Fantasy Preview and Picks for LIV Golf Jeddah
The Individual Champion of the 2023 LIV Golf League will be crowned on Sunday at the stunning Royal Greens Golf & Country Club. The Dave Sampson design has hosted the PIF Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers in February every year since 2019. It also hosts the Aramco Saudi Ladies International and the Aramco Team Series-Jeddah.
Three players still have a shot at the LIV Golf individual title this season. Cameron Smith enters in pole position with 170 points, and Talor Gooch sits just eight points back thanks to his league-high three individual wins in 2023. Bryson DeChambeau, who won the last event at LIV Golf Chicago for his second victory of the season, has an outside chance to steal the individual championship. He is 24 points behind Smith, though, and would need some help from the top two.
There is still plenty at stake for other players who will be teeing it up. Those finishing inside the top 24 in the overall standings will lock in their position in the LIV Golf League for next season, while players finishing in the Open Zone (positions 25-44) could face a trade or release by their respective teams. Jason Kokrak currently holds the 24th spot in the standings and leads Matthew Wolff by only two points.
Even more pressure is on those in the Drop Zone, which are positions 45 and below. Non-captain players unable to crack the top 44 will be relegated and have to earn their spot back for the 2024 season at the League's promotional tournament.
Also on the line in Jeddah is seeding for the Team Championship next week in Miami. 4Aces GC leads the way at 188 points, with Crushers GC and Torque GC not far behind at 178 and 171 points, respectively.
With all the stakes being laid out, let's take a look at some of the top plays for this week's LIV Golf Fantasy game.
Captains
Johnson has as much experience at Royal Greens as anyone in this field. He scored wins here at the Saudi International in 2019 and 2021 and also finished top-5 last year at LIV Golf Invitational Jeddah. Johnson tops the LIV Golf League in birdies per round at 4.92 and is second in GIR percentage at 73.15 percent. The 2022 LIV Golf Individual Champion has a chance to finish on the podium again with another win on this course and some help from those in front of him.
The Torque GC Captain has his team third in the team championship standings entering the week, and Niemann makes a great play in this category as an individual. After finishing in the bottom half of the field in three of the first four events, Niemann did that just once over the following eight events. He loves Royal Greens, having scored a top-10 at the Saudi International in February and finishing just one stroke out of a playoff at LIV Golf Invitational Jeddah last year behind a final-round 5-under 65. The breezes always kick up off the Red Sea and Niemann's patented low ball flight will be a big advantage.
Non-Captains
Ancer recorded his two best finishes of the season in his last two events, reaching the podium at Bedminster and posting an eighth-place finish in Chicago. Ancer now heads to a venue he clearly enjoys, as he won the Saudi International by two strokes in February and picked up a top-10 last year on the LIV circuit. Much like Niemann, Ancer plays that low ball flight that rarely gets affected by the wind. He also rarely gets out of position, sitting second in driving accuracy this season.
This list is getting a Latin American feel. Pereira has been one of the best ball strikers this season, leading the league in GIR percentage at 74.07 percent and ranking top-8 in both driving distance and accuracy. Pereira will be looking for his sixth top-6 finish of the campaign, which would be the most such finishes of any player in the league in 2023.
After starting the season with five straight top-11 finishes Uihlein did not score another until an impressive fifth-place finish at LIV Golf Chicago last time out. Now back on form, Uihlein will look to earn his first LIV Golf League victory by avenging his playoff loss to Brooks Koepka here last year. Royal Greens has really rewarded power players throughout the years and Uihlein is nearly six yards clear of the next closest competitor in driving distance.
Lahiri is hot right now after picking up his third podium result of the season at LIV Chicago – and his second straight including a runner-up at Bedminster. Lahiri has proven that Royal Greens is a strong course for him, posting a top-10 last year at LIV Golf Jeddah and a T12 in February at the Saudi International. His short game has been quite impressive this season, as he ranks top-5 in both scrambling and putting average.
Leishman had zero top-15 finishes in the first eight events of 2023, but he ripped off three top-8 results -- including a pair of podiums -- over the last four events. The accomplished Australian came close to his first league victory at LIV Golf Chicago but ultimately had to settle for second on the points leaderboard to DeChambeau. Leishman is a very crafty player who should thrive in the breezy conditions. He ranks fifth this season in birdie average and finished T6 at Royal Greens in February.
Teams
Torque GC
Torque GC is the only LIV Golf League team to have more than two team event wins this season, and they sport four of them. The upside is clearly there for this squad; they just haven't been quite as consistent as some of the others around them in the standings. Royal Greens is a perfect spot for this team. I already mentioned how much I like Niemann and Pereira's chances, and Sebastián Muñoz is another strong ball striker who should fare well. Meanwhile, David Puig has reeled off four straight top-15 finishes on the Asian Tour, culminating in Sunday's win at International Series Singapore, his first professional victory.
Crushers GC
Captain DeChambeau has been fueled by his Ryder Cup snub and is playing some of the best golf in the world right now. He, along with Lahiri, have help lead Crushers GC to three straight top-2 finishes, including the team win last time out at LIV Golf Chicago. Veteran Paul Casey is again healthy and heads to Royal Greens, where he scored top-5 finishes a year ago and in February at the Saudi International. Charles Howell III has proven throughout the years that he excels in breezy conditions, and he ranks 11th in GIR percentage and fifth in scrambling in 2023.
Sleepers
In any fantasy game, one of the biggest separators is the value you can find in sleepers. These are players we expect to carry low ownership and have the potential to significantly outperform their current position in the LIV Golf League standings.
Here are a few potential substitutes to consider adding to your roster for LIV Golf Jeddah.
Thomas Pieters - Power hitter coming off his fifth top-20 of season; two career top-10s at the Saudi International.
Charl Schwartzel - Finished top-12 in his last two trips to Royal Greens; second best finish of season last time out in Chicago.
Phil Mickelson - Played in four of five Saudi Internationals at Royal Greens and finished T3 back in 2020.
Bubba Watson - Runner-up at the 2022 Saudi International and a bomber who ranks top-5 in GIR percentage.
