Now that Rahm is the proud owner of a LIV Golf letterman’s jacket after jumping from the PGA Tour and DP World Tour for a deal reported to be worth somewhere between $300 million and $600 million, the question is whether he might have enough sway to introduce tweaks to the fledgling circuit. The 29-year-old Spaniard sounded optimistic last week during his introductory press conference.

“For all those things that I like about this movement [LIV], there’s always going to be some things that are not perfect, but that’s the situation,” Rahm said. “I’m hopeful that the leaders of LIV Golf might listen to some of my advice and maybe see some changes in the future for the better of the game.”

Exactly what he would want to see changed isn’t entirely clear. From the outside looking in, it seems the most effective pivot LIV could make would be extending its tournaments to 72 holes and introducing a 36-hole cut. That would seem to satisfy Rahm, who had said previously that “shotgun [starts], three days to me is not a golf tournament.” Having 54-hole events was also one of several reasons why, in October, LIV was denied an application to receive Official World Golf Ranking points.

But how would that go down with LIV’s other members, a list that includes major winners like Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith and Bryson DeChambeau? Perhaps most qualified to comment is LIV’s 2023 individual season-long points winner, Talor Gooch.

“He [Rahm] has been vocal about some stuff he didn’t love, but he wouldn’t have come to LIV if he thought he was going to win 10 tournaments a year and have no competition,” Gooch said. “He’s a true competitor. It’s beyond exciting [to have Rahm].”

Gooch won three titles from 13 individual LIV events in 2023. He also posted five top-10 finishes. All that accounted for more than $15 million in individual prize money and an $18 million bonus for the individual championship. The 32-year-old Oklahoma native thinks there’s two schools of thought when it comes to keeping LIV’s 54-hole identity.

“We haven’t had an open forum discussion with all the players,” said Gooch, who last week was transferred from Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats GC to Koepka’s Smash GC. “But you get both sides … guys who would welcome it [72 holes] and some guys who are opposed to it. Discussions will be had, and it’ll be interesting to see what comes of it.”

Gooch contends there are varying opinions among players, with some who would vote to add a fourth round to LIV events, even though he isn’t in favour of the move.

“I think LIV Golf was meant to be something different; I think it’s not supposed to be a carbon copy of the rest of professional golf. I lean towards keeping it at 54 holes,” Gooch said. “Part of it too, from my experience on the PGA Tour, was Thursdays are just irrelevant from a fan perspective [except for] only a couple times a year.

“I’ve always been an advocate of … I think the majors absolutely should be four rounds, but I don’t necessarily think everything else should be four rounds, almost similar to tennis. We want to do everything we can to make the most entertaining product but [also] the product that’s going to reveal the best golfer.”

Gooch’s tennis comment was referencing how men’s Grand Slams contest a best-of-five-sets format while playing in three sets at regular ATP events.

Despite his strong play on the LIV circuit, without those events offering World Ranking points Gooch has plummeted down the OWGR from a career-high of No. 31 to No. 298. As such, Gooch, who is not exempt into the field at any of the four men’s majors for 2024, will need to tweak his schedule in order to qualify for any of them via their OWGR criteria. To get into the Masters in April, Gooch would have to play plenty of Asian Tour and other sanctioned events outside of LIV to crack the top 50 by the end of March. The PGA Championship in May also will be tough. The U.S. Open and Open Championship, however, each offer the opportunity to play in qualifiers to earn spots into their fields.

“I haven’t even thought that far ahead, to be honest,” he said. “Of course, I want to play in all the majors. As [2024] begins, hopefully we can figure out how to get that done. If qualifying is one of the routes, that’s something I’ll look at.”

Main image: Asanka Ratnayake

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Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters winner, and 2010 US Open winner Graeme McDowell join LIV Golf headliners Harold Varner III and Belgian Thomas Pieters for the long-running tournament, first held in 1959, which has a boosted prize fund of $2 million this year thanks to its new status as an International Series event on the Asian Tour.

Other big-name players including 2022 Open Championship winner Cam Smith, two-time Hong Kong Open champion Wade Ormsby, Hong Kong Asian Games gold medallist and the first local player to win an Asian Tour title at the World City Championship in March, Taichi Kho. LIV Golf ‘s 2023 Individual Champion Talor Gooch and Eugenio Chacarra are also already confirmed in the field for the first Hong Kong Open to be contested since 2020.

