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LIV Golf players list: Everyone who has quit PGA Tour and DP World Tour to play in the 2023 series

Cameron smith, dustin johnson and phil mickelson are among other players to have pledged their commitment to liv golf.

When the highly contentious LIV Invitational Series resumes in 2024, it will boast reigning Masters champion and world No 3-ranked Jon Rahm as the latest of golf’s most famous players who have signed up to play .

Rahm , a four-time winner on the 2023 PGA Tour, member of Europe’s Ryder Cup -winning team and prior critic of the LIV format , joins the league bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in a deal reportedly worth up to £450m.

Rumours had begun to swirl over the Spaniard’s future, including when he was notably absent from the line-up of golfers committed to the PGA Tour’s American Express stop in January, as well as withdrawing from the Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy -backed TGL league’s inaugural season last month.

And despite admitting his decision to join LIV was a “risk” in terms of his future participation in the Ryder Cup – the 29-year-old will need to remain a member of the DP World Tour to be eligible for the biennial USA vs Europe showdown – Rahm told Fox News : “Things have changed a lot in the game of golf over the past two years and I’ve seen the growth of LIV Golf and the innovation.

“That’s why I’m here today. This decision was made for many reasons and what I thought was best for me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great deal.”

The 2024 LIV Golf schedule will feature 14 stops, including new events in Las Vegas, Houston and Nashville.

2024 LIV Golf Schedule 2-4 February:  LIV Mayakoba — El Cameleon Country Club 8-10 February : LIV Las Vegas — Las Vegas Country Club 1-3 March:  LIV Saudi Arabia — TBD 8-10 March:  LIV Hong Kong — Hong Kong Golf Club 5-7 April:  LIV “USA” — Location and course TBD 26-28 April:  LIV Adelaide — The Grange Golf Club 3-5 May:  LIV Singapore — The Serapong Golf Club 7-9 June:  LIV Houston — The Golf Club of Houston 21-23 June:  LIV Nashville — The Grove Golf Club 12-14 July:  LIV Andalucia — Real Club Valderrama 25-28 July:  LIV UK: Staffordshire — JCB Golf and Country Club 16-19 August:  LIV Greenbrier — The Old White Course at the Greenbrier TBD:  LIV Golf Individual Championships TBD:  LIV Golf Team Championships.

Who played in the 2023 LIV Golf series and how did it work?

The financial package put forward by LIV Golf seduced Dustin Johnson , Lee Westwood , and Sergio Garcia from the get-go last year, with Phil Mickelson, Ian Poulter and plenty of others signing up soon after.

Mickelson was reportedly paid $200m (£159m) just for turning up, while Johnson, the top-ranked player to have joined so far, earning $150m (£119m). Johnson announced his resignation from the PGA Tour in order to concentrate fully on the new tournament fronted by former world No 1 Greg Norman, but the PGA has since suspended all players to have made the switch.

Besides the eye-watering signing-on-fees, the prize money on offer is staggering. There is a $25m (£19.9m) purse to be split between the 48 players per tournament in the eight-event series, with the winner pocketing $4m (£3.2m) and the loser earning $120k (£95k).

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The format is also very different from traditional majors. There are 54 rather than 72 holes for a start – “LIV” is 54 in Roman numerals – there is a “shotgun” start where players tee off at the same time, and golfers are grouped into teams of four.

Johnson is captain of the “4 Aces”, Mickelson is leading the “Hy Flyers” and Poulter is affiliated to “Majesticks”.

The first 2022 tournament was held in England, with subsequent events taking place in Portland, Bedminster, Boston, Chicago, Bangkok, Jeddah and Miami.

In the build-up, players faced questions about “sportswashing” and whether Saudi Arabia is seeking to deflect attention from its human rights record by investing so heavily in the sport. Mickelson previously called the Saudis “scary motherf**kers” before backtracking.

“I don’t condone human rights violations at all,” he said. “I’m certainly aware of what has happened with Jamal Khashoggi and I think it’s terrible. I have also seen the good that the game of golf has done throughout history and I believe LIV Golf is going to do a lot of good for the game as well.”

Graeme McDowell said “we’re not politicians, we’re professional golfers,” in regards to the country’s human rights record and Talor Gooch responded “I’m a golfer, I’m not that smart”. Poulter and Westwood both said they would not answer “hypothetical questions” when asked whether they would have played in a tournament held by Vladimir Putin or in South Africa during Apartheid.

Four-time major winner Brooks Koepka, former US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau and ex-Masters champion Patrick Reed signed up to the breakaway competition after the first event, while Paul Casey was also confirmed in early July.

Open champion Cameron Smith and Joaquin Niemann were then among a fresh wave of players unveiled by LIV Golf.

The 2023 series kicked off in Mayakoba in February, followed by tournaments in Tucson, Orlando, Adelaide, Singapore, Tulsa, DC, Valderrama, London, Greenbrier, Bedminster, Chicago, Miami and Jeddah.

2023 LIV Golf players list A-Z

Here are all 48 players who competed in the 14-event series in 2023.

There were 12 teams in total, with 13 major champions in the field, 16 nations represented, and a combined 125 Ryder Cup appearances.

Four players – Dustin Johnson, Martin Kaymer, Brooks Koepka and Lee Westwood – have held the title of world No 1. Scroll down for the teams and more analysis.

• Abraham Ancer
• Richard Bland
• Dean Burmester
• Laurie Canter
• Eugenio Chacarra
• Bryson DeChambeau
• Sergio Garcia
• Talor Gooch
• Branden Grace
• Sam Horsfield
• Charles Howell III
• Dustin Johnson
• Martin Kaymer
• Brooks Koepka
• Chase Koepka
• Jason Kokrak
• Anirban Lahiri
• Marc Leishman
• Graeme McDowell
• Phil Mickelson
• Jediah Morgan
• Sebastian Munoz
• Joaquin Niemann
• Andy Ogletree
• Louis Oosthuizen
• Carlos Ortiz
• Mito Pereira
• Thomas Pieters
• Ian Poulter
• Patrick Reed
• Charl Schwartzel
• Cameron Smith
• Brendan Steele
• Henrik Stenson
• Cameron Tringale
• Peter Uihlein
• Harold Varner III
• Scott Vincent
• Bubba Watson
• Lee Westwood
• Bernd Wiesberger
• Matthew Wolff

LIV Golf 2023 team names and roster

• 4Aces – Dustin Johnson (captain), Patrick Reed, Pat Perez, Peter Uihlein
• Cleeks – Martin Kaymer (captain), Graeme McDowell, Richard Bland, Bernd Wiesberger
• Crushers – Bryson DeChambeau (captain), Paul Casey, Charles Howell III, Anirban Lahiri
• Fireballs – Sergio Garcia (captain), Abraham Ancer, Carlos Ortiz, Eugenio Chacarra
• HyFlyers – Phil Mickelson (captain), Cameron Tringale, James Piot, Brendan Steele
• Iron Heads – Kevin Na (captain), Sihwan Kim, Scott Vincent, Danny Lee
• Majesticks – Ian Poulter (co-captain), Henrik Stenson (co-captain), Lee Westwood (co-captain), Sam Horsfield
• RangeGoats – Bubba Watson (captain), Harold Varner III, Talor Gooch, Thomas Pieters
• Ripper – Cameron Smith (captain), Marc Leishman, Matt Jones, Jed Morgan
• Smash – Brooks Koepka (captain), Matthew Wolff, Jason Kokrak, Chase Koepka
• Stinger – Louis Oosthuizen (captain), Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace, Dean Burmester
• Torque – Joaquin Niemann (captain), Mito Pereira, Sebastian Munoz, David Puig

Analysis: LIV Invitational is morally bankrupt and won’t revitalise golf

By Matt Butler

The name is quite clever: LIV. In Roman numerals it is 54 and the players in this new incarnation of golf kicking off in the exotic locale of Hemel Hempstead will play that many holes. Neat, huh?

Of course, you might say that a new sporting franchise bolstered by limitless petrodollars would be expected to be creative with its branding.

But the new kid in town is a sign that golf is in desperate need of some love. Whether that love comes from a despotic regime with a dreadful record on human rights is something for Phil Mickelson , Dustin Johnson , Lee Westwood and, err, James Piot to ponder as they chase a ball around a course for a share of 20 mill a tournament.

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And if you put aside the ickiness of the Saudi regime behind Jamal Khashoggi ’s killers providing the lipstick and mascara to the game, the concept of a quickfire bunch of tournaments with a set season and eight-figure sums of cash riding on each one sounds intriguing – even if the reason why players joined appears to be all about the money. Not that cold hard cash as a motivator is news, especially in the world of golf.

The rules are thus: everyone tees off at once. It is called a shotgun start, which sounds a little violent, given the paymasters, but I guess bonesaw start would have been too much. Twelve teams of four play in a match-play format, with individual members also competing in a strokeplay competition. There is no cut to miss. So far, so mildly diverting.

However, toe-curlingly twee “Camden Market-style” stalls, a Craig David and Jessie J gig and Sporty Spice on the decks post-match does not sound like much of an answer to the organiser’s promise to “supercharge” golf.

Read Matt’s full analysis here

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LIV Golf's final rosters set as four more jump from PGA Tour

The final four golfers who are making the switch from the PGA Tour to the LIV tour were announced as play is set to start for the controversial tour's second season. 

Thomas Pieters , Dean Burmester,  Brendan Steele and Danny Lee are the final members of the 12-team, 48-player field.

The LIV tour starts Friday and will be played at the El Camaleón Golf Course in Mayakoba, Mexico.

"In less than a year, LIV Golf has reinvigorated the professional game and laid the foundation for the sport’s future. In 2023, the LIV Golf League comes to life," said Greg Norman, LIV Golf CEO, and Commissioner said in a statement. "The most popular sports in the world are team sports, and our league format has already begun to build connections with new audiences around the globe. Major champions, current and future Hall of Famers, and up-and-coming stars are all committed to creating this new platform for world-class competition as the sport evolves for the next generation."

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Pieters will join teammates Harold Varner III, and Talor Gooch on a team captained by Bubba Watson.

Burmester teams up Louis Oosthuizen (captain), Charl Schwartzel, and Branden Grace, while Steele joins Phil Mickelson's team with Cameron Tringale and James Piot. 

Kevin Na (captain), Sihwan Kim, Scott Vincent, and Lee make up the final new team.

clock This article was published more than  1 year ago

Who are the LIV golfers? They range from the famous to the anonymous.

LIV Golf’s fourth tournament this week near Boston will feature a 48-player field of golfers who have decided to give the Saudi-funded breakaway circuit a chance. Some of these players are well known, while others are familiar only to golf fanatics. Eight golfers will be playing in their first LIV tournament, with the league letting go of eight lesser-known players who had played in previous tournaments to make room.

Twelve of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking have joined the LIV Golf Invitational Series. The 48 players in the field at The International can be roughly divided into four categories: golfers who still were relevant on the PGA or European tours when they joined LIV; those whose best years are behind them; grinders who have been plying their trade anonymously around the world; and younger players who are getting their first real taste of professional golf.

World rankings and ages are as of Aug. 30. Wins came on the PGA Tour, the European tour, in World Golf Championships or at majors.

Still relevant

Cameron Smith

World ranking: 2

Career top-level wins: 8

Most recent: 2022

Smith joined LIV this week, becoming its highest-ranked golfer and most recent major-championship winner.

Joaquin Niemann

World ranking: 19

Career top-level wins: 2

The LIV newcomer won in February but has never finished higher than T-23 in 15 major-championship appearances.

Dustin Johnson

World ranking: 22

Career top-level wins: 31

Most recent: 2021

The two-time major champion hasn’t won anything since his Masters title in November 2020.

Abraham Ancer

World ranking: 24

Career top-level wins: 1

Ancer tied for 11th and tied for ninth at the past two major championships, but he had just three top-10s this season before departing for LIV.

Brooks Koepka

World ranking: 26

Career top-level wins: 9

The former world No. 1 won four of eight majors played between the 2017 U.S. Open and 2019 PGA Championship, but injuries have slowed him since.

Louis Oosthuizen

World ranking: 31

Most recent: 2018

The 2010 British Open winner finished second or third at the final three majors in 2021; this year’s results haven’t been as good.

Bryson DeChambeau

World ranking: 37

The brainy, beefy big hitter ran away with the 2020 U.S. Open before dealing with a host of injuries.

World ranking: 34

Career top-level wins: 5

Na went seven years between victories before a career resurgence in his late 30s.

Jason Kokrak

World ranking: 38

Career top-level wins: 3

Before leaving for LIV, Kokrak didn’t have a top-10 PGA Tour finish since winning the Houston Open in November.

Talor Gooch

World ranking: 45

Gooch earned a spot in all four majors for the first time this year but finished no better than 14th, with one missed cut.

Harold Varner III

World ranking: 46

Varner’s lone professional win came on a miracle shot at a European tour event in Saudi Arabia earlier this year.

Patrick Reed

World ranking: 50

Reed won the 2018 Masters but has dealt with on- and off-course controversies.

Cameron Tringale

World ranking: 55

Most recent: 2014

Tringale posted five top 10s this season but his lone win came at a team event eight years ago.

Marc Leishman

World ranking: 62

Career top-level wins: 7

Leishman missed the cut in 5 of 10 tournaments to close his PGA Tour season.

Matthew Wolff

World ranking: 100

Most recent: 2019

Only Ben Crenshaw, Tiger Woods and Wolff have won an NCAA championship and a PGA Tour event in the same year.

Branden Grace

World ranking: 145

Career top-level wins: 12

Grace won the second LIV Golf tournament in Oregon in early July.

On the downswing

World ranking: 33

Career top-level wins: 18

He’s one of the better LIV players to never win a major; 16 of his 18 career wins were in 2015 or earlier.

Sergio Garcia

World ranking: 74

Career top-level wins: 26

Most recent: 2020

Garcia has one win since his 2017 Masters title and has seen his world ranking steadily decline.

Richard Bland

World ranking: 79

The journeyman scored his only pro win last year at 48, when he also cracked the top 100 for the first time.

Lee Westwood

World ranking: 102

Career top-level wins: 27

The former world No. 1 has 19 top-10 major finishes without a win.

Phil Mickelson

World ranking: 109

Career top-level wins: 47

Once one of the sport’s most beloved players, the six-time major winner decided to spend his twilight golf years playing for LIV.

Ian Poulter

World ranking: 111

Career top-level wins: 15

All but one of the Englishman’s victories came in 2012 or earlier. He’s better known for his Ryder Cup prowess.

Charl Schwartzel

World ranking: 126

Most recent: 2016

Schwartzel’s final-round 66 to win the 2011 Masters was memorable, but the bulk of his success has come in Europe.

Charles Howell III

World ranking: 197

The PGA Tour veteran has earned millions over a lengthy career despite not winning all that often.

Henrik Stenson

World ranking: 179

Career top-level wins: 16

Most recent: 2017

The former British Open champion won the first LIV tournament he played in July.

World ranking: 196

Perez once was No. 16 in the world but now is better known for his collection of Jordan sneakers.

Martin Kaymer

World ranking: 338

Kaymer’s three wins on U.S. soil were impressive — two majors and the 2014 Players Championship — but he hasn’t been relevant in years.

Wade Ormsby

World ranking: 362

The Australian has split time among the European, Asian and Australian tours, never making much of an impact.

Graeme McDowell

World ranking: 399

Career top-level wins: 14

McDowell won the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, but his best years are well behind him.

Anonymous journeymen

Scott Vincent

World ranking: 81

Career top-level wins: 0

Vincent, from Zimbabwe, has won four times on Asian tours since August.

World ranking: 82

The Australian’s PGA Tour victories came nearly seven years apart — in 2014 and 2021.

Anirban Lahiri

World ranking: 92

Most recent: 2015

Both of the Indian golfer’s top-level wins came on the European tour in 2015.

Shaun Norris

World ranking: 93

Norris has played much of his career in Asia, Africa and Australia, but he won a European tour event in March.

Bernd Wiesberger

World ranking: 110

The Austrian has one top-10 finish this year and was near the bottom of the leader board at the first two LIV events.

Hudson Swafford

World ranking: 115

After winning in January at the American Express, Swafford missed seven cuts in 12 PGA Tour events before leaving for LIV.

Laurie Canter

World ranking: 139

The Englishman has 11 career top-10 finishes, all since 2019 and all on the European tour.

Carlos Ortiz

World ranking: 146

With his win at the Houston Open, Ortiz became the third Mexican golfer to win on the PGA Tour and the first since Victor Regalado in 1978.

World ranking: 157

The American has spent nearly his entire career on the European and Asian Tours.

Adrian Otaegui

World ranking: 159

Otaegui has qualified for only four majors and missed the cut in three of them.

Peter Uihlein

World ranking: 361

Most recent: 2013

Uihlein never lived up to the billing after becoming one of the world’s top amateurs.

Chase Koepka

World ranking: 1,615

Brooks’s younger brother missed the cut in seven of his previous nine tournaments before joining LIV.

Sam Horsfield

World ranking: 95

The budding English star won in Belgium this year but missed the cut in all three major appearances.

Sadom Kaewkanjana

World ranking: 91

The Thai golfer won an Asian Tour event this year, his second victory on that circuit.

Phachara Khongwatmai

World ranking: 142

Another up-and-coming Thai golfer, Khongwatmai won an Asian Tour event in December.

Jediah Morgan

World ranking: 296

Morgan won a PGA Tour of Australasia event in January in only his fourth professional tournament.

Turk Pettit

World ranking: 650

Pettit won the 2021 NCAA championship at Clemson. He finished 45th and 46th out of 48 at the first two LIV tournaments.

World ranking: 2,326

Piot turned pro in May and jumped to LIV after missing the cut at all six PGA Tour events he played.

Eugenio Chacarra

The Spaniard left Oklahoma State early — he was a first-team all-American — to join LIV.

What is LIV Golf? Players, field, tour schedule, news for league with Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson

Everything to know about the pga tour's newest rival.

LIV Golf is now more than halfway through its inaugural season after completion of play in Chicago. Making headlines both on and off the golf course, LIV Golf has taken its battle to the courtroom, social media and beyond. While the actual play in LIV Golf has been compelling at times, the overall structure, presence and future of the organization remains its most intriguing component in the context of men's professional golf.

Plenty of questions have been answered since its inaugural event in London from June 9-11, but still more remain without a response. What will the future of this rival tour look like? How will the team aspect of the competition clash with the individual side? Will LIV Golf be able to recruit some of the best players in the world with its Official World Golf Rankings status in the air? Is a court date with the PGA Tour inevitable?

At every step along the way, answers about this league have only produced more questions and clarification has only made the future more complicated. 

The breakdown below is our attempt to share with you everything that's known to this point as we head into the whatever LIV Golf is going to look like in the future. Whether this turns out to be a fork or bump in the road of professional golf remains to be seen (only the future will retroactively determine that), but it does feel monumental in the moment.

LIV Golf, empowered by its unlimited war chest of resources to throw at the best players, is officially at odds with the PGA Tour. It's a period of time that has been promised for a long time, and is finally taking place. Let's take a look at what we know and what we can expect in the weeks, months and years ahead as LIV Golf wraps up its first season at the end of October.

What is LIV Golf?

LIV Golf is a rival golf league to the PGA Tour where the tournaments consist of 54 holes, the fields are limited to 48 golfers and the purses are an astronomical $25 million. Twelve, four-man teams will compete in each event, and the individual purses will be $20 million while the other $5 million will be divided up among the best teams each week.

Who leads LIV Golf?

LIV Golf Investments runs the league, and its CEO is two-time major champion Greg Norman. It is funded by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, which is effectively the financial arm of the Saudi Arabian government. These funds are seemingly limitless as the league has paid hundreds of millions of dollars to players just to guarantee their appearances at the LIV Golf Invitational Series events.

Who is playing for LIV Golf?

It began with Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson headlining the London event and has since grown into a respectable roster. Major champions Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed quickly followed the lead of their fellow Americans. 

More recently, and more importantly, world No. 3 and Champion Golfer of the Year Cameron Smith made the leap after the completion of the 2022 Tour Championship. He was joined by young Chilean Joaquin Niemann as two international players who chose to forgo the Presidents Cup in lieu of playing in the LIV Golf event in Boston. While the initial demographics skewed towards older players like Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Mickelson, there has been an influx of younger talent with Abraham Ancer and Harold Varner III among others.

Here's a look at the 49 men who currently play for LIV Golf and their Official World Golf Rankings (Bubba Watson is a non-playing captain and is set to compete once fully recovered from injury).

What is going on legally between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour?

Originally, 11 LIV Golf players were a part of an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour. This suit also sought a temporary restraining order for Hudson Swafford, Matt Jones and Talor Gooch to participate in the 2021-22 FedEx Cup Playoffs -- which was ultimately denied and barred them from playing in the PGA Tour postseason.

Since then, slowly but surely, more and more of the original members have removed their names from the lawsuit. Previously, Ancer, Carlos Ortiz, Jason Kokrak and Pat Perez left the suit. More recently, Talor Gooch, Mickelson, Poulter and Swafford followed in their footsteps. 

This leaves only three players seeking punitive damages in a legal battle with the PGA Tour: Bryson DeChambeau, Peter Uihlein and Jones. The trial is set to begin in January 2024.

The Tour has over and over again pointed back to its rules and regulations in this matter and remains set on keeping those who have played on LIV Golf off the PGA Tour. Commissioner Jay Monahan was asked at the Tour Championship if there was any chance LIV Golf members would be welcomed back onto the PGA Tour to which he blatantly answered, "no."

How has the PGA Tour reacted to LIV Golf?

After a players-only meeting at the BMW Championship led by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, sweeping changes have been made to the PGA Tour schedule and the treatment of its star players. Here are the spark notes of this new-look PGA Tour starting this season.

• Top players will commit to at least 20 PGA Tour events:  These tournaments will include the eight elevated events as previously designated, four additional elevated events with purses of at least $20 million (to be announced), The Players Championship, the four major championships and three other FedEx Cup events of players' choosing.
• The PIP will be expanded:  The PIP has been increased from the top 10 players to the top 20 for 2022 and 2023. Not only has the player pool expanded, so has the prize pool, which will now total $100 million, double the $50 million previously announced. It is from these top 20 lists that "top players" will be defined.
• Modifications  made for Lifetime Membership:  No longer will 15 seasons of membership be necessary. Once a player reaches 20 wins, he will be eligible. With this change, McIlroy has secured his lifetime membership with Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth only being a handful of wins away.

Will LIV Golf receive Official World Golf Rankings points?

LIV Golf is still awaiting the status of its OWGR application despite its best attempts to expedite the process. All 49 players recently sent a letter to the OWGR chairman requesting that world ranking points be retroactively applied to its events. Comparing the OWGR without LIV to college football without the SEC or FIFA without Belgium, it is unlikely this holds any merit. 

Meanwhile, players have begun to tee it up on the DP World Tour with some consistency on weeks in which there is no LIV Golf event. The top 50 players in the OWGR at the end of the calendar year will be invited to the 2023 Masters making it a mad dash for players to accumulate as many points as possible before then.

Will the majors allow golfers to play?

That's an even better question that has at least some clarity.  The answer in the short term is: yes . The major organizations -- PGA of America, USGA, R&A and Augusta National -- likely won't announce suspensions or bans of players who participate. There is a potential that qualifying criterias are modified in the future, however as of now if a LIV player gains entry through previous exemptions or the adequate OWGR (points which LIV has yet to secure) he should be able to compete.

What is the LIV Golf schedule?

Five events have already taken place in 2022, with three remaining. Here's a look at what's left on the schedule for the inaugural season.

• Bangkok, Thailand: Oct. 7-9
• Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: Oct. 14-16
• Miami, Florida: Oct. 27-30

LIV Golf has released a tentative schedule for 2023 with 14 stops around the globe spanning Washington D.C., Spain and Australia.  This is unofficial as details have yet to be confirmed.

• February: Florida (course TBD)
• February: California (course TBD)
• March: Tucson (Dove Mountain or the Gallery)
• April: Australia (Sydney or Queensland)
• April: Singapore (Sentosa)
• May: Washington D.C. (CBS Sports can confirm Trump National DC the week after PGA Championship)
• June: Philadelphia (course TBD)
• July: London (Centurion)
• July: Spain (Valderrama the week before The Open)
• August: New Jersey (Trump National Bedminster)
• August: West Virginia (The Greenbrier)
• September: Chicago (course TBD)
• September: Toronto or Mexico (course TBD)
• September: Florida (Trump National Doral)

What does LIV Golf's season finale look like?

It will not look like the Tour Championship, that is for certain. Taking place from Oct. 28-30, the top four teams in LIV will receive a bye on the first day while teams 5-12 will compete in match-play competitions with the higher-ranked teams selecting their opponents. For each matchup, three matches consisting of two singles matches and one alternate-shot match will take place.

The same format will be used for Day 2 of competition with the four victors from Day 1 and the four teams which received a bye all playing. From there, the four winners from Day 2 will advance to the final stage which will be different.

The four winning teams will compete in stroke play on the final day of competition. All 16 players will compete and all four scores will count towards the team's score. The lowest team score will be crowned the LIV Golf Invitational Series Team Champion.

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How many PGA Tour players have joined LIV Golf ahead of Portland?

A significant number of PGA Tour players have now defected to the LIV Golf Invitational Series and we expect to hear of more recruits in the coming days.

The PGA Tour has had to deal with a number of its members joining the LIV Golf Invitational Series in 2022 and they will continue to deal with further departures.

Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Louis Oosthuizen were among the biggest names from the circuit to play in the inaugural LIV Golf event at Centurion Golf Club near London.

About half an hour after the first tee shots were hit in the first shotgun start on June 9, tour commissioner Jay Monahan suspended 17 players from competing on the PGA Tour and they were removed from the FedEx Cup standings.

Sergio Garcia, Talor Gooch, Branden Grace, Dustin Johnson, Matt Jones, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Phil Mickelson, Kevin Na, Andy Ogletree, Louis Oosthuizen, Turk Pettit, Ian Poulter, Charl Schwartzel, Hudson Swafford, Peter Uihlein and Lee Westwood were all suspended.

A number of these players have resigned their membership on the tour to avoid a legal dispute, however, legal proceedings are certainly expected to happen somewhere down the line.

Related: Brooks Koepka withdraws from Travelers Championship after LIV Golf move

After he discovered he was suspended after the first round at Centurion, Ian Poulter said he would appeal the suspension and if necessary, carry out a legal battle.

During the tournament, Bryson DeChambeau was confirmed as the latest high-profile name to succumb to the millions being offered by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. The former US Open champion described it as a "business decision."

2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed was also announced and Pat Perez' wife let the cat out of the bag on Instagram, confirming her husband's participation.

One-time PGA Tour winner Abraham Ancer publicly revealed he'd committed to LIV Golf on Tuesday and now four-time major champion Brooks Koepka is heavily assumed to join Greg Norman's roster too.

By my count, this means 22 PGA Tour players have ignored their release rejections and chosen the breakaway eight-event series. Bubba Watson, Matthew Wolff and Rickie Fowler could be next to take the total to 25.

This list also doesn't include the many players from the DP World Tour who have chosen the Saudi-backed series. Sam Horsfield, Laurie Canter, Pablo Larrazabal, Adrian Otaegui and Oliver Bekker are all yet to be punished by the old European Tour.

The next event on the LIV Golf Invitational Series will begin on June 30 at Pumpkin Ridge in Portland.

Next Page: Justin Thomas shows concern at Collin Morikawa's tweet on LIV Golf

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Padraig Harrington: PGA Tour misses many players who joined LIV Golf

T wo years since LIV Golf entered the golf scene, the situation remains unresolved. The arrival of LIV Golf created real chaos. Golf fans openly opposed the arrival of the Saudi-backed Tour, labeling LIV Golfers as traitors and supporters of the Saudi Arabian regime. Various epithets were directed at the golfers, but two years later, things seem considerably calmer. 

Since the agreement between PIF and the PGA Tour, tensions have eased, and golfer statements have become more moderate. 

Padraig Harrington , an Irish golfer, analyzed the situation during a press conference ahead of the Open, emphasizing individuals who have left the PGA Tour, especially well-known names and those who have increased the Tour's popularity and golf in general.

“We do need characters. I think we miss some of the LIV players,” Harrington said, as quoted by Golf Monthly. “Thinking about it, there are some of the LIV players that didn’t get enough time to build their brand before they went. I found that interesting and I’ve been watching and wondering what that player is like, I don’t really know him, but I wonder what he would have been like.“

Harrington also put an accent on another group of golfers who had already built their names playing on the PGA Tour. Such golfers received the most criticism because many viewed their departure as a betrayal. One argument given is that the PGA Tour gave them the chance to become great names and succeed in the golf world, and they returned this by aligning with a rival Tour.

Many well-known names from the PGA Tour have chosen to pursue a different path. LIV Golf executives have offered them larger sums of money, aware that they can bring significant profits and influence the popularity of LIV Golf.

“Then there’s others who are there who were established before they went. They’re the ones that we were constantly watching, coming back and forth and wondering are their games better, are their games the same and where they are. A lot of those guys were big characters in the game.” - Harrington continued.

Harrington underlined Patrick Reed , a famous figure in golf, as an example of someone missed by the PGA Tour since joining LIV Golf.

Reed's absence has stressed his impact on the PGA Tour, with many realizing they miss his presence despite the controversies surrounding him. Harrington mentioned Reed's ability to produce strong reactions from fans, describing him as a "marmite character", someone people either love or hate.

Regarding LIV Golf's strategy, Harrington observed that they targeted not only top players but also major brands, which the PGA Tour missed after their departure. 

LIV Golf executives are individuals with a clear vision and extensive business experience. Today's sports landscape demands leaders who are financially wise, understand business dynamics, and are well-versed in the sport's ecosystem. It's evident that modern sports heavily rely on marketing and various forms of promotion.

Harrington doubts that the PGA Tour is as effective as LIV Golf in securing sponsors. Executives at the Saudi-backed Tour have strategically expanded their network worldwide, aiming to establish LIV Golf as a global and recognizable brand.

During Majors, Harrington acknowledged the presence of these players, recognizing that their participation, whether liked or disliked, contributes to the excitement of the tournament week. He expressed his interest in how these players perform coming from LIV Golf.

Padraig Harrington on rivalry between PGA Tour and LIV Golf

Although many dispute this competition, it is clear that there is a growth trend for LIV Golf, and that this Tour has many individuals who can make a difference. Performances at the Majors showed that LIV Golfers can do great things.

As a reason for joining besides the money, many admitted that the great schedule and fewer events were also the reason why they joined LIV Golf. Harrington just drew a parallel between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, comparing it to the former rivalry between the European Tour and the PGA Tour. 

He pointed out that individuals from LIV Golf needed some time to probably get used to the new system and play fewer events. The Irishman expects even better results from LIV Golfers, given that many of them have found a rhythm and adapted to the new environment.

Harrington singled out a few names that have been impressive lately.

“Now they’re turning up and we’ve seen Brooks, we’ve seen Bryson and they’re playing for their Tour, which is what we used to do in Europe. When we would win away from home, it was a win for our Tour and we came home and everybody would congratulate you.”- Harrington concluded.

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Who really benefits from the PGA-LIV merger

The PGA Tour has announced it's joining forces with Saudi-backed rival, LIV Golf. Since the announcement, the tour has come under fire for its decision.

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• SI SWIMSUIT

LIV Golfers Will Continue to Have to Play Their Way Into the British Open

Bob harig | jul 17, 2024.

TROON, Scotland — There are 18 players who have participated in LIV Golf League events this year in the British Open field, although none of them earned their spot at Royal Troon through a direct avenue via LIV events.

Without Official World Golf Ranking accreditation, LIV Golf executives and players have maintained that the majors need to offer some sort of path via LIV success into their tournaments.

That quest remains elusive.

Martin Slumbers, the CEO of the R&A which runs the Open, said Wednesday during a pre-tournament news conference that the tournament has strived through its Open qualifying series and final qualifying to give all players around the world an opportunity to make the Open field.

He did not say a LIV direct exemption was forthcoming.

“We decided after last year's event that we wanted to ensure that there was sufficient enough opportunities for all players, whichever tour they're playing on, to get into the Open,” Slumbers said. “We used our Open qualifying series. We picked events that were available for all players. We used the Asian Tour, and we used final qualifying to create those opportunities.

“I think we have 18 players from LIV in the field, and I think we've got all the best players in the world. And that's what we do want to have, all the best players in the world coming through. So I think we've created those opportunities.

“Will that evolve in the coming years? I think that depends on how the game evolves. But we will continue to want the best players in the world to be able to get into the Open in an appropriate way.”

Earlier this year, LIV Golf withdrew its application for OWGR accreditation and called on the majors to give direct access to assure having all of the best players.

So far, none of the major championships have done so. The Masters gave LIV Golf’s Joaquin Niemann a special invitation after he had won the Australian Open—which is a final qualifying series event and got Niemann a place at Royal Troon. But Masters chairman Fred Ridley made no changes in the invitation criteria for 2025.

The PGA Championship has the most flexibility with a healthy number of spots going to invitees. It invited seven LIV players into the field, several of whom were in the top 100 in the OWGR. In what was viewed as recognition of LIV Golf, it also gave a spot to Talor Gooch, who won LIV’s season-long points race in 2023 but was otherwise not exempt for the PGA.

The U.S. Open also has various means of qualifying and CEO Mike Whan said last month at Pinehurst that he is open to the idea of inviting LIV players directly , but did not commit to do so.

“I think it's feasible,” Whan said at the U.S. Open. “I don't think it's a huge pathway, but we do offer other pathways through DP (World Tour) or Korn Ferry, so we know that there's an option to get there.”

Those tours combined get four direct spots in the U.S. Open.

The Open has gone to a system of Open qualifying series events around the world. It’s how LIV’s Dean Burmester is in the field as well as Niemann. John Catlin, who has played in three LIV events, made it via the Malaysian Open. And Laurie Canter, who has been a LIV reserve, qualified via a DP World Tour list.

It also added some exemption areas that were viewed as a help to LIV golfers. Five players who compete on the Asian Tour, Japan Golf Tour, the PGA of Australasia and the Sunshine Tour can now qualify through the International Federation list that is part of OWGR. LIV’s Andy Ogletree made the field via the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

“We don’t want to take sides,” Slumbers said earlier this year. “We let the tours sort themselves out. But I think we gave every single player in LIV an opportunity to get into the Open.”

In his role at the R&A, Slumbers is a member of the seven-member board that comprises the Official World Golf Ranking. That system of ranking players has come under considerable scrutiny over the past two years as LIV Golf first sought accreditation in 2022, was denied last fall, and ultimately this week decided to pull its application.

Slumbers, who is leaving his position after nine years later this year, also commented on other areas in the game.

> He reiterated his concern over escalating prize money. The Open has raised its purse to $17 million , which is a $500,000 increase from last year but still the lowest of the four major championships.

“While we will always offer a very competitive prize fund for the Open, our wider focus is on increasing participation and improving pathways in golf,’’ he said. “We have to make choices about how we allocate resources and make the resources we have go as far as they can.”

> Slumbers said that Muirfield is definitely under consideration for future Opens but acknowledged that the DP World Tour’s Genesis Scottish Open being played at a venue—the Renaissance Club—next door is an issue. He said tongue in cheek that he’d like DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings to move it, which could possibly occur in a year in which the Open is played at Murifield—which last hosted the championship in 2013.

“Absolutely, we're going back to Muirfield,” Slumbers said. “It's a brilliant golf course. I'll have a little conversation with Mr. Kinnings about maybe moving the Scottish Open from the Renaissance.”

Next year’s Open returns to Royal Portrush in North Ireland and Royal Birkdale in England in 2026.

Bob Harig is a senior writer covering golf for Sports Illustrated. He has more than 25 years experience on the beat, including 15 at ESPN. Harig is a regular guest on Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio and has written two books, "DRIVE: The Lasting Legacy of Tiger Woods" and "Tiger and Phil: Golf's Most Fascinating Rivalry." He graduated from Indiana University where he earned an Evans Scholarship, named in honor of the great amateur golfer Charles (Chick) Evans Jr. Harig, a former president of the Golf Writers Association of America, lives in Clearwater, Fla.

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Players 2024: We asked fans if PGA Tour needs to unite with LIV. They didn't lack opinions

Scottie Scheffler signs autographs at the Players Championship.

Kevin C. Cox

PONTE VEDRA BEACH — The pitch was simple as I approached people individually and in groups on a sunny Tuesday afternoon at the Players Championship: This is a quick survey, I only have one question, and I don't need your name—just your opinion. In fact, I had two questions, the second of which was more important.

Question 1: Do you think the PGA Tour and LIV should unite?

Question 2: Why?

