This week, 15 LIV Golf players will compete in the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. The historic Southport links will host golf’s oldest major for the 11th time and for the first time since Jordan Spieth’s memorable victory in 2017.<\/p>\n
Royal Birkdale is widely considered one of the best venues in The Open rota and it has historically played quite difficult. Tight fairways, strategically placed bunkers and\u00a0swirling\u00a0coastal winds tend to reward precision more than power. Players who control their ball flight, avoid the deep fairway bunkers and stay patient in difficult conditions typically find themselves in contention on Sunday.<\/p>\n
RELATED: First Look<\/a> | Tee times<\/a><\/p>\n The LIV Golf contingent features a previous Champion Golfer of the Year in Cameron Smith, major champions Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, and several rising stars looking to make a statement at golf’s oldest championship.<\/p>\n Here are this week’s LIV Golf Power Rankings heading into Royal Birkdale.<\/p>\n 1. Jon Rahm<\/p>\n Recent finishes: T36 (Genesis Scottish Open), MC (U.S. Open), 2nd (Andaluc\u00eda LIV Golf)<\/p>\n Best Open finish: T2 (2023)<\/p>\n The Legion XIII captain earns the top spot despite an uneven stretch that included a missed cut at the U.S. Open. He responded with a runner-up finish at LIV Golf Andaluc\u00eda and has the complete skill set required to contend at Royal Birkdale.<\/p>\n The Spaniard is comfortable controlling his ball in the wind and has repeatedly demonstrated that he can contend on links courses. His runner-up finish in 2023 remains his best result at The Open, but he heads to Royal Birkdale as the LIV Golf player most likely to lift the Claret Jug.<\/p>\n 2. Tyrrell Hatton<\/p>\n Recent finishes: T17 (Genesis Scottish Open), T7 (U.S. Open), 1st (Andaluc\u00eda LIV Golf)<\/p>\n Best Open finish: T5 (2016)<\/p>\n Hatton arrives with arguably the best combination of recent form and links pedigree in the LIV Golf group. The Legion XIII star won at Valderrama, finished seventh at the U.S. Open and followed those performances with a solid week at the Genesis Scottish Open.<\/p>\n The Englishman’s experience in difficult weather and comfort on firm, fast courses should make him a contender. If he can build off his recent strong major history while maintaining his current form, Hatton should remain in the mix throughout the weekend.<\/p>\n 3. Joaqu\u00edn Niemann<\/p>\n Recent finishes: T7 (BMW International Open), 3rd (Italian Open), T7 (U.S. Open)<\/p>\n Best Open finish: T53 (2022)<\/p>\n Niemann enters Royal Birkdale with three consecutive top-seven finishes, including an impressive performance at the U.S. Open where he battled back to make the cut. The Torque GC captain is in great form and has the lower ball flight necessary to compete on a tough links course.<\/p>\n His history at The Open is the primary concern. Niemann has yet to finish better than T53, but he has all the talent in the world and is hungry to prove himself further in major championships.<\/p>\n 4. David Puig<\/p>\n Recent finishes: MC (Genesis Scottish Open), T48 (Italian Open), T5 (Andaluc\u00eda LIV Golf)<\/p>\n Best Open finish: MC (2024)<\/p>\n Puig’s two starts following his top-five finish at Valderrama were disappointing, but the young Spaniard undoubtedly possesses enormous upside.<\/p>\n His combination of power and aggressive iron play can produce birdies in bunches. However, Royal Birkdale will punish overly ambitious decisions, which has been an Achilles heel for the Fireballs GC star throughout the early part of his career. Course management the key to Puig’s chances this week.<\/p>\n 5. Tom McKibbin<\/p>\n Recent finishes: T30 (Genesis Scottish Open), T25 (Italian Open), T21 (Andaluc\u00eda LIV Golf)<\/p>\n Best Open finish: T66 (2024)<\/p>\n McKibbin has steadily produced some strong results recently and has had the ideal\u00a0preparation playing on European courses including the Scottish Open last week.<\/p>\n The Northern Irishman is comfortable playing links golf and has the ball-striking ability to handle Royal Birkdale. The young Legion XIII star should be capable of improving considerably upon his T66 finish from 2024.<\/p>\n 6. Cameron Smith<\/p>\n Recent finishes: MC (U.S. Open), T5 (Andaluc\u00eda LIV Golf), T16 (LIV Golf Korea)<\/p>\n Best Open finish: 1st (2022)<\/p>\n The Ripper GC captain will always be dangerous at The Open because of his elite putting and creativity around the greens.<\/p>\n Smith\u2019s recent results have been inconsistent, but the 2022 Champion Golfer of the Year has already proven that his best golf is good enough to win this championship. A cooperative driver to couple with his world class short game would make him a serious threat.<\/p>\n 7. Bryson DeChambeau<\/p>\n Recent finishes: MC (U.S. Open), T11 (Andaluc\u00eda LIV Golf), 3rd (LIV Golf Korea)<\/p>\n Best Open finish: T8 (2022)<\/p>\n DeChambeau’s missed cut\u00a0at all three majors this season is a definite concern,\u00a0but his major championship ceiling remains among the highest in the field.<\/p>\n Royal Birkdale won’t allow the Crushers GC captain to overpower every hole, but his length can still create advantages when the conditions permit. He’ll need to avoid the punishing fairway bunkers and remain patient when aggressive lines aren’t available. If his driver cooperates, DeChambeau has more than enough firepower to contend.