective on golf]” he told Golf Digest Middle East. “I think the first little bit I was not interested in golf at all. Crew was fighting for his life, so golf became very irrelevant for me for a little bit.

“Now that he’s doing well, I’m able to focus a little better, and it’s definitely driven me a little bit to be more dedicated. I just want to show — I know he can’t see it right now, but show him exactly what hard work, dedication, practice — if you do what you’re supposed to do, it eventually will work out for you if you put all the effort in.”

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However, after a first-round four-under 66 at LIV Golf Jeddah at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, it looks like he is finding that form that saw him dominate last year.

“I played really nicely,” said Johnson, who won the Saudi International over the same course here in 2019. “The conditions, the wind is blowing good, so it played pretty tough. One bogey, but other than that, it was really solid all day long. Felt like I was always giving myself good looks, and yeah, really pleased with the round.

“Anytime you’ve had a lot of success at a golf course, I enjoy coming back and playing here. The course suits my eye. I feel like I play it well. Yeah, I like playing here.

“I would have liked to have played a little better individually coming into here [this season], but it’s golf. You can’t play good all the time. But I still try to. But I think I have played OK this year.

“I could sneak into that third spot [in the season-long Individual Championship race] if I win this week maybe, which would be nice, too.”

With an eye on the Team Championship next week in Miami, DJ is looking to finish the season on a high to get him back on track to take his form into the next campaign.

“Yeah, for sure, but it’s a long off-season, so I’ve got a little work to do. But yeah, we’ll finish off the next two weeks, I’ll take a nice little break, and then I’ll get ready for next year.”

Main image: Dustin Johnson. LIV Golf

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And it is two of the newest, most-innovative circuits that take centre stage.

The Ladies European Tour polishes off its Aramco Team Series 2023 slate in Hong Kong and Riyadh in October, with plenty of Solheim Cup stardust on show as Lilia Vu (pictured right) is among those who have signed up to compete alongside the LET’s finest, and Dubai’s Chiara Noja hopes to retain the Aramco Team Series title she won in dramatic playoff fashion last year over Charley Hull in Saudi Arabia. 

Those Aramco Team Series events take place either side of the gents returning to Royal Greens Golf & Country Club near Jeddah for the LIV Golf Individual Title finale before heading to Miami for the Team Championship finals.

We are sure to see more fireworks at King Abdullah Economic City as defending champion Brooks Koepka and his Smash teammates attempt to hold on to their crowns, and the likes of Cameron Smith and Bryson DeChambeau are in sparkling form as they vie with Talor Gooch for the season-long Individual title. If the LIV Golf action lives up to last year’s drama — where Koepka defeated Smash teammate Peter Uihlein in near darkness on the third extra hole on the Sunday at Royal Greens on the breezy Red Sea coast — we are in for a treat. 

After all the drama in the Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin in Spain, and the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone just outside Rome, teamwork is the name of the game this October and fans in Saudi Arabia will be able to get to grips with the sport as players hold clinics and lessons for aspiring golfers at both Royal Greens with the LIV teams and in the Saudi capital with the ladies.

While the international seasons are coming to a close, in the UAE, things are just hotting up — or should that be cooling down? — as the fair-weather golfers head back out on the fairways.  

Golf Digest Middle East is on hand to keep the golfers entertained with our third edition of Oktoberfest at The Els Club Dubai on October 20, where players will compete for top prizes including playing spots on the 2024 Hero Dubai Desert Classic Pro-Am, Emirates Dubai 7s season passes, Country Club membership at The Els Club, Hero Dubai Desert Classic hospitality tickets and much more from our sponsors.

You can book your spot in the 18-hole shotgun-start for AED 795. Go to golfdigestme.com/events for more information.

All of this is in store before our friends at the DP World Tour swing back into town for their own season-ending showpiece — the $10 million Rolex Series DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai. 

Spanish Superman Jon Rahm will be seeking his fourth DP World Tour Championship title on the Earth Course from November 16-19, while Race to Dubai leader Rory McIlroy is hunting a fifth Harry Vardon trophy in the season-long rankings race. With the 2024 calendar shake-up on the cards that will see the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship move to November to form a two-event playoff alongside the DP World Tour Championship, this will be the last chance to witness the action in its current format and see out a thrilling year of golf in style.