As you may have gathered, question 1 is incomplete; it doesn't say how they would unite, what kind of golf they'd be playing, or if there would be any penalty for LIV players returning. That was OK by me, because I wanted to keep this very simple, get the raw, instinctive opinion of the vox populi, and let them interpret it however they wanted.

In all, I spoke to 33 people. By my rough count, 16 wanted a reconciliation, 12 wanted them to stay apart, and four had no idea what I was talking about. Here's what they had to say.

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Fans 1, 2, 3, and 4

Two couples, perhaps in their late 50s, walked up beside me by the 18th green, which gave me permission to waylay them with my question. They joked that I could take their picture if I wanted, and I declined.

"Yes," the first man said. "I think it's going to be a constant battle, and if there can be some unity within professional golf, I think it would be good for golf. And I think for the majors and Ryder Cups, that the fans miss out a lot if certain ones are unable to play."

Behind him, one of the women was shaking her head, and when I asked why, she laughed and said, "Don't ask me." I asked her anyway.

"Like I know anything about golf. Are you recording? I think no, but don't ask me why. I just don't like the whole LIV thing. That's my whole reason. Just where the money comes from, how the players just went for the money. I don't know. It's a moral thing for me."

"I think they should merge," said the man. "Because everybody in the world wants to see the best golfers compete, versus a couple times in a major."

That left one woman, and I duly turned to her.

"I don't know what LIV is," she said.

Fans 5 and 6

I approached two friends next, and the first gave me an answer that I didn't think I would hear if I asked 1,000 people.

"I would say no," he said. "I think that just keeping them two separate entities, because they seem to have two different styles, I think is probably more beneficial to the sport."

"So you like it better when they're separated?" I asked, still processing the idea that the schism is actually better for professional golf.

"Yeah, I think so."

"I'm torn," said his friend. "Because I feel like I do like them separate, but then you're not getting to see all the best players. I like watching the majors the best because all the best players are getting the best competition."

Fans 7 and 8

Two more men, one middle-aged, one younger, and the younger and quiet one went first.

"Yeah," he said. "I think it would be more entertaining to see both groups of players. More storylines, more entertainment. So, small and simple reason honestly."

His friend was not so content with a simple answer and grilled me for a while on what a joint venture would actually look. "What are the details of it?" A fair question, which I eventually defined for him as LIV golfers returning to the PGA Tour, with maybe some team golf mixed in. This satisfied him.

"I'd like for the LIV guys to return," he said.

Fans 9, 10, 11

Here, I found three younger women in light dresses holding beers on a walkway behind the 18th green.

"I don't know anything about LIV Golf," said the first. "What is LIV Golf?"

I explained, very briefly, the broad details.

"Yeah, rejoin!" she said, happy to have a verdict.

"Why not?" added her friend.

"I know a lot of PGA people on the tour don’t want them to return," said the third. “So I say the people that left for LIV should stay there. That's dissolving, isn't it? Or am I wrong?"

I said I hadn't heard that it was dissolving.

"I think the guys that left for LIV shouldn't be coming back,” the third said. “Enough of them. They made their choice to go."

"True," said her friend, with the fervor of the newly converted.

"I agree," said her other friend. "I bandwagon on that one."

"So now you're on her side?" I asked.

"She's got more knowledge," she said.

Fans 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

Ryan Moore high fives a fan at the Players Championship.

Jennifer Perez

Now I found five college-age-or-just-beyond men, also with beers, also on that same walkway.

"Separate them," said the first. "Two separate companies, no need to join them."

"Players left already," his friend concurred.

But soon there was disagreement.

"I say you want all the best guys all competing together, everyone's in the same place."

"I'd say they left for the money, don't let 'em back."

"I kind of agree with that. I do like how LIV's doing it though. The teams and everything."

There was still one I hadn't heard from, but he just shrugged.

"I don't know jack s--t about golf."

Fans 17, 18, 19

Three more men, about 30, more beers.

"Yes. It's dividing the tour up, like now, the big names on LIV, none of them's going to be on there. So if they were here, it'd be way cooler."

"I'd just say no," his friend disagreed. "Once they leave, they leave, they're out. Kinda like man, screw it, you jump ship, we cut ties. Kinda like Rory [McIlroy]. I'm with Rory, man, screw 'em. Get out of here, you're not good enough, go."

(Note: This is not McIlroy’s position.)

"I say yes, we want them back together," opined the third, breaking the tie. "We just want to see the best players all in one tournament, all competing."

Fans 20, 21

I figured I should go for a couple with kids to cover all demographics, so when I spotted a pair dragging two impatient little ones with them, I made their lives a little more complicated by asking my question.

"Oh yeah, I do," said the guy. "We want to see the best players compete. Same golfers competing in the same place. We're missing golfers here. I want to see them together."

I looked to the woman.

"She doesn't care," he said.

"Yes. Let's go with yes," she said with a laugh.

"I don't know what the answer is!" their daughter shouted. For statistical purposes, I didn’t count her.

Fans 22, 23, 24, 25

Next, by the putting green, I approached an older couple standing with a father and his teenage son. The son wore a Travis Matthews black hat, and he was the first to answer.

"Yes. It would be better and, like, the tournaments would be more fun with all the big guys there."

The father told me that it was going to be a hard road back for the LIV players, but that he wanted them all back together. The older man concurred.

"You don't want my opinion," said his wife.

"I do want your opinion!"

"I don't think it's fair to the players that did not go to LIV. That's just how I feel.”

"So you'd want to keep them separate?"

"Yeah, or pay the players that stayed a little bit more."

"I've never watched a LIV tournament," her husband added. "I've never even tried it."

"Not in real life," the boy added. "On TV."

"It's a little challenging to watch, for sure," his father agreed, almost ruefully.

Fans 26, 27, 28

A middle-aged woman and an older woman were walking down the path, and they seemed like the first who weren't over the moon to talk to me, and while they agreed, they didn't slow their stride.

"I don't know what LIV Golf is," the younger of the two said. "Yes! What do you want me to say?"

"The answer is yes," her friend said. "It's just fracturing golf too much. You don't have people here because of LIV."

At that point, an older man ahead slowed his stride and joined us.

"It's like the AFL and NFL before you were born," he said. "I hope they can come back together."

Fans 29, 30, 31

Three more men, three more standard yes answers.

"A thousand percent. It's better for golf to have the best players in every field. Plus, you get more money, you get to increase the purses across the board. It's just better for golf. They're all contractors; let them make their money."

"I think it's a lot more fun to watch those kind of [LIV] events. It doesn't always have to be stroke play. You can have team events and things like that."

They had a fourth friend with them, but when I asked him, he just smiled and took yet another official credential out of his pocket. The place was crawling with us.

Fans 32, 33

On my way back to the media center, I spotted two men in their fifties speaking to each other in animated gestures, and I thought I detected Irish accents. I decided to turn around and stop them—everything to that point had been Americans. I was right; they were Irish, and, not to stereotype, eager to talk. They began to answer my questions, but at a certain point seemed to forget I was there and just conducted a dialogue with each other.

"No, absolutely not!" said the man in a pink shirt. "The real reason is, there's a greed element here, and a lot of the guys on the PGA Tour—and we're both big into our golf—"

"Yes."

"—have been paid a serious amount of money to move to LIV. And it's not for the growth of the game. The game actually, as far as I'm concerned, is down the drain. And it's pure greed. And the fact that a lot of the guys in LIV who were probably in the top 20 or 30 a year or two ago are causing a big issue now for the PGA. … A lot of my friends who are big into our sport and golf in Ireland, they're not watching the PGA anymore. … It could be Bryson DeChambeau, it could be Phil Mickelson, it could be Cam Smith, they're no longer on the PGA, and I won't watch them, because I just don't agree with the fact that … the likes of [Jon] Rahm [making] $300 million. Is 300 million going to make any difference to them? Absolutely not. No, and it's wrong; it's greed. And I actually think they're killing the game.”

"Now, hang on," his friend interjected. "You don't want them to come back together as is, or you want something different?"

"Something different."

"But a lot of these guys have just got way too much money. How much money do they need? And I know for a fact that a lot of guys would have been asked on the PGA to move over [to LIV]. They refused because their alliance was to stay in the PGA, but they're now looking for compensation. Because they didn't move.

"Yes, but there's too many demands on the players, and the PGA Tour are not running this properly either; the PGA Tour model is flawed—"

"Will you look at this week? It's $25 million purse, four and a half million purse prize for what, four days? Yeah. It's not bad, is it?"

"But there's only very few, there's only 10 people that can win this tournament."

"But they still complain. It's ruined European soccer. There's no question about it ..."

And it went on in this manner for some time.

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Davis Thompson wins 1st PGA Tour title at John Deere Classic

Davis Thompson finishes 28 under par to break the John Deere Classic scoring record and pick up his first PGA Tour win. (0:42)

• Associated Press

SILVIS, Ill. -- Davis Thompson had been working toward a moment like this, and he wasn't about to let anything stop him -- not a soft golf course that produced the best scores of the week, not the pressure of trying to win for the first time on the PGA Tour.

He started with a two-shot lead. Six holes into the final round Sunday, Thompson had five birdies, had stretched his lead to six shots and was on his way to a four-shot victory, a spot in the next three majors and the lowest 72-hole score in the John Deere Classic.

"I'm just thankful it worked out. I got off to a great start today and was able to just kind of cruise on the back nine," Thompson said after closing with a 7-under 64. "Getting off to a good start was crucial, and I was just able to ride the momentum coming in."