<\/p>\n 8. Josele Ballester<\/p>\n Recent finishes: MC (BMW International Open), MC (Italian Open), 55th (Andaluc\u00eda LIV Golf)<\/p>\n Best Open finish: MC (2023)<\/p>\n Ballester enters in poor form after three consecutive disappointing finishes, but the former U.S. Amateur champion possesses tremendous long-term potential, and I believe the young Fireballs GC star has the necessary skill set to eventually be a threat in Open Championships.<\/p>\n The 22-year-old is still adjusting to life as a professional and will be making just his second Open Championship appearance. Making the cut would represent another important step in his development.<\/p>\n 9. Lucas Herbert<\/p>\n Recent finishes: MC (U.S. Open), T24 (Andaluc\u00eda LIV Golf), T8 (LIV Golf Korea)<\/p>\n Best Open finish: T15 (2022)<\/p>\n Herbert has shown flashes over the past few months but hasn’t been able to sustain his best golf since winning at LIV Golf Virginia.<\/p>\n His T15 finish at St Andrews in 2022 proved he has the creativity and shot-making ability to compete on links golf courses. If he finds confidence with the putter, the Ripper GC stalwart has enough talent to outperform this ranking.<\/p>\n 10. Thomas Detry<\/p>\n Recent finishes: MC (Italian Open), T5 (Andaluc\u00eda LIV Golf), T41 (LIV Golf Korea)<\/p>\n Best Open finish: T13 (2023)<\/p>\n Detry’s top-five finish at LIV Golf Andaluc\u00eda demonstrated that his game is trending in the right direction despite an early exit in Italy the following week.<\/p>\n The Belgian has quietly put together a respectable Open resume, highlighted by a T13 finish in 2023. The 4Aces GC star needs a strong week with the putter, but another top-20 finish certainly isn’t out of the question.<\/p>\n 11. Victor Perez<\/p>\n Recent finishes: T9 (Genesis Scottish Open), T9 (BMW International Open), T16 (Andaluc\u00eda LIV Golf)<\/p>\n Best Open finish: T34 (2022)<\/p>\n Perez may be one of the more underrated players in this field entering the week. The Cleeks Golf Club veteran has strung together three consecutive top-16 finishes, including back-to-back top-10s in Europe.<\/p>\n His Open Championship record doesn’t jump off the page, but his experience in windy conditions and current form make him an intriguing dark horse to surprise at Royal Birkdale.<\/p>\n 12. Laurie Canter<\/p>\n Recent finishes: T50 (Genesis Scottish Open), T43 (U.S. Open), T37 (Andaluc\u00eda LIV Golf)<\/p>\n Best Open finish: T17 (2023)<\/p>\n Canter enters without much momentum after three consecutive finishes outside the top 35, but he’s proven before that he can handle the unique demands of The Open.<\/p>\n He is the Majesticks Golf Club\u2019s lone representative this week, and his T17 finish in 2023 demonstrates his ability to play well in this championship. If he can find his best iron play early in the week, don’t be surprised if he sticks around for the weekend.<\/p>\n 13. Peter Uihlein<\/p>\n Recent finishes: T56 (U.S. Open), T31 (Andaluc\u00eda LIV Golf), T52 (LIV Golf Korea)<\/p>\n Best Open finish: T44 (2017)<\/p>\n Uihlein has yet to find much momentum in the second half of his season, posting just one finish better than 30th in his last three starts. While his power off the tee can be an asset, Royal Birkdale demands precision more than distance.<\/p>\n The RangeGoats Golf Club star has plenty of experience playing links golf, but he’ll likely need one of his best ball-striking weeks of the year to climb into contention.<\/p>\n 14. Caleb Surratt<\/p>\n Recent finishes: T63 (U.S. Open), 49th (Andaluc\u00eda LIV Golf), T45 (LIV Golf Korea)<\/p>\n Best Open finish: Open Championship debut<\/p>\n Surratt will make his Open Championship debut after earning his place through an impressive display at Final Qualifying. At just 22 years old, he’s one of the youngest players in the field and continues to gain valuable experience against the world’s best.<\/p>\n Royal Birkdale presents a difficult first test, but simply making the cut would represent another important milestone for the young Legion XIII player.<\/p>\n 15. Scott Vincent<\/p>\n Recent finishes: T10 (International Series Morocco), 15th (Andaluc\u00eda LIV Golf), 5th (LIV Golf Korea)<\/p>\n Best Open finish: MC (2022)<\/p>\n Vincent quietly arrives in better form than his ranking suggests after recording three consecutive top-15 finishes, including a top five in Korea. The Zimbabwean has steadily improved throughout the summer and has shown he can compete on difficult golf courses.<\/p>\n Still, his limited Open Championship experience makes him the biggest long shot among the LIV Golf contingent. If Vincent can make the weekend and continue his recent run of solid play, it would be a successful week at Royal Birkdale.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This week, 15 LIV Golf players will compete in the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":799710,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[566],"tags":[64,63,755,85],"class_list":["post-799709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/799709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=799709"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/799709\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/799710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=799709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=799709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=799709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}