For Varner and Pieters, the Fanling date means a chance to re-connect with close friend and RangeGoats teammate Gooch.  Gooch has acknowledged his relationship with HV3 as a key factor in his switching from 4 Aces to RangeGoats on LIV Golf this season.

“HV3 and I first met in college golf. We just hit it off right away and have been close ever since. Then we had a bunch of time together on the PGA Tour, and now on LIV — and now we are teammates so it is fun, and it is a cool opportunity,” said Gooch, who has made history this season as the first player to win three LIV Golf events and won the overall Individual Championship points race on Sunday at LIV Golf Jeddah.

Varner also has some history behind his name. The 33-year-old is only the second American player to win the Australian PGA Championship.  He added a first LIV Golf victory in Washington DC in May and also won the PIF Saudi International last year.

Gooch is confident that Varner and his teammate Pieters are going to quickly become fan favourites at the Hong Kong Open.

“HV is about as fun of a dude that you are going to be around, but he is also a great player. He hits the ball a long ways, and he has a great short game. He plays well all over the world. He is my teammate, but I hope that I whip him that week,” added Gooch.

Pieters has seven wins since turning pro in 2013 and has represented Belgium and Europe in numerous team events including the 2016 Ryder Cup — when he led Europe with four points.

Talor Gooch. LIV Golf

“Thomas is truly one of the great talents that we have in the game,” said Gooch. “You look at him and think why are you not playing a different sport. He looks like a Greek god. He is 6ft, 5ins and a big dude that hits the ball a country mile. Great short game, great hands, just a great player. He truly has the potential to be one of the best players in the game on any given week.”

From friends to friendly rivals, the Hong Kong Open is set to welcome the return of two Fanling — and Ryder Cup — legends in Reed and McDowell.

Reed is no stranger to the excitement surrounding the Hong Kong Open — the nine-time PGA tournament winner having finished T-3 at Fanling on his debut in 2015, behind winner Justin Rose and Lucas Bjerregaard. The 33-year-old Reed has returned twice since then (2016, 2018), and was named in the field for the 2021 tournament, which was cancelled due to the pandemic.

The Texan has also had five top-five finishes on LIV Golf this season. He had a similar showing at this year’s Masters at Augusta, a venue where Reed will forever be remembered for his heroics in 2018, when he shot 15-under-par to win by a stroke.

Northern Irishman McDowell is also no stranger to Fanling — or Reed — as the pair have been part of rival Ryder Cup camps down through the years, representing Europe and America, respectively.

The 44-year-old McDowell counts four top-20 finishes among his previous efforts at the Hong Kong Open, to add to 15 career wins on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour in his career. He has also been an ever-present player on the LIV Golf series.

The Hong Kong Open is the penultimate event of this season’s International Series, 10 marquee tournaments on the Asian Tour calendar. What happens in Fanling could have real bearing on the final standings for the International Series Order of Merit, the year-long race which will guarantee one spot for the overall leader in next season’s LIV Golf League.

Main image: Patrick Reed. LIV Golf

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It ended with the biggest moment — and certainly the biggest pay day — of his golfing career.

In between, all Talor Gooch did during the 2023 LIV Golf League season was raise trophies across the globe. Victory in Adelaide. Victory in Singapore. Victory in Andalucía.

On Sunday, it was victory in Jeddah. Not the tournament itself, but as season-long Individual Champion, which comes with a $18 million bonus that should prove quite useful for Gooch’s growing charity foundation in his native Oklahoma.

In a league with 13 major champions on the roster, it was the player who can’t seem to get proper recognition from the majors who set the gold standard.

No wonder Gooch plays with an attitude.

“I think I always play with a chip on my shoulder,” Gooch said in the aftermath of his Individual title at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club. “I’ve gone under the radar, if you will, which is fine. For me, it’s a driving factor.

“Then you circle all the way around to the end of last season with what DJ had said and being on the new team, it’s motivating for sure.

“Yeah, I like the chip on the shoulder.”

DJ is, of course, Dustin Johnson, the 4 Aces captain whose team Gooch played for last season. It was a successful relationship, especially from the team perspective, as the Aces won all five US-based tournaments during the inaugural 2022 LIV Golf Invitational beta-test season. That included the season-ending Team Championship a year ago in Miami.

But when an opportunity on Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats opened up, Gooch jumped ship, wanting to play with his good friend Harold Varner III. Johnson said last year’s podium finish in Miami would be the last one Gooch would enjoy.

It took Gooch just four regular-season tournaments to prove DJ wrong. His twin 10-under 62s in the first two rounds in Adelaide led to his first LIV Golf individual title. The next week, Gooch beat Sergio Garcia in a playoff in Singapore, and this time he had company, as the RangeGoats swept both titles.

In the next event, Johnson seemed to take special pleasure in winning LIV Golf Tulsa, considering Gooch was the hometown host. But Gooch proved the two-week heater overseas wasn’t a fluke, as he held off Bryson DeChambeau in Spain for a third individual win, making a clutch birdie on the final hole.

But he delivered his biggest message in Jeddah.

Three players started the week with a chance to win the Individual Champion crown. Ripper captain Cameron Smith was in the driver’s seat, with Gooch in second place and DeChambeau in third. That’s a sandwich between two recent major winners.

With everything on the line on Sunday, Gooch shot an eight-under 62, rolling in seemingly every decent birdie chance to force a playoff with defending Jeddah champ Brooks Koepka. Meanwhile, Smith and DeChambeau, the two players with more impressive credentials, fell off the pace. Each were frustrated at the end, knowing the opportunity that had slipped away — or rather, that Gooch grabbed.

Even though he lost the Jeddah tournament title to Koepka on the second playoff hole — he took an aggressive line with his approach shot in hopes of forcing the issue, but the ball finished in the water left of the green — Gooch proved his point. He had outplayed Smith and DeChambeau with the season’s biggest stakes on the line while going toe-to-toe with the reigning PGA Champion and five-time major winner.

And in the process, he became the successor to Johnson, last year’s Individual Champion.

How to put it in perspective?

“You’ve got 48 of the best players in the world, with some legends and some current great players, majors champions,” Gooch said. “When you’re playing all kinds of courses across the world in different climates, in different parts of the world and back home in the States and everything over the span of a season — to beat everybody over the course of that, it speaks volumes to the quality of golf that you’ve played.

“For me, it’s a validation to all the hard work, all the patience and the years it took to get my game to this spot to, I think, be considered one of the best players in the world.”

His current captain agrees.

“He’s a young gun,” Watson said while waiting to spray Gooch with some celebratory fizz on the 18th green. “We saw that in his short career on the PGA Tour and when he jumped ship to LIV, you knew he was still going to be one of the best. He’s proven that he is. It’s awesome to watch.

“It’s awesome to learn from, too. The way he goes about his business. Not too many ups and downs. Just straight ahead, no matter what the golf ball does for him.”

His good friend Varner was more succinct.

“I’ve known him a long time,” Varner said. “I knew he was really good. And he just works his ass off.”

Don’t expect that to change just because he’s on top of the LIV Golf world right now. Playing with a chip on his shoulder has worked well thus far. No need to remove it now.

Main image: Talor Gooch. LIV Golf

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The 31-year-old American already had three titles during 13-tournament 2023 LIV Golf League season and, for a while, it looked like he was going to bag No. 4. But he was pegged back by Royal Greens Golf & Country Club master Brooks Koepka and, after finding the water, was edged out on the second extra hole by the defending champion.

Second place would have to do this time around.

The runners-up cheque for $2.25 million would have normally soothed the pain somewhat, but Gooch was on cloud nine as his second-place finish was good enough to overtake Cameron Smith and secure the season-long Individual Championship crown and the $18 million bonus that came with that achievement.

Congratulations to our 2023 LIV Golf League Individual Champion Talor Gooch ?#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/aBEwOzNZ4h

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) October 15, 2023

Reflecting on his sensational season — and a final-round 62 that was enough to take the title — Gooch said: “Man, it’s awesome. From January 1 until now, that’s what we’ve been working for, so to get here and to be the champion, man, I’m proud, I’m honoured, and I’m excited.”

Gooch’s eight-under on Sunday was the lowest score of the day and matched the record for the week. But underneath his calm exterior, he was a bundle of nerves.

“I was nervous as could be all night last night and all morning today, and we got to the first tee, and I knocked it on the green, made a 30-footer, and I just settled in,” he said, grinning from ear to ear. “It was a very, very stressful day, very exciting day, but man, my caddie and I just did a great job of staying in the moment and just executing.

“It was a day that you dream of for the score and the moment and all of it, so it was a special, special day.”

The American seems to love life on the road with wins in Adelaide, Singapore, Andalucía and then a second place in Saudi Arabia.