Thompson, 25, made a 45-foot birdie putt on the first hole for a three-shot lead, and no one got closer to him the rest of the way.

The golfer from Georgia finished at 28-under 256 to break by one stroke the John Deere Classic record set by Michael Kim in 2018.

"I just wanted to stay aggressive," Thompson said. "I knew there would be low scores out there today because the wind kind of died down and the conditions were a little soft. So I knew I was going to have to go play well. Thankfully, I made a great putt on 1 and had a great up and down on 2 and kept the ball rolling."

The victory gets him into the next three majors, starting with The Open in two weeks at Royal Troon. He also will make his Masters debut next April.

Thompson is the 24th player to get his first PGA Tour win at the John Deere Classic, the most of any tournament dating to 1970.

The final hour was all about who would finish second and earn the other spot in The Open. That went to C.T. Pan of Taiwan, who birdied the 16th and 17th holes and finished with a two-putt par from 20 feet for a 64.

But a pair of youngsters made him sweat it out.

Florida State sophomore Luke Clanton holed a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for a 63 and was the first to get to 24 under. Michael Thorbjornsen , the No. 1 player in the PGA Tour University ranking after finishing at Stanford, hit out of a fairway bunker to 18 feet and made the birdie putt for a 63 to join Clanton.

With a three-way tie for second, The Open spot went to Pan based on the world ranking.

"Honestly going to be hectic to arrange all the travel details last minute, but it will be a good problem to have," Pan said.

Clanton, meanwhile, became the first amateur since Billy Joe Patton in 1958 to finish in the top 10 in consecutive PGA Tour-sanctioned tournaments. Patton was low amateur at the Masters and the U.S. Open that year. Clanton tied for 10th at the Rocket Mortgage Classic last week.

Clanton's last two weeks would have been worth just over $804,000 if he had been pro.

"We came into the week with pretty high expectations I guess you could say after last week," Clanton said. "I think I kind of reached that expectation for sure. Of course you want to win. But again, to do what I did out there today was awesome."

As for the winner, that was never in doubt. Along with that 45-foot birdie putt to start, Thompson rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 5 and had seven birdies through 10 holes.

He finally dropped a shot on the par-4 12th, and Thorbjornsen looked to have a chance to at least make it interesting. The Massachusetts native ran off six straight birdies and was playing the reachable par-4 14th. But his drive went well to the right and he hit a heavy chip to some 35 feet. He three-putted for bogey, missing a 4-foot par putt.

Thompson is in his second year on the PGA Tour and he was a runner-up last week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. His hope was to keep the momentum going.

Perhaps his choice of lodging played a role, too.

Several players from Georgia have been renting a house near the John Deere Classic for the past few years. J.T. Poston stayed there when he won the Deere two years ago. Sepp Straka stayed in the house last year and won.

Straka brought his wife and young son with him this year and gave up his room to Thompson.

"I think I have to pay for the whole house, which is unfortunate," Thompson said with a smile. "But I'll gladly write the check for that."

The victory was worth $1,440,000. It also moves Thompson to No. 22 in the FedEx Cup standings, all but assuring he will be in all the signature events next year.

Expert Picks: The 152nd Open Championship

Expert Picks

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How it works: Each week, our experts from PGATOUR.COM will make their selections in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf. Each lineup consists of four starters and two bench players that can be rotated after each round. Adding to the challenge is that every golfer can be used only three times per each of four Segments.

Aside from the experts below, Golfbet Insider Rob Bolton breaks down the field at The 152nd Open Championship in this week's edition of Power Rankings .

Betting picks

Odds were sourced on Tuesday, July 16. For live odds, visit BetMGM .

WILL GRAY (Lead, Fantasy & Betting)

• Winner: Tony Finau (+4500) – Is this his week? Open champions are often older than the other three majors, and Finau’s game fits the bill. A versatile ball striker who hasn’t finished worse than T18 since early May.
• Top 10: Akshay Bhatia (+650) – Time to swing for the fences with the southpaw, who continues to ascend in 2024. A winner at Valero, he added a pair of top-5s after his T16 showing at Pinehurst.
• Longshot: Wyndham Clark (+8000) – Remember when Clark was second on the betting boards behind Scottie Scheffler earlier this year? He may have made it through his mini-swoon, with a T10 finish last week in Scotland showing that he knows his way around links courses.
• H2H: Xander Schauffele (-135) over Ludvig Åberg – The Swede is still working through some weekend woes, while Schauffele continues to be a mainstay on major championship leaderboards.

BEN EVERILL (Senior writer, Fantasy & Betting)

• Winner: Collin Morikawa (+1600) – A T3 at the Masters, T4 at the PGA, T14 at the U.S. Open are among 10 straight top-25 finishes this season as he trends towards a second Open championship. I said for two months I’d pick him here, and I’ve learned my lesson not to change despite history suggesting a non-major winner will triumph.
• Top 10: Tony Finau (+333) – A player I feel many are sleeping on given his ball-striking prowess and recent form. Finau has a previous couple of Open Championship top-10s and he’s also in recent form with three straight top-10s and five straight top-20s, including a T3 at the U.S. Open. Most importantly, Finau is third on TOUR in SG: Approach and sixth in SG: Tee-to-Green.
• Longshot: Adam Scott (+6600) – No player in my time fit the “should’ve won” label more than Scott at The Open. From his 2012 collapse where he had one and a half hands around the jug with a four-shot lead with four to play, to further legitimate chances in 2013, 2014 and 2015… Scott’s career will always have many what-ifs. His form last week gives hope he can perhaps right the past wrongs with a little magic.
• Head-to-Head: Ludvig Åberg (+110) over Xander Schauffele – Go hard or go home they say and I honestly think Åberg is a huge chance to win the Open outright and would be my pick if better odds. But in plus money to beat one guy, I’ll take the risk. Ranks eighth SG: Approach, 11th SG: T2G.

CHRIS BREECE (Senior content manager, Golfbet)

• Winner: Collin Morikawa (+1600) – The knock on Morikawa is that his good play in 2024 should have already produced a win, and the fact that it hasn’t is a red flag. Since the Masters, I count five times that he’s been in serious contention on a Sunday. We know he can win in big moments. I can’t keep ignoring those facts. I won’t let the 2024 letdowns stand in the way of a great player who’s been in great overall form. Persistence pays off eventually, right?
• Top 10: Patrick Cantlay (+350) – Our Golfbet “Key Stats” model says the top of the leaderboard will be filled with players who have been in good recent form and sneakily in contention at a recent major. Cantlay fits that narrative perfectly. His T3 at the U.S. Open was one of three Top 5 finishes in his last six starts.
• Longshot: Sepp Straka (+10000) – He’s a player who’s had a solid 2024, who you’ve probably forgotten about recently. His best finish in the last month is T23 but rattled off three Top 5s in the six events prior.
• H2H: Ludvig Åberg (+110) over Xander Schauffele – Just about everything points to Åberg being in contention this week. This hasn’t been considered Xander’s strong major lately (no Top 10s since 2019). Aberg being plus money helps, too.

MATT DELVECCHIO (Social content manager, Fantasy & Betting)

• Winner: Collin Morikawa (+1600) – In the world of betting outrights where you're taking one player to win out of 158, you really just want a player who will be in the mix and have a chance on Sunday. That's Morikawa in a nutshell this season. No reason to think he won’t have a chance this week on Sunday (except MC last two trips at The Open, but won his first appearance out of three career trips).
• Top 10: Akshay Bhatia (+650) – I said it at the Rocket Mortgage, but the books continue to insult Akshay. The number is priced this way because Akshay on a windy, links-style golf course across the pond is still relatively unknown. I think he's going to thrive in this environment and has the SG: Tee to green/SG: Approach play to contend.
• Longshot: Matt Fitzpatrick (+6600) – A player that can thrive on a long windy golf course abroad? Matt Fitzpatrick to a tee. Worth a shot at +6600.
• H2H: Patrick Cantlay (+105) over Tom Kim – I trust Cantlay on a links course over Tom Kim. Cantlay has shown that even though he’s not having the season he wanted, he’s still a top-tier talent on TOUR and can pop up in big events (T3 at The U.S. Open).

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YouTube golf is taking over. Will the PGA Tour ‘like and subscribe’?

Follow live coverage of day two at The Open 2024 from Royal Troon today

Breaking the fourth wall has become Bryson DeChambeau’s specialty.

DeChambeau stood on the fifth tee box at Pinehurst No. 2 during last month’s U.S. Open, tossing a Titleist ProV1X in one hand and clutching a protein bar in the other, chowing it down in alarmingly large bites. He paced around, his gaze shifting aimlessly as he waited to roast a driver down the fairway.

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Then DeChambeau did something peculiar. Staring directly into the camera tracking his every move, he cocked his head, and gave a thumbs-up , acknowledging the distant and invisible U.S. Open TV viewers. In shattering the conventional player-fan barrier, he created a moment that instantly went viral.

In competition, the best players are programmed to pretend like nobody’s watching them. Tune out the noise, they say. Eyes on the prize. We have a job to do. For DeChambeau, things are different. That wasn’t just the future winner of the 124th U.S. Open giving a goofy smirk and hand gesture to a live audience, that was a 30-year-old YouTube star acting on his instincts.