Main image: Warren Little/Getty Images

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LIV Golf Jeddah marks the season’s penultimate event when the league will crown its 2023 Individual Champion and set the stage for its season-ending team championship. A presenting partner for last year’s Invitational Series tournament won by Brooks Koepka and Smash, Roshn will once again help welcome many of the world’s best players to King Abdullah Economic City. Star names among the list of 13 major winners who will compete at Royal Greens include the 2023 PGA Championship winner and 2023 US Ryder Cup Team selection Koepka, 2022 Open Champion Cameron Smith, World Golf Hall of Famer Phil Mickelson, 2020 US Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau, and two-time major winners Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson and Martin Kaymer.

LIV Golf and Roshn have committed to a series of initiatives aimed at unlocking the potential of Saudi communities through golf. The programmes will be delivered under LIV Golf’s purpose strategy ‘Potential, Unleashed’, which seeks to foster sustainability and deliver impact for communities across the globe.

Commenting on the announcement, David Grover, Roshn’s Group CEO, said: “LIV Golf has brought a new dynamic to professional golf, introducing innovative formats that are shaping the future of the sport and reaching new communities worldwide. We are proud to once again be the presenting partner for this event, with the world’s best golfers competing for the LIV Golf individual title in front of an international audience.”

Monica Fee, LIV Golf Senior Vice President and Global Head of Partnerships, added: “LIV Golf is thrilled to welcome back Roshn as the presenting partner for the league’s regular-season finale in Jeddah,” said. “Collaborations like this are delivering opportunities for both players and fans to enjoy this great sport and make a meaningful impact beyond the course, showcasing how golf is a force for good in communities around the world. We look forward to hosting an exciting tournament with support from Roshn.”

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The expanded schedule for 2023 saw the 12 teams jet around the globe to compete in the innovative shotgun-start 54-hole tournaments, with $25 million on the line each time.

The winner’s circle has certainly been a who’s who of big-name golfers this time around with the likes of Charles Howell III and Danny Lee rubbing shoulders with two-time winners Talor Gooch, Cameron Smith, Bryson DeChambeau and PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka. 

Koepka’s Smash team have had a season to remember, getting on the podium in Orlando, thanks to Brooks’ stunning victory — and now the skipper, brother Chase, Jason Kokrak and latest arrival Matthew Wolff are gunning for more success as they look to defend their Jeddah crown this month in the Individual Title finale ahead of the Team showdown in Miami.

LIV Golf

Kokrak has been enjoying life with his ‘family’ — the Koepkas and Wolff, who replaced Peter Uihlein at the start of this season — and is eager to get back on the course in Saudi Arabia after making such fond memories last year.   

The American 38-year-old signed on ahead of the third event last year at Bedminster to team up with his good friend Brooks and he got to witness Koepka’s maiden LIV Golf triumph first-hand as the captain battled it out in a playoff with teammate Uihlein in the fading light on the Red Sea coast.

“LIV is such a different product to anything else in golf right now,” Kokrak told Golf Digest Middle East. “It is definitely more exciting — it’s faster with 48 guys, and the telecast is faster too.

“In the first year we knew there were going to be growing pains, but you could see a lot of the guys were out there having fun in a relaxed atmosphere, a bit of music, and you are essentially playing golf and practising with your buddies in a super-fun atmosphere.

“Moving into season two has been pretty special as, not only has it been fun, I have seen real growth, both in terms of the broadcasting product but in the teams, the organisations, and how they are operation on a day-to-day basis. 

“The tournaments too are much smoother, especially back to back. Everyone was talking about how much better London was this year than last year and they are learning year on year and event by event to grow and improve. 

“It has been fun for me to look at as a veteran, knowing what goes on behind the scenes to put on a golf tournament and it is pretty great to see just how far they have come in just one year.” 

Now Kokrak is ready to help his team make more history on their return to Saudi — with the bond between players growing stronger despite the line-up change.