“Man, I’ve got no idea,” he said of his international successes. “It helps having a caddie from Australia that’s travelled the world as a professional and as a caddie, as well. We just have great routines on the road, and the golf courses have fit us. It’s been a great international 2023 for us.

“You know, I didn’t come into this day thinking about winning a golf tournament. It’s easy for your mind to just say, let’s just go have a good day and solidify the Individual Championship, and then after nine holes, I was only one or two back, and I was feeling good, and the putter was hot. I was like: ‘Let’s go win a golf tournament.’

“It was a little bit bittersweet at the end not being able to get that done. But all day you’re looking at the scoreboard and seeing where you are compared to everyone [in the Individual Championship].”

Gooch also knows that his $18 million is going to a good home.

“My wife and I have a foundation that we started, and first and foremost it’s going to do a lot of good back home for a lot of kids,” he said. “That’s going to be the focus.”

With a field that includes 13 major winners among the 48 outstanding players, Gooch also feels he has truly earned his title.

“It’s special,” he said. “Again, I’ve always felt that I was good enough to be a professional golfer and play against the best in the world. Now to be here to, I think, consider myself one of the best in the world, it’s what I’ve been dreaming about since I was nine years old. To get to this point in my career and to have this validating of a season, yeah, words can’t describe how much it means and just how satisfying it is.”

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For the second year in a row  it seemed like an action replay of 2022 at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club on Sunday — especially the dramatic finale.

Brooks Koepka defended his title. He did it an extended playoff — this time over Individual Championship winner Talor Gooch — on the second extra hole (last year it took four to prevail over then Smash teammate Peter Uihlein) on the Red Sea coast.

The pair finished locked on 14-under, with a crucial birdie putt on the 18^th from Koepka as Gooch waited in the wings ensuring extra-time.

Harold Varner III, another winner on the Royal Greens course in the 2022 Saudi International, finished third on 12-under.

There were differences too, as this was Koepka’s first win as a father, and he snuck into the Individual Championship top-three at old rival Bryson DeChambeau’s expense — $4 million to be exact.

Five-time major winner Koepka was smiling and happy to talk — finally, following a less-than-loquacious week — in King Abdullah Economic City after his overtime win against Gooch.

Koepka held an overnight three-stroke lead, but was pegged back as Gooch and handful of others were landing birdies and he was left frustrated with a string of near-misses before a late rally, including a clutch putt on 18, got him to two-under for the day — good enough to match Gooch, who shot the day’s lowest score with an eight-under 62.

“It’s been a great week,” he said, trophy at his feet. “It’s been fantastic. Anytime you can win, it’s always a good feeling. Super proud of the way I played today. Felt like I was hitting good putts. They weren’t falling, and then it was just a matter of being patient and hanging in there.

“To make that eight-footer on 18 in regulation and then to birdie it twice in the playoff is pretty neat. Very pleased with the way I finished.”

Koepka was ensured the win when Gooch saw his second shot over the pond on their second extra trip down 18 trickle off the green into the water, allowing the defending champ two putts for victory.

Brooks Koepka defends his title in Jeddah ??

It took two playoff holes to secure the victory ?#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/ZojMpnp7zY

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) October 15, 2023

“I knew it was just going to be a matter of time [in the playoff]. I had to birdie it every time I felt like. Talor has been playing so well the whole year, all week. He played a hell of a round today. I just felt like birdie was — you had to make birdie, maybe even a three just to beat him.

“I got super lucky, and I kind of had the same putt I did in regulation, which also helped knowing the speed and how fast it was. Super pumped for that.”

With the win in the bag over the same track as last year, Koepka is raring to go — and set a good example for his baby son, Crew.

“I definitely feel like I’m back to my old self,” he said. “This one is probably a little different just because it’s the first win as a dad. I’m sure [wife] Jena and Crew are watching. He won’t remember that one, but at least I’ve got something to say, that I did win while he was here.”

Koepka also had the bonus of claiming that third spot on the Individual Championship podium — something he didn’t discover until he was informed after his win.

“I mean, I really didn’t think I had a chance,” he explained. “I don’t know how many points Bryson had to have or to get, but I felt like I had to win, and I did my part. That’s all I can do. Then from there, it’s just up to the guys. But yeah, super fortunate to kind of squeak in there. It’s a good day.”

And what was Koepka thinking as they had to hop on the buggies and play 18 yet one more time?

“Not again,” he laughed. “I don’t think anybody has played the 18th hole more than I have.”

It’s like we had all been here before.