The two worlds don’t converge often. But when they do, the impact is usually evident. DeChambeau has just been the latest — and most victorious — example of a real-life crossover episode between YouTube and live-action sports. There’s a whole contingent of golf fans out there who just want to be entertained, and DeChambeau scratches that itch for his 800,000 subscribers. He’s garnered almost 90 million career views on the platform, and his results in golf’s mainstream are making the growing trend all the more apparent.

Look beyond the divided professional golf landscape. There’s unlimited free content on an open platform, where creators have formed subcultures around the sport. You can choose between the PGA Tour and LIV and bear through commercial-clogged broadcast windows. But you can also dip into the world of tightly edited matches with players who run the gamut from major champions to bogey golfers, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Some might say it’s a niche corner of the internet, but a two-time major winner has found his place at the center of it. So has a college dropout who rallied an empire of teenagers through trick-shot videos. And a pair of South Carolinian brothers. Mid-handicappers. Self-made teaching pros. Equipment gurus. Their paths are all vastly different. But their coalescence has launched a content machine and a movement of eyeballs that can’t be stopped: In the last 90 days alone, there have been more than 4.3 billion views of golf videos on the platform, according to data provided by YouTube.

This is YouTube Golf: It’s taking over. Whether pro golf likes it or not.

For the past four years, Callaway has worked with Dick’s Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy to produce a Father’s Day commercial. The spot once featured Phil Mickelson. Then came Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele, who read from a teleprompter, promising a free driver to those who correctly predicted the U.S. Open winner.

This year, five 20-something-year-old men in six-inch inseam golf shorts and patterned polos were the stars.

Standing in a parking lot, the group whispers in anticipation and points at the retail store. In the distance, a Dick’s Sports Goods employee unveils this season’s golf equipment promotion — and it’s a steal. Quadruple points! The young men yell and whoop. They sprint through the department store’s automatic double doors as if they’re celebrating a hole-in-one.

Meet Good Good Golf: YouTube Golf’s rotating cast of best friends who, according to Callaway CMO Nick McInally, contributed to the most successful Dick’s Sporting Goods Father’s Day campaign in the brand’s history. “They delivered the biggest results we’ve ever had,” McInally says, “They brought a youthful energy, and it exceeded both ours and Dick’s Sporting Goods’ expectations.”

Good Good, started in August 2020 by 24-year-old Kansas City native Garrett Clark, brings in 15 million to 20 million monthly views on its main YouTube channel. The name refers to the exchange between two golfers conceding equal-length putts in a match ( Good? Good. ). It’s a group of seven content creators, some scratch players, others mid-handicappers, who play against each other and invent challenges. They have 1.6 million subscribers, and some of them buy out Good Good’s logoed merchandise almost instantly.

You used to see kids walking around professional golf tournaments sporting Rickie Fowler’s orange Puma flat brim. Now that same generation, and the one younger than it, is showing up decked out in their favorite YouTuber’s custom gear. Many of them wear caps embroidered with four recognizable capital letters: G-O-O-D.

On the eve of February’s WM Phoenix Open, Clark sat in a golf cart next to his former Good Good peer Grant Horvat, who left the group to pursue a solo YouTube channel in December 2022. Although they operate separately now, Clark and Horvat sweep the unwritten YouTube checklist of star-worthy attributes: youthful, affable and blessed with an innately silky golf swing. They made waves by reuniting for the inaugural Good Good Desert Open, a 14-hole tournament for golf influencers hosted the night before the PGA Tour’s rowdiest and most unorthodox event. Played at Grass Clippings, a fully-lit 18-hole course in Phoenix, the exhibition earned a streaming slot on Peacock. Camera crews and NBC commentators were hired to give it the full tournament treatment.

“Garrett and I were one of the featured groups, and we looked down at his phone at one point and there were 100,000 live viewers,” Horvat recalls. “Three thousand people showed up on site and sold out the event. That’s a ton of people. It was mind-blowing.”

The event was a novelty — no one knew what to expect. But according to Good Good CEO Matt Kendrick, the Desert Open brought in 800,000 total live viewers — better than the last two installments of “The Match,” an annual primetime exhibition series with pro golfers and high-profile athletes, including Rory McIlroy and Steph Curry. The YouTube community shows up.

The son of a PGA teaching professional, Horvat grew up curious about the golf swing and eager to help others improve their craft. He started on TikTok, posting instructional videos, and eventually branched out into YouTube, where Good Good scooped him up. Horvat was part of the channel’s 2021 breakthrough moment. During a filmed match, Matt Sharf made a hole-in-one on a 290-yard par 4. The video has more than 5 million views and is still pinned to the top of their channel with the title, “The Greatest Golf Shot in YouTube History.” Clips from the stunning hole-out made ESPN’s SportsCenter and morning news segments across the country. Good Good wasn’t just a band of Gen-Z golf addicts posting sporadic videos. They were content creators making headlines and influencing an industry.

Now Horvat’s channel ranks in the top five within the YouTube golf community out of hundreds, and he films regularly with a mix of celebrities and top players, like F1 ’s Carlos Sainz and the LPGA world No. 1 Nelly Korda. He visits major championship venues with the Bryan Bros — Wesley and George, the former a PGA Tour winner — to see if they can “make the cut.” At 25, Horvat is sponsored by TaylorMade and backs a clothing startup. When Horvat played a match against Rahm at the latter’s home course in Scottsdale, the 2023 Masters champion greeted Horvat on the range by reciting a quote from one of his oldest videos.

“I’m a fan, I told you,” Rahm, 29, says after another surprising reference to Horvat’s channel. “I like golf in every aspect.”

There’s something about watching golf on YouTube that’s becoming a new normal, particularly for young viewers, who use the platform more than they use any other social media site. According to a Pew Research Center study, 93 percent of teens use YouTube compared to 63 percent who said they use TikTok, the second-most used social media app. Short-form content draws social media users in momentarily, but these YouTubers — particularly in the golf space — have viewers who will tune in for videos up to two hours long.

“There’s this misnomer that young people won’t turn on sports content on the big screen and watch it,” says Jon Cruz, YouTube’s Global Head of Sports Partnerships. “We’ve seen this across golf, the NFL, and the NBA — it’s simply not true. They just want to engage on their terms. If they have the right relationship with the sport or creator, they will sit there and watch.”

YouTube is accessible. It’s vast. But it’s also personable and real. Horvat and the Good Good guys talk viewers through every shot of their round, and GoPro “cart cams” document their conversations in between holes. Other popular golf YouTubers employ a similar format, such as instructor Rick Shiels, Barstool’s “Fore Play” and mini-tour player Hailey Ostrom. Channels such as No Laying Up, Iona Stephen’s “On the Road with Iona,” and Erik Anders Lang’s “Random Golf Club” utilize travel vlogs to take viewers along for off-the-beaten-path golf trips.

If golf on YouTube began with Masters highlights, quick-fix swing tips and putter reviews, now it can take you to Australia or the Netherlands. Or to a random course in America as Bobby Fairways and Fat Perez of the comedy group “Bob Does Sports” execute their signature “cheeseburger challenge”: consume four burgers and shave off a stroke from your team’s scorecard.

“I’m not the typical lanky 6-foot-4 golfer, but I somehow find a way,” Perez says.

Regardless of the presentation, the cameras are never ignored on YouTube. They’re part of the story. You are part of the story.

“I think what makes YouTube Golf so powerful is that people feel like they have a connection to us,” Horvat says. “They get to see our lives and they get to feel like they’re part of the journey.”

The interpersonal nature of YouTube aligns perfectly with golf — a recreational sport that boomed during the pandemic, as humans craved social interaction. Successful creators establish a bond with a subset of the YouTube community, and they work to strengthen it.

That’s why Titleist signed No Laying Up, Callaway partnered with Good Good and both Horvat and Barstool are with TaylorMade. Every equipment giant has a stable of influencers. The golf manufacturers no longer focus solely on tracking up-and-coming players to sponsor. They’re also on the lookout for the game’s next internet sensation.

“These influencers are no longer a niche,” McInally says. “If you want to reach an audience of fanatical golfers and communicate your brand, they’re arguably just as important as what’s happening on tour.”

YouTubers have found a way to lure in a generation that loves golf. Maybe even more so than the professional golf product that’s supposed to represent the pinnacle of the sport.

“I would say that professional golf is missing that part more than anything,” Horvat says. “And to be honest, they’re not open to a lot of change.”

The PGA Tour has been trying.

Inspired by F1’s “Drive to Survive,” Netflix launched “Full Swing” in 2023 to show behind-the-scenes narratives around pro golf. Around the same time, CBS introduced walk-and-talk interviews with players during PGA Tour broadcasts. An indoor simulator golf league called TGL is set to begin next year with Monday-night primetime matches and mic’d-up players.

The PGA Tour’s efforts to modernize took on a new sense of urgency in the face of the LIV Golf threat, which fractured the sport in two. It’s been more than a year since a framework agreement was signed to stop the litigation between LIV and the PGA Tour and reunite the game. Negotiations surrounding how to do that are ongoing, with no end in sight. TV ratings are down, even for the Masters. Title sponsors are dropping out from the PGA Tour.

The ever-changing patterns in how people consume content — particularly young people — could lead to a declining interest in the professional game. According to a recent internal YouTube trend report, 66 percent of Gen Z Americans agree that they often spend more time watching content that “discusses or unpacks” something than “the thing itself.” A cultural evolution isn’t the PGA Tour’s issue to solve. But leadership can’t carry on resisting it, relying on weekend afternoon network broadcast windows to do the heavy lifting in telling its story.

