This article is part of our DFS Golf series.
LIV Golf UK
Purse: $20M individual, $5 million team
Winner's share: $4M individual, $3M team
Location: Rocester, England
Course: JCB Golf and Country Club
Yardage: 7,255
Par: 71
For more information, check out RotoWire's LIV Golf Optimizer.
Tournament Preview
The 2024 LIV Golf season is quickly winding down, as the league makes its second pit stop in Europe. Two years removed from the inaugural tournament in London, LIV Golf returns to Britain, this time at the JCB Golf & Country Club in Rocester, England. It's a return home for six English-born players, including the Majesticks GC threesome of Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Sam Horsfield, as well as Crushers GC's Paul Casey, double senior major champion Richard Bland of Cleeks GC, and LIV Golf Nashville winner and Legion XIII's Tyrrell Hatton.
It marks the third straight week of tournament play for 17 LIV Golf players who teed it up at the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon. Like Real Club Valderrama at LIV Golf Andalucia, Royal Troon proved to be a difficult venue for the field, with just 12 players in the 150+ field shooting even par or lower. Legion XIII captain Jon Rahm was one such player, as the 29-year-old Spaniard finished in a share of seventh place with a one-under score, thanks in large part to his 3-under 68 in the final round. Rahm was one of 10 LIV Golf players to make the cut at Royal Troon, with Crushers GC substitute John Catlin (T16) and Stinger GC's Dean Burmester (T19) rounding the LIV Golf contingent who finished in the top-20. Rounding out those who made the cut were 4Aces GC captain Dustin Johnson (T31), Smash GC captain Brooks Koepka (T43), Cleeks GC's Adrian Meronk (T50), Fireballs GC's Abraham Ancer (T58), Torque GC captain Joaquin Niemann (T58), HyFlyers GC captain Phil Mickelson (T60) and his teammate Andy Ogletree (79th).
Back to the LIV Golf tour, where Niemann and Rahm continue to stand tall at the top of the individual season standings. While Niemann has a comfortable lead of 40 points, Rahm has less room for error after Fireballs GC captain Sergio Garcia won his first LIV Golf trophy in Andalucia, winning on the second playoff hole after Crushers GC's Anirban Lahiri missed a tap-in putt on the 18th hole in regulation. Although he missed the cut at The Open, Hatton is on Rahm's and Garcia's heels in fourth place, and Crushers GC captain Bryson DeChambeau is in the top-10 thanks to his ninth-place finish in Andalucia.
Individual Standings
- Joaquin Niemann (Captain, Torque GC) - 165.40 points (Previous: 1)
- Jon Rahm (Captain, Legion XIII) - 125.17 points (2)
- Sergio Garcia (Captain, Fireballs GC) - 123.23 points (7)
- Tyrrell Hatton (Legion XIII) - 119.49 points (3)
- Louis Oosthuizen (Captain, Stinger GC) - 106.10 points (5)
- Dean Burmester (Stinger GC) - 95.57 points (4)
- Cameron Smith (Captain, Ripper GC) - 92.66 points (8)
- Brooks Koepka (Captain, Smash GC) - 84.23 points (6)
- Bryson DeChambeau (Captain, Crushers GC) - 84.16 points (12)
- Carlos Ortiz (Torque GC) - 78.83 points (9)
- Dustin Johnson (Captain, 4Aces GC) - 75.06 points (11)
- Abraham Ancer (Fireballs GC) - 73.39 poinst (10)
Other notables: Talor Gooch, Smash GC (14th with 72.13 points), Anirban Lahiri, Crushers GC (16th with 59.75 points), Richard Bland, Cleeks GC (22nd with 37.05 points)
Team Standings
- Crushers GC - 161.5 points (Previous: 1)
- Legion XIII - 128 points (2)
- Torque GC - 117 points (3)
- Ripper GC - 103 points (4)
- Stinger GC - 98 points (6)
- Fireballs GC - 94.83 points (8)
For the first time in a while, the top-six of the team standings has changed. Crushers GC continue to sit atop the leaderboard with back-to-back runner-up finishes, but Fireballs GC crack into the top half of the standings thanks to their playoff victory in Andalucia. Smash GC, meanwhile, fell out of the top six after performances of 12th and 13th in Nashville and Andalucia, respectively.