“We had Peter Uihlein with us last year and now we have Matthew Wolff, so we have experienced some of those changes already,” he said. 

“It was a smooth transition with no real issues. Peter lives down near Brooks and Chase and they see each other all the time. 

“With Chase and Brooks being brothers it is an easy camaraderie because they have been together and so close for so long. Brooks and I have been friends for many years and see eye to eye, so it has been smooth sailing. 

“No matter what team you are on, there will be disagreements, like any family. But ours is a little different as we have Brooks and Chase in there together. 

“You certainly feel tensions between brothers at times, especially with Brooks being where he is in the world and the level of golf he has been playing for the last seven to 10 years. 

“Both he and Chase had an incredible year last year, but Chase has had a bit of a slump this time. So we hope he can kinda hop out of that and have a couple of good weeks to end the season in Jeddah and Miami.”

LIV Golf

Kokrak is not afraid to let his captain know what he is thinking — even if it concerns five-time major champ Brooks himself. 

“The kid [Koepka] is something else,” Kokrak said. “As soon as he won that major [ 2023 PGA Championship], he was right back to work, tuning up to win another one. So every once in a while I will put him back in his chair and say: ‘You enjoy this for a few minutes. It’s not all work all the time. Take some time to enjoy yourself.’ With the new baby here too, I am hoping he does that in this last month. 

“I think that’s what I bring to the table for him — a good backboard to put him back in his place every once in a while.”

“Brooks is in very elite company with how many majors he has won, but he came all the way through the Challenge Tour, European Tour and then the PGA, dismantling everyone on the way. A lot of people forget that there is always that grind, that challenge to get better and strive to beat everyone each week. A few of those other major winners could learn a lot from him about that in order to win more. 

Despite being the ‘elder statesman’ of the team, Kokrak is still taking things on board trying to keep up with his younger Smash mates. “I’m still learning from Brooks,” he said. “He has re-energised me as a player. I am as fit now as I have ever been at 38, and I see him as someone I look up to and that makes me want to play the best golf I can for my team captain. 

“I had a little slump last year but now I am doing better. I am really looking forward to finishing off the year strong. If I play well, then that can only help the team and we want to be back up on that podium again. 

“Jeddah is a tricky golf course, it normally takes me a few times around to get used to there. It is normally super windy, which can be a struggle for me, but I got a good driver in the bag now and I am putting better so I am looking forward to a strong finish.”

Kokrak cannot hide his smile as he recalls how the drama unfolded last year — even though he was just watching from the sidelines. 

“It was a whirlwind,” he said. “I remember Chase and I walking back and forth on that par 5 18th as they were battling it out [Koepka eventually won on the third extra hole]. We would grab some food and a drink from the players tent then back up we would go to follow Brooks and Peter with our bottles ready to spray, not knowing if it would be on Brooks or Peter…

“It was a pretty special moment as we obviously knew we had the team win and the 1-2, but we didn’t know which way it would go. Watching those two battle it out — teammates, friends, neighbours — on that last hole was something else. Knowing how competitive Brooks is, and I know how competitive Peter is, it was fun to watch as neither was giving an inch. It really was an unforgettable experience walking to the 18th green knowing one of my teammates was gonna win and we also had the team title. I won’t forget that for a long time.”

Koepka himself was delighted with the victory.

“Honestly, to me the big thing was getting the team win,” said Koepka after his triumph, even if it ended up costing him. “I told my brother I’d buy him a Lambo if we won the team thing, so I’ve got to go by one. It’s always fun battling against your friends, and I think it’s special.

“The team aspect is pretty cool We’ve known each other for so long. That’s what you want to do, right? You want to compete with some of your very good friends, go toe-to-toe. This team thing has revived me.”

Image supplied

Even as the season comes to a close, Kokrak knows there is still a lot of hard work to go and he has some unfinished business himself. 

“We are entering every tournament trying to play our best to win, but going back as defending champions of that event certainly has a different side to it,” he said. “We still have to go about our business and go out there and play the best golf we can. It was fun getting up on stage for that first Smash team win and I am really looking forward to going back. 