The medium that could help is being held at arm’s length — the premises of the tour’s media rights contracts view YouTubers as the broadcast’s competition. And according to creators, it is deeply limiting pro golf’s growth. Horvat can film a nine-hole PGA Tour pro-am with Jason Day but only show Day’s ball landing on the green — to protect CBS’s, NBC’s and ESPN’s contractual rights and intellectual property, even though the footage is unlikely to ever be broadcast.

Or top YouTubers can invite any number of professional golfers to film with them, where any benefits to the tour are ancillary. “Full Swing,” “The Match” and TGL represent a concerted effort. But in reality, the tour has generated ideas in conference rooms and they’re failing to captivate Gen Z to the scale that YouTube does.

“‘Full Swing’ is a good idea, but it feels very produced,” Perez says. “What we do doesn’t feel like a movie or documentary. It’s authentic content that really shows off the personalities of these guys.”

Other sports leagues are steadily figuring it out: In 2023, the NFL and YouTube launched an “Access Pass Program,” which unlocked archival game footage for creators to use freely in their videos.

“More leagues are beginning to understand that when you can partner with creators and use them to tap into audiences, there’s aggregate growth out there,” Cruz says.

Cross-channel collaborations are key for YouTube golfers. Creators never fight over viewership, because within the same corner of the platform, another channel’s success only bodes well for their own. The PGA Tour could benefit from the same mindset when it comes to media rights — YouTube and the networks could peacefully coexist and uplift each other. But that would require a major adjustment to the tour’s contractual DNA. (LIV Golf is not bound to the same contractual restrictions but its lack of visibility continues to be a problem.)

The PGA Tour creates a natural level of suspense every week by crowning a tournament winner. But simply lifting a trophy isn’t winning over fans like it used to. In 2024, there’s a growing contingent of viewers who expect more. Especially the ones used to internet personalities making their subscribers feel like they’re part of a tight-knit friend group.

Wesley and George Bryan stand in the middle of both worlds. The brothers are watching the reach of the Bryan Bros channel grow by the day, while the staying power of the professional golf product remains static and in flux. “We have a journey that people are following,” Wesley says. “People only have so many hours of their days to consume content. There are tens of millions of people that watch golf. We know that we’re getting those people every week, and we’re not even in the top 10 of YouTube golf views.”

There are ways to integrate the YouTube golf model into the professional game, in a manner that doesn’t hinder the players from honing their craft. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler isn’t going to become a weekly vlogger. Schauffele is not a great candidate to become one, either. Players are competing for millions each week, with history and legacy on the line. But many younger athletes grew up watching YouTube, and others are beginning to acknowledge what authentic, personality-driven content can do for their brands. Three years ago most pros would scoff at the prospect of appearing as a guest of Bob Does Sports or even the Bryan Bros. Now the tides are shifting. Players such as Max Homa, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth have embraced the opportunity, and the interest from others is only growing.

“A lot of players want to do things like this,” George Bryan says. “It doesn’t take much time if you do it right. Lean on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday practice rounds. Put their personalities out there and make long-form content. Instagram is great, but people are just swiping past those.”

Why isn’t this trend igniting a content movement in the space? Because pro golf’s self-imposed obstacles remain: media rights, a denial of modern consumption trends and a debilitating fracture in the sport are preventing the PGA Tour from saving its product. It no longer has Tiger Woods to fall back on.

Golf’s needle-movers look different now. Millennials and Gen-Zers are finding their golf heroes and role models through new mediums — ones where the fan comes first. What will it take for the professional game to realize it?

DeChambeau had one goal when he posted his first video on YouTube three years ago, titled “A Week on Tour.” He wanted to reinvent his public persona.

“I knew what my image looked like,” DeChambeau says. “There were times when I had to put on a facade on the golf course just to match that narrative. And I’m like, man, this is just not me.”

Once considered a cringe-worthy character who spent too much time bulking up in the gym and manically perfecting the physics of his swing, DeChambeau dug himself a hole around the time of his first major championship (the 2020 U.S. Open) but has climbed out.

He utilized the free-rein format of YouTube to showcase the behind-the-curtain version of himself and foster a relationship with his audience. You can give your subscribers as much or as little as you want on YouTube. DeChambeau, who joined LIV in a reported $125 million deal in 2022, opened up to the internet, and it worked.

He once became enraged at a cameraman for watching as he, DeChambeau, climbed into a bunker during a tournament round. Now he hosts a series called “Break 50,” in which the major champion invites a guest onto his channel to attempt to shoot a sub-50 score from the forward tees. He filmed a one-club challenge with Sergio Garcia and a nine-hole duel with Phil Mickelson. Good Good’s Clark challenged him to a match, only DeChambeau had to play with 1930s-era hickory golf clubs. He showed up in knee-high socks and suspenders and shot even par.

“YouTube has allowed me to express who I am,” DeChambeau says. “I’m not trying to prove anything to anyone.”

DeChambeau’s YouTube-fueled rebrand went mainstream during a Sunday battle against McIlroy at the U.S. Open, the crowd relishing his showmanship. The broadcast drew a peak viewership of 11.4 million, the highest since the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay. McIlroy’s late-round collapse was gripping and deeply relatable. And DeChambeau’s gravitational pull created a spectacle that became must-see TV.

DeChambeau gets it. After accepting the U.S. Open trophy during a winner’s ceremony on Pinehurst’s 18th green, DeChambeau ran around with his new piece of hardware, determined to let his fans touch it. He wanted the Pinehurst crowds to feel like they were a piece of his victory.

The acknowledgment of the fan and viewer — the destruction of that outdated fourth wall — is what makes a modern needle-mover. DeChambeau learned how to take on that role away from professional golf.

The traditional golf industry might be aware of what’s going on. But it hasn’t quite accepted the future.

How much longer can it go without making a change?

(Photo illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic ; Photos: Warren Little, Raj Mehta / Getty Images. Courtesy Good Good and Bob Does Sports)

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Gabby Herzig is a Staff Writer for The Athletic covering golf. Before joining The Athletic, she worked as a breaking news writer for Sports Illustrated’s golf vertical and a contributing editor at Golf Digest. She is a graduate of Pomona College, where she captained the varsity women’s golf team.

Adam Scott denied drought-breaking PGA Tour win as hometown hero Robert MacIntyre storms home at Scottish Open

Sport Adam Scott denied drought-breaking PGA Tour win as hometown hero Robert MacIntyre storms home at Scottish Open

Adam Scott has been denied his first PGA Tour win in four years after a stunning comeback from Robert MacIntyre at the Scottish Open.

MacIntyre rode his luck before sinking a 22-foot birdie putt on the final green to win by one shot from Scott, with France's Romain Langasque in third.

What's next?

MacIntyre and Scott will be in action next week in Troon for the British Open where both will be among the favourites to lift the Claret Jug.

Adam Scott has narrowly missed his first PGA triumph for four years after an inspired — but fortuitous — finish enabled home favourite Robert MacIntyre to snatch victory at the Scottish Open. 

The evergreen Australian had looked on course to pick up another big win two days before his 44th birthday as he led the prestigious pre-British Open event at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick on Sunday, two shots clear with MacIntyre having just three to play.

But just as the Queenslander was dreaming of his first win since the Genesis Invitational in February 2020, European Ryder Cup player McIntyre enjoyed a moment of good fortune that altered the complexion of the tournament.

The Scot drove into heavy rough on the par-five 16th, in such a bad spot that he couldn't even see his golf ball, but after taking a practice swing, discovered he was standing on a sprinkler head near his ball.

So he was allowed a free drop and then fired a glorious approach from 247 yards to within six feet of the pin, rolling in the eagle putt to join Australia's former Masters champion on 17 under.

Scott, who went on to set the target after a closing three-under-par 67, a roller-coaster round that featured seven birdies, a double bogey and two bogeys, then had to watch and wait anxiously as McIntyre went down the last.

There was, however, no fortune in the way the 27-year-old closed out victory, as he sank a 22-foot birdie putt on the final green to win by one shot from Scott, who was two shots clear of third-placed Frenchman Romain Langasque.

"I think I lost my voice with the scream on that hole. I thought I was short," said an emotional MacIntyre.

"I've put a lot of work into this. I've changed a lot within the team and I've just worked hard. I wanted the Scottish Open.

"I'm going to celebrate this one hard."

The man from the little Scottish coastal town of Oban has long made it clear that winning his home Scottish Open would mean almost as much to him as grabbing a major.

Next week he will be off to Troon for the British Open where he will be among the favourites to lift the Claret Jug — but on this evidence, Scott will also be in good shape to launch another assault on the title he's always wanted to win most.

It's the trophy that so cruelly eluded him in the 2012 edition at Royal Lytham and St Annes when he blew what seemed an unassailable lead on the home stretch.

On Sunday, he was in fine form as he pushed himself into a position to win the 41st title of his distinguished career.

A double-bogey on the eighth hole when it took him three chips to stay on the green looked to have spelt disaster for his chances, but he bounced back by holing a bunker shot on the next hole.

Then he hit one close at the par-three 14th and looked to be in control of the tournament when his long putt well off the green at the 16th set up a tap-in birdie.

But leftie MacIntyre, who was denied the title 12 months ago by Rory McIlroy's similarly stunning finish, produced one of his own to win the day.

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