Champions Profile
There isn't much professional history at JCB Golf and Country Club, given that it opened for play in 2018. It has been the venue for events on the Legends Tour and DP World Tour's veteran circuit, and the club has hosted two of its JCB Championships as part of the European Senior Tour.
Listed in Golf Monthly's 10 Most Exclusive Golf Clubs in the UK, JCB integrates several types of landscapes including open farmland and woodlands, with the Uttoxeter Canal playing into holes one and three while holes five, 11 and 12 play along the Alders Brook. The course is fiercely protected by bunkers and water, and while there are elevation changes off the tee and on the putting surfaces, the wider fairways should give long hitters more leeway to score low.
Four of the 11 par-four holes are 400 yards or less, and holes two and 12 should be driveable at 337 and 303 yards, respectively. Perhaps the hole that stands out the most is the par-three 17th hole, whose island landscape brings some comparisons to the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass. The island on the 17th at JCB has additional challenges; it is surrounded by bunkers, and choosing the right club will be critical, given the nearly 33-yard drop from the tee box to the green and the pin location.
As has been the case for the entire LIV Golf season, accuracy off the tee and to the green, in regulation, has been the key to success in each tournament. That was no different in Andalucia, where Garcia finished T7 with a 55.56 percent GIR, while runner-up Lahiri was one of five players to lead the field in driving accuracy at 64.29 percent.
With just three regular-season tournaments left, here are my picks for LIV Golf UK.
DraftKings Value Picks
Based on a Standard $50k Salary Cap
Tier 1 Values
Jon Rahm (Captain, Legion XIII) - $11,200 (Winning odds at The DraftKings Sportsbook: +700)
While Rahm has finished in the top-10 in each LIV Golf tournament outside of Houston, his performance on the majors this season left much to be desired. He finished T45 in the defense of his 2023 Masters championship, missed the cut at the PGA Championship and was forced to withdraw from the U.S. Open Championship due to an infection in his left foot. However, Rahm bounced back at The Open, and he was the only LIV Golf player to finish under par and in the top-10, finishing T7 at one-under.
Tyrrell Hatton (Legion XIII) - $10,000 (+900)
Hatton followed up his victory in Nashville with an impressive third-place finish in Andalucia, finishing the tournament second in putting average (1.41) and fourth in scrambling (76 percent). However, he wasn't able to carry that momentum into Royal Troon, where he missed the cut after scoring 73-77 over the first two rounds. Still, being on home soil should bring some comfort to Hatton, who is the only player in the league to accrue points in every single LIV Golf tournament.
Sergio Garcia (Captain, Fireballs GC) - $9,700 (+1400)
After losing in three LIV Golf playoffs -- two of which came earlier this year in Mayakoba and Miami to Joaquin Niemann and Dean Burmester, respectively -- Garcia was finally able to shake off his demons and win his first LIV Golf trophy on the second hole playoff. It took a bit of luck to get there, with Lahiri missing his tap-in putt on the 18th to force a playoff for both the individual and team competition, but it's nonetheless a monkey off of Garcia's back. The Fireballs GC captain ranks in the top-five this season in scrambling (71.05 percent), driving accuracy (65.71 percent) and GIR (71.85 percent).
Tier 2 Values
Patrick Reed (4Aces GC) - $9,400 (+1800)
Reed sits 18th in the LIV Golf individual season standings, but he has quietly finished in the top-five in two of the last three tournaments. His finish to LIV Golf Andalucia was impressive, as he carded a four-under 67 on Championship Sunday, and for the tournament he ranked sixth in scrambling (70.37 percent) and 12th in driving accuracy (57.14 percent). LIV Golf UK could be part of a late-season surge for Reed, who finished sixth in the individual season standings in 2023.