Main image: Brooks Koepka celebrates his LIV Golf Jeddah win with Smash teammate Jason Kokrak. LIV Golf

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However, the defending champion drained a birdie on the last to reach 14-under alongside Talor Gooch to take the Jeddah trophy destination to a playoff.

And, just like last year, Koepka claimed it on the 18th in a playoff. Gooch claimed the season-long Individual Championship over Cam Smith and has the consolation of the $18 million bonus for the 2023 title.

There were many crucial outcomes to be determined in the final regular LIV Golf League 2023 season. Here is a quick rundown of the key results.

• Brooks Koepka takes the LIV Golf Jeddah tournament crown
• Talor Gooch takes the season-long Individual Championship title
• Fireballs take the Jeddah Team title
• 4 Aces claim top seed spot for the Team Championship in Miami next week
• Chase Koepka, James Piot, Jed Morgan and Sihwan Kim finish in the Drop Zone

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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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One of the three will be crowned 2023 LIV Golf League Individual Champion on Sunday at LIV Golf Jeddah.

The season-long title comes with a substantial bonus: $18 million. And a place in history — as LIV Golf’s first full-season winner.

“Being the first one ever for a full season would be kind of cool,” Smith said. “This only happens once.”

Dustin Johnson was the Individual Champion for the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational beta-test year in 2022. He was a dominant force during the abbreviated seven-tournament regular season, arriving at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club having already clinched the title.

That’s not the case this time.

Through the first 12 events of 2023, Smith, the Ripper captain, tops the standings with 170 points, having won twice this season. Gooch, the RangeGoats star with three wins in 2023, is his closest pursuer with 162 points.

DeChambeau, the Crushers captain, has won two of the last three LIV Golf tournaments after a slow start to vault into third place with 146 points.

With 40 points for a tournament victory, 30 points for second, and only the top 24 on the leaderboard (after tiebreakers) offering points, there are multiple scenarios for each player to emerge as champion — about a dozen each for Smith and Gooch, three for DeChambeau.

The maths can be a bit dizzying — except, perhaps, for DeChambeau, aka The Scientist ­— but there is one relatively easy way to guarantee the best possible outcome:
Win the tournament.

“The only scenario that I have control of is if I go and win,” Gooch said. “That takes care of everything.”

Added Smith: “For sure there’s a little bit more up for grabs this week.”

In addition to the first-place bonus, the season-long race also awards bonuses to the second- and third-place finishers. No matter how Smith and Gooch fare this week, they are guaranteed at least one of the top 3 bonus spots.

DeChambeau, however, does not have that fallback position. While he must finish on the podium in Jeddah to have any shot at winning the Individual title, there are five other players who enter this week with a mathematical chance of overtaking DeChambeau for third place in the season race.

That doesn’t seem likely to happen, given DeChambeau’s form at the moment.

He shot 61-58 on the weekend to win his first LIV Golf tournament in Greenbrier in early August, then rallied with a 63 in the final round in Chicago last month to overtake Crushers teammate Anirban Lahiri for his second win. He credits the new Krank Golf driver that he put in his bag with turning around his season. “That’s really ultimately what did it,” he said.

Now he seems unbeatable.

Still, he faces the challenge of needing to play aggressively to catch Smith and Gooch while also trying to protect his bonus-paying position. How will he balance the two approaches?

“It’s just a focus on winning,” DeChambeau said. “That’s all it is. I don’t know what else to say. If you try to think, oh, I’ve got to save my spot, you’re not in the right mindset. You shouldn’t be there.”

Seeing major winners Smith and DeChambeau in contention for the Individual title should surprise no one. If you’ve followed Gooch’s path as a LIV golfer, you shouldn’t be surprised he’s in the mix, either.

A year ago, while playing for 4Aces, Gooch started the season with four consecutive top-10 finishes and was a key cog in the team’s domination of the team race.

Jumping to Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats for 2023, he eventually began turning opportunities into victories. The breakthrough statement came with consecutive 10-under 62s en route to winning in Adelaide.

“It’s been a culmination of years of hard work and patience,” Gooch said. “I played really well last year, and I couldn’t close out some tournaments. Some of that experience of failing last year I think kind of set me up to succeed for this year when I was in those same positions.”

Smith, who won last year in Chicago in just his second start after joining LIV Golf, entered the 2023 season with high expectations.

After a couple of disappointing non-points finishes, he was re-energised back home in Australia with a strong performance and was trending toward a win, which he achieved in London — and repeated two starts later in Bedminster.

