Robert TheodorsonMajor championship season has concluded, and what a season it was! With Ryan Fox tying the single-day major championship scoring record and conquering Royal Birkdale with a masterclass performance on the back nine during championship Sunday, we now return to regular season action.
Without further ado, LIV UK has finally arrived!
After a near two-month hiatus since LIV Andalucia, LIV Golf returns to action at the JCB Golf and Country Club north of Birmingham. This is the third year in a row LIV has hosted the UK tournament at JCB.
Last season Joaquin Niemann picked up his record 5th win of the 2025 LIV Golf season by way of a 17-under-par score, three strokes better than the then-resurgent Bubba Watson.
LIV action has been hard to come by these days as LIV Louisiana, previously planned for the last week of June, was unceremoniously cancelled due to funding issues. Those same issues continue to cast doubt on the league’s future.
It remains anyone’s guess as to if LIV UK will indeed be the league’s finale, forgoing a number of planned tournaments (mainly in the US), and the end-of-season team-focused tournament where payouts are gigantic and viewership is almost nonexistent.
Despite these issues, the field has plenty to play for as big money and OWGR points are on the line. As we’ve seen throughout the season, more and more LIV players are taking up opportunities to expand their horizons, play on multiple circuits, and earn exemptions and invites into major championship tournaments.
Being the first and only tournament held in the UK, and so close to the finale of The Open, LIV UK figures to be a high-profile event, and so we bring you our projected top performers for one of the year’s most anticipated tournaments!
Top 5 Projected Performers
(1) Jon Rahm
The Open Finish: 46th; Even Par
Rahm’s very first LIV Golf victory came at JCB two seasons ago. As most remember, 2024 was a tumultuous season where LIV’s new signee was constantly coming in second or third in most all tournaments, but unable to pull off the big win.
That big win finally came towards the end of the season and was the moment Rahm signaled to the league that he was there to be a perennial champion, as he proved in 2024, 2025, and is currently on pace to win the points standings in 2026.
Rahm’s Open performance was an exciting three-day rollercoaster before his first tee shot on Sunday went out of bounds and set the tone for the rest of the day, ultimately ending with a score of 4-over par.
Despite the poor finish, Rahm is not a professional who dwells on things and will likely be motivated to move on to his next chance to win. With a great team behind him, Rahm’s efforts figure to contribute mightily to a win for Legion XIII which includes a significant amount of bonus dollars.
(2) Joaquin Niemann
The Open Finish: CUT
The 2025 LIV UK champion and 2024 runner-up has dominated the JCB Golf & Country Club for two straight years, so why not another run for a third year in a row?
While not possessing the same form he displayed last season, which included a record-setting five wins, Niemann remains the safest bet among the field due to his past experience and current form. Niemann does have one win to show for his effort this season, that victory coming at LIV Korea which included a nail-biting playoff against Talor Gooch.
(3) Bryson DeChambeau
The Open Finish: T14; 4-under par
We’ll discuss Bryson’s Open controversy below in the “What You Need to Know” section below our rankings.
For LIV UK, all you need to know is that Bryson has recorded twin T11 finishes with scores of 7 and 8-under par. His past performances, paired with his major championship resurgence at The Open has us feeling good about his chances at JCB and making a run for the number one spot.
(4) Lucas Herbert
The Open Finish: T6; 6-under par
Herbert was the lone LIV Golfer to finish in the Top 10 at Royal Birkdale and along with Ryan Fox and Sam Burns, tied the single-day scoring record of 62. Going into Saturday, Herbert found himself atop the leaderboard and had every chance to win his first major championship.
Herbert’s lack of firepower on Saturday and Sunday (both 71’s) ultimately sunk the Australian star down the standings and left everyone wondering where that form from his 62 went.
Herby has never had really great success at JCB with T34 and T20 finishes in 2024 and 2025, respectively, but he is a recent winner at LIV Virginia, and his week at Royal Birkdale give us confidence that he has a real shot to win hi second tournament of the season.
(5) Tyrrell Hatton
The Open Finish: T69; 5-over par
I really wanted to add Talor Gooch in this final spot, the Smash GC captain who has finished in the Top 10 twice at JCB, but the UK fans need someone to get behind and that man is Tyrrell Hatton who also happens to be the last man who won a tournament on tour.
It’s true that Hatton suffered a blow-up after a fantastic first two rounds. His twin scores of 74 on Saturday and Sunday were extremely disappointing. For a man who played the course so well and looked like a legitimate contender for 36 holes, it was sad to see the wheels come off one of our favorite players.
The good news is that like teammate Jon Rahm, Hatton is going to be able to put the weekend at Royal Birkdale behind him and look to make it two in a row.
The main concern for Hatton is Sunday. We’ve already discussed what happened at The Open, but Hatton’s win at Andalucia was close because of similar reasons. His final round score of 1-under par helped keep him clear of runner-up Jon Rahm by two strokes, but there’s going to be a number of hungry golfers, especially those who were not invited to Royal Birkdale, fighting and clawing for a win.
For Hatton to win, he just needs to be himself for three rounds, but go scorched earth on the field on Sunday. If he can do that, the Englishman has a chance to take his second win of the season and third of his LIV career!
Top Projected Team
Legion XIII
Legion XIII to repeat as LIV UK champs and win their second tournament in a row.
There’s too much firepower on Jon Rahm’s squad to not win this tournament despite the resurgence and dominance of Dustin Johnson’s 4 Aces who have been aided by a reliable Thomas Detry and a comeback golfer of the year nominee in Anthony Kim (who also won LIV Adelaide earlier this season).
Tyrrell Hatton will be a hometown favorite and receive much fanfare as his did at Royal Birkdale. Jon Rahm tends to bounce back from bad and/or disappointing finishes. Youngsters Caleb Surratt and Tom McKibbin remain on an upward trajectory as they are both developing into reliable pros.
Around the League: What You Need to Know Before LIV UK
- LIV representation at Royal Birkdale was a mixed bag. Of the participants only Lucas Herbert (T6) and Bryson DeChambeau (T14) finished in the Top 25 while several missed the cut and players like Rahm and Hatton has Sunday blow ups.
- Bryson DeChambeau’s two-stroke penalty on Saturday figures to still be a point of talk and contention as the field nearly unanimously agreed that DeChambeau should not have been penalized. The issue was exacerbated as Scottie Scheffler received a free drop on Sunday after losing his ball in the thick rough. The world of professional golf joked that that there is likely a double standard when it comes to treatment of LIV stars versus PGA Tour stars.
- Travis Smyth will replace Elvis Smylie on Ripper. Smylie won the year’s first event in Riyadh.
- Jon Rahm (928.58) holds a large but not insurmountable lead over 2nd place Bryson DeChambeau (644.40). For DeChambeau to make a run, he would need a win (worth 200 points), a poor finish from Rahm, and finish high in the standings at LIV Bedminster, if the tournament is indeed played.
- LIV UK is the first tournament since The Open. For once, LIV’s scheduling was on point as JCB Golf and Country Club is less than 100 miles away from Royal Birkdale. For some, it will be a short ride south of Birkdale.
- Phil Mickelson has been omitted from the LIV UK roster. The HyFlyers captain has only participated in one LIV event to date and has skipped all four majors. His status, whereabouts, and future are currently unknown to the wider golf world.
- Legal action has been brought against LIV Golf by a Canadian tech company for an amount of approximately a million dollars. The legal action stems from the company maintaining the league’s ‘Any Shot, Any Time’ broadcast feature.
LIV UK kicks off this Thursday, July 23rd and will conclude on Sunday afternoon, July 26th.