Dean Burmester (Stinger GC) - $9,200 (+1800)
Among the full-time LIV Golf contingent at The Open, Burmester finished second behind Rahm with a T19 finish. Burmester was actually in the top-five at Royal Troon after carding 71-69 over the first two rounds, but a five-over 76 in the third round Saturday dropped the South African out of contention. It was a similar outing to LIV Golf Andalucia, when Burmester led after the first round at five-under, only to go eight-over across the final two rounds to fall to T17. Still, he has made the top-24 in all but two LIV Golf tournaments this season, and he ranks fifth in driving distance (316.2 yards), eighth in scrambling (66.25 percent) and 12th in GIR (70.37 percent).
Talor Gooch (Smash GC) - $9,000 (+2500)
Will the real 2023 LIV Golf Individual Champion please stand up? After winning last year, Gooch has finished in the top-five just twice this season, and he's finished T42-T45 over his last two LIV Golf tournaments. Still, at this salary, it might be as good a time as any to add the American to your roster, hoping that the last two tournaments were the exception, rather than the rule. Gooch ranks sixth this season in driving accuracy (64.52 percent) and seventh in scrambling (66.48 percent).
Tier 3 Values
Richard Bland (Cleeks GC) - $8,900 (+2500)
Given his strong play within and outside of LIV Golf, this might be the last time we see Bland's salary below $9,000 if he keeps this up at JCB. The Englishman has accrued points in all but one LIV Golf tournament this season, and outside the league, he won both the Senior PGA Championship and the Senior U.S. Open Championship in his debut outings. Bland ranks fourth in GIR (72.04 percent) and 10th in driving accuracy (62.14 percent) this season.
Abraham Ancer (Fireballs GC) - $8,400 (+2500)
His 26th finish in Andalucia broke Ancer's streak of top-24 finishes at LIV Golf tournaments at eight. Still, he bounced back with a respectable showing at Royal Troon, making the cut and finishing tied with Niemann for 58th. Ancer leads the league this season in driving accuracy (68.1 percent), and he ranks 10th and 12th in GIR (70.56 percent) and putting average (1.58 per hole), respectively.
John Catlin (Crushers GC) - $8,100 (+6500)
Given his play on the Asian Tour and LIV Golf league as a substitute for Charles Howell III (tibia), Catlin should have all of the team captains lining up to sign him at the conclusion of the 2024 season. Catlin proved that at Royal Troon, where he finished T16 at The Open, which was his best major outing of his career. We could witnessing the rise of golf's next young star in Catlin, especially if he's able to finish the LIV Golf and Asian Tour strong.
Tier 4 Values
Lee Westwood (Co-captain, Majesticks GC) - $7,300 (+8000)
The third and final Englishman featured on this list. Westwood has quietly strung together finishes of T18-T3-T12 over his last three LIV Golf outings after finishing T32 or worse in each of the first seven tournaments of the season. Westwood is in position to continue his solid play on home soil at JCB Golf and Country Club.
Phil Mickelson (Captain, HyFlyers GC) - $6,300 (+30000)
Mickelson failed to accrue LIV Golf points for the eighth time this season with a T27 finish in Andalucia. However, the HyFlyers GC captain was able to show some of his veteran experience at Royal Troon, where he made the cut after opening rounds of 73-74 en route to a T60 finish. Perhaps the decorated lefty can carry his momentum from The Troon into JCB.
Anthony Kim (Wild Card) - $6,000 (+100000)
Is this a wild pick for the LIV Golf Wild Card, given he has finished T46 or worse across his seven outings this season? Probably. But Kim is still shaking off the rust of being out of professional golf for 12 years. He appeared to be on his way to his first top-24 finish in Andalucia after shooting three-over across the first two rounds, but an 11-over 82 in the final round dropped him all the way down to T49. Perhaps a new course will be where Kim accrues his first LIV Golf points of the season.
Take a spin through the Sportsbook Promo Codes before wagering on LIV Golf UK.