“I was a bit rusty,” Smith said about his 2023 start. “I spent a fair bit of time down in Australia, probably had a few too many pies. Golf really wasn’t the focus. Definitely in a much better spot than what it was in January.”

On Friday, with groupings arranged by position in the season-long standings, the trio of Smith, Gooch and DeChambeau will tee off on No. 1 to start the opening round.

Of course, the ideal scenario — at least for golf fans — would be to see them together again late Sunday afternoon, duelling for a tournament title, a team title, and, of course, the Individual Champion crown.

TEE TIMES

Main image: Cameron Smith, Bryson DeChambeau and Talor Gooch. LIV Golf

TALE OF THE TAPE

Breaking down the 2023 LIV Golf League season for the three contenders of the Individual Champion title

LIV Golf

The post What the three LIV Golf title contenders need to do in Jeddah this week to take the crown, plus all Friday’s first-round pairings appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Q: As the individual season is reaching its climax this week in Jeddah. Can you tell us how you’re feeling this week going into the final event of the season?

CAM SMITH: “Yeah, it’s a good spot to be in. I think everyone out here wanted to probably be in our position at the end of this week, so it’s definitely a good spot to be in.

“I know we’ve had a couple of weeks off since Chicago, didn’t play my best there, so a couple good weeks of practice and feeling good going into this week.”

Talor Gooch. LIV Golf

TALOR GOOCH: “Yeah, like Cam said, going back to the first tournament of the year, if you could have told me, hey, this is where you’re going to be coming into the last event, you’d take it. In a good place, and like Cam said, had a couple weeks off and was able to get a little bit of practice in— I didn’t practice for this heat, but that’s just — you know what you’re getting into this week.

“Yeah, excited for the week and ready to have a good one.”

Q: “Cam, you’re our points race leader coming into LIV Golf Jeddah. Consistency has really been a key for you this year with six top 10s, two wins in London and Bedminster. Can you talk us through this year and really flying the flag for Australia with your Ripper team?”

CAM SMITH: “Yeah, it’s been good. I think from a team perspective, we could have done a little bit better, but we had a good win there in Bedminster, and I think that sets us up for a nice week in Miami. Miami has a lot of similarities to the course there, so we’re feeling really confident going into next week.

“For myself, yeah, consistency has been good. I probably didn’t get off to the greatest start to the season, but a lot of hard work and a lot of digging deep to get those couple of wins, and yeah, it’s really nice to be in this spot. Hopefully I can finish it off this week.”

Q: “Talor, some takeaways for you this year. You’re currently second in the standings, had some great success abroad winning in Adelaide, Singapore and Andalucía. Can you sum up your 2023 LIV Golf season and playing in some of these global destinations?

TALOR GOOCH: “Yeah, if you would have told the beginning of the season I would have had three wins, I obviously would have taken it. It’s been a culmination of years of hard work and patience. I’ve never won three times in a season as a professional golfer.

“You know, it’s been a great year. We’ve played great. I played really well last year, and I couldn’t close out some tournaments.

“Some of that experience of failing last year I think kind of set me up to succeed for this year when I was in those same positions. `Just continuing to build confidence and comfort coming down the stretch is something everyone is striving to do, and having done it, you just get more and more comfortable with it.

“It’s been a great year, and hopefully we can cap it off with a great week this week.

Q: “There’s so many scenarios in play about how you guys finish and how it works out against everybody else. Do you go into the tournament thinking you’re going to have to win to nail this down, or are you looking at any of those scenarios?”

CAM SMITH: “I think that’s kind of the mindset every week is to come here to win, so I don’t think it’s really any different to any other week. For sure there’s a little bit more up for grabs this week. You have to acknowledge that and really get on your toes and just try and go out there and win the tournament.

“I think it’s the same as every other week. But yeah, more stuff to play for.

TALOR GOOCH: “Yeah, I keep telling everybody, you just know that the two of these guys are going to have a good week this week, and the only way to know that you’re going to get the job done is just to go and win.

“I’ve used the term a lot the rule of 67. I’m just going to control what I can control, try and shoot 67 and lower each day and see where the chips fall.

“I know the only scenario that I have control of is if I go and win and that takes care of everything, and kind of like every other sport, winning kind of takes care of everything. That’s the goal, and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”

Main image: Cameron Smith. Andy Cheung

The post Smith and Gooch go to the wire at LIV Golf showdown appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

“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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