“I feel as good as I have done in a long time. I definitely want to win multiple times a year. That is a little more difficult as there are only 14 individual events. In really just wanna play my best golf to finish out my career. I have always tried to make as much money as I can — I have a six-year-old and a four-year-old and I have always wanted to retire around 43-44 years old so I can watch my kids grow up and go to all their games and whatever. So, I have a feeling I might be able to do that and look forward to that.” 

However, there is a slight cloud hanging over the Smash team as Chase is in the dreaded ‘Drop Zone’ — the bottom four players will be cut from the 2024 roster and will have to compete in a playoff with the best Asian Tour players to return to the line-up.

“There is such a different vibe, a different feel, and I am trying to take it all in and enjoy this ever-changing, fluid LIV tour,” Kokrak said.

“People come, people go, people join different team and it is all a new experience to take in. You got to work hard and get results, but sometimes you got to sit back, look around and enjoy yourself a little bit.

“To be in that bottom four like Chase, I haven’t really considered it. But in all honesty, in my rookie year on the PGA Tour I remember having four events left and I was going to lose my card. I needed to make something happen and do something special and I finished T2 and top 15 to keep my card. I always strive to play my best golf when I am backed into a corner. These guys have nowhere to go but up and it has been a long, hard year for them. I definitely feel for them because it is a tough game and golf has never given anything to anybody.

“It’s not like the end of the world if they do get cut as they have other tours and places to play in order to try to get back in and I think they should take it as an experience and know how much fun and how competitive this tour can be strive to get back. There is a pathway back — you just got to play good golf! 

“Having a teammate in the bottom four right now, I definitely keep a closer eye on his scores than I normally do, more than I did last year when he was playing really solid golf. He’s just got into a little bit of a slump and I hope he will get a good kick in this last event to get safe. I feel for him but you got to go out there and dig it out of the dirt and make it happen.”

Brooks also had some words of encouragement for his brother. “I told him, I’ve been through that stretch where you’re not playing well,” he said. “He’s working hard, I’ll give him that. That’s why I haven’t gotten on him. I’m proud of him. He’s gutted through this thing, and eventually it’s going to turn right side up, and that’s what I just keep telling him. I’ve been in those shoes two years ago. It will come around.”

Main image: Chris Trotman/LIV Golf via Getty Images

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“Jeddah was a really meaningful win last year, so it’s going to be special to be back,” said Koepka. “Going head-to-head in a playoff against Peter [Uihlein], who was my Smash teammate at the time, and getting both the individual and team win was something I’ll always remember in my career. It was a huge turning point for my game and gave me a ton of momentum and confidence heading into 2023. I’m excited to get back there, especially as the returning champ.”

It’s been a significant year for Koepka, including an individual title at LIV Golf Orlando leading into a runner-up finish at the Masters, securing his fifth major victory at this year’s PGA Championship, and competing in last week’s Ryder Cup. Koepka’s return promises to add excitement to the final individual event of the 2023 LIV Golf season. As the defending champion and team captain of Smash, he currently sits in fifth place in the individual standings with 112 points.

With all to play for ahead of LIV Golf Jeddah, Talor Gooch, who currently sits second in the standings with three international victories this year at LIV Golf Adelaide, LIV Golf Singapore, and LIV Golf Andalucia, understands the challenges that lie ahead as the season-long race reaches its climax.

Gooch said: “It all comes down to Jeddah, and I know what I have to do to win this season-long race. Cam [Smith] isn’t going to let me have it, so I need to go and have a great tournament to win the individual championship. We also need to have a good week as a team to get the first-round bye in Miami, so a lot is on the line for both myself and the RangeGoats. It’s a great week to go have a great week.”

Next week’s tournament is the final opportunity to secure points in the individual standings for all 48 players. Those who finish in the top 24 in the overall standings will lock-in their position in the LIV Golf League for the next season. Players finishing in the “Open Zone” (positions 25-44), however, may face trade or release by their respective teams. Meanwhile, those finishing in positions 45 and below sitting in the “Drop Zone” will be relegated and will automatically qualify for the League’s promotional tournament, where they will have the opportunity to earn their spot back for the 2024 season.

Main image: Brooks Koepka. LIV Golf

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