Main wins for LIV Golf gamers have fallen since their exits from the PGA Tour, highlighting a steep decline in relative efficiency.
It’s now three-and-a-half years since LIV Golf shocked the world and held its first occasion in June 2022, with 44 of the highest 150 golfers on the time making the change to the Saudi-backed tour.
Qualifying for majors has turn out to be more durable for the ex-PGA gamers, with Official World Golf Rating (OWGR) factors not rewarded at LIV occasions, however total performances have additionally stagnated.
So, how ready are the LIV gamers now to compete towards their PGA Tour rivals in majors?
LIV Golf gamers have received simply two main tournaments since making the change from the PGA Tour.
Brooks Koepka secured his third PGA Championship and fifth main in 2023, as Bryson DeChambeau doubled his U.S. Open tally a yr later.
However what number of majors did the LIV Golf stars win within the equal interval earlier than switching excursions?
Seven majors have been received by the LIV gamers in the identical timeframe earlier than they left the PGA Tour.
Koepka and Phil Mickelson every triumphed on the PGA Championship in 2019 and 2021, with DeChambeau and Jon Rahm victorious on the U.S. Open in 2020 and 2021.
Cameron Smith received this solely main title on the 2022 Open Championship.
And Dustin Johnson and Rahm accomplished the overall, with the Masters in 2020 and 2023.
Solely DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton have improved their common efficiency in majors (minimal three appearances) after becoming a member of LIV Golf up till this Could, information from golf statistician Ron Klos revealed.
Klos additionally acknowledged that of the 18 LIV golfers mixed, there was a mean place end drop at majors to 59, from 44 beforehand.
In the meantime, the highest 10 finishes had diminished from 23% to fifteen%, with two-time main winner Rahm down 23 locations on common, and Koepka down 20 locations.
What is that this drop in high quality and consistency right down to?
The LIV tour totalled at 14 occasions in 2025, in comparison with 39 on the PGA Tour, and though not all gamers compete in each occasion on the PGA, there’s practically a triple distinction in occasions scheduled to arrange gamers for main competitions.
The Saudi tour has a 54-hole and no lower mannequin, in comparison with a 72-hole format on the PGA Tour, and a lower after two rounds eliminating round half of the bottom performers.
With such a variation within the variety of holes performed between excursions, there was a transparent distinction in format for LIV golfers to be prepared for 72 holes at majors.
Regardless of efficiency ranges dropping, the LIV tour has extra issues to handle round majors.
As a result of shorter hole-format at LIV, closed-field mannequin, and no cuts, the OWGR doesn’t award factors to gamers at occasions.
This has precipitated the LIV gamers to drop on the earth rankings and has made it more durable for them to qualify for main tournaments mechanically, which creates a fair greater barrier for them to carry main titles outdoors of the PGA.
Nevertheless, LIV Golf chief government Scott O’Neil is optimistic the tour can safe OWGR factors for gamers in 2026, as they’ve beforehand introduced a change to 72 holes will begin from the beginning of subsequent season to help their case.
O’Neil informed BBC Sport NI: “We’re working very carefully with [chairman] Trevor Immelman and the board of OWGR.
“It’s possible that it’ll have an effect sooner or later. We’re having conversations with Trevor, who’s doing a rare and troublesome job in the direction of an answer that we hope to have in place by subsequent season.”
A person that has struggled to proceed his pre-LIV type, is Smith, citing he desires to get again to the place he was and that he’s been fascinated about golf rather a lot.
He has dropped to 354th within the OWGR, and regardless of gaining zero factors by means of LIV occasions and the rankings being much less consultant of efficiency, he has additionally didn’t survive the lower in all 4 majors this yr.
When becoming a member of LIV in 2022 recent off the again of his first main title, Smith was flying at world quantity two, however stated he was conscious of the calibre of gamers being a drop down from the PGA competitors subject.
And within the three full main seasons for the reason that beginning of LIV, 10 out of 12 of the victories have been from gamers on thePGA Tour, supporting Smith’s level on the distinction in power.
With the potential of OWGR factors being obtainable to gamers on the LIV tour from 2026, majors might be simpler to qualify for.
Parallel with the transfer to 72 holes, gamers will likely be constantly competing in the identical format of main competitions, getting ready all gamers throughout each excursions in the identical method.
So with these adjustments being applied, and inevitably extra tweaks sooner or later, can we anticipate an imminent turnaround within the destiny of those LIV gamers? Watch this house.
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