Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau were tipped by many to make a big challenge for the Masters Green Jacket this year.<\/p>\n
Rahm had won the title in 2023 and was in great form on LIV. DeChambeau had made the top six in the previous two Masters and headed to Augusta after capturing the latest two events on the LIV schedule.<\/p>\n
Everything looked in place but both men flopped. DeChambeau messed up the final hole to miss the 36-hole cut while Rahm scraped into the weekend on the number and made modest progress to finish 38th.<\/p>\n
Their joint failure had many casting aspersions on the value of playing in LIV events. Are they competitive enough? Are the courses on LIV too easy and no preparation to take on a course like Augusta National?<\/p>\n
Debate raged, as it does, but what do the facts say? Were the poor showings of Rahm and DeChambeau just isolated examples and not representative?<\/p>\n
To get a broader view, Golf365 looks at how LIV players have performed in majors since the breakaway tour came into existence in June 2022.<\/p>\n
Has a LIV player actually won a major? Let\u2019s go through each of the four.<\/p>\n
The Masters<\/p>\n
The first Masters to feature LIV players was the 2023 edition.<\/p>\n
Rahm, the winner, hadn\u2019t joined at that stage but LIV players thrived. Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka finished joint-second while Patrick Reed was fourth.<\/p>\n
In 2024, the LIV players performed well again although none made the top five. DeChambeau and Cam Smith were tied sixth, Tyrrell Hatton tied ninth and Reed tied 12th.<\/p>\n
Last year there were two LIV players in the top five \u2013 Reed in third and DeChambeau in tied fifth.<\/p>\n
Despite Rahm and DeChambeau underperforming in 2026, Hatton burst through the field with a Sunday 66 to share third place.<\/p>\n
PGA Championship<\/p>\n
In the first PGA of the LIV era (2023), Brooks Koepka lifted the trophy, thus claiming a fifth major title. DeChambeau was fourth and Cam Smith also made the top 10.<\/p>\n
DeChambeau finished runner-up in both the 2024 and 2025 PGAs, with Rahm and Joaquin Niemann both making the top eight in last year\u2019s edition.<\/p>\n
US Open<\/p>\n
The 2022 US Open was the first major to feature LIV players and they all drew plenty of heat for joining the money-laden Saudi-backed tour. Maybe as a result, none made the top 20.<\/p>\n
Cam Smith (T4) and Dustin Johnson (T10) made the top 10 at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023 before DeChambeau became LIV\u2019s second major winner when edging out Rory McIlroy down the stretch at Pinehurst in 2024.<\/p>\n
In last year\u2019s US Open, six of the 11 LIV players taking part made it to the weekend. Hatton and Ortiz were the standouts, both finishing in a tie for fourth, while Rahm placed seventh.<\/p>\n
Open Championship<\/p>\n
There were rumours that Cam Smith was heading to LIV ahead of the 2022 Open at St Andrews and, to his annoyance, the questions kept coming after he\u2019d held off Cam Young and McIlroy to lift the Claret Jug.<\/p>\n
Smith, then World No.2, officially signed up with LIV a few weeks later.<\/p>\n
As for those already LIV members, Dustin Johnson was the best with tied sixth while DeChambeau was a shot behind in tied eighth.<\/p>\n
The 2023 Open was a collective flop for LIV with no-one finishing better than Henrik Stenson in 13th.<\/p>\n
It was a similar story in 2024 at Royal Troon with Rahm, in tied seventh, the only one of the 17 LIV players to make the top 15.<\/p>\n
The Open again proved the toughest major for LIV players at Royal Portrush in 2025, with DeChambeau\u2019s T10 the only top 15 finish among the 20 who took part.<\/p>\n
LIV in the majors \u2013 the final count<\/p>\n
The Masters \u2013 4 editions
Wins: 0
Top 10s: 9<\/p>\n
PGA Championship \u2013 3 editions
Wins: 1
Top 10s: 7<\/p>\n
US Open \u2013 3 editions
Wins: 1
Top 10s: 6<\/p>\n
Open Championship \u2013 3 editions
Wins: 0
Top 10s: 4<\/p>\n
To answer the original question, two players \u2013 Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau \u2013 have won majors since switching to LIV.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s probably not enough years of evidence yet to try and draw conclusions about whether playing on LIV takes away some competitive edge.<\/p>\n
A counter-argument is that it leaves LIV players mentally fresher if they\u2019re not trying to beat full fields on tough courses.<\/p>\n
In truth, those angles need to be investigated on a case by case basis. It\u2019s certainly done DeChambeau no harm but Rahm does seem to have dropped off since moving.<\/p>\n
Finally, for whatever reason, the Open Championship has been easily the worst major for LIV players. Will that continue at Royal Birkdale this summer?<\/p>\n