Talor Gooch of RangeGoats GC leads the individual standings. (Photo by Charles Laberge/LIV Golf)
Seven events into the LIV Golf League’s first official 14-tournament season, the individual and team championship competitions are heating up while potential relegation from the league awaits players who finish at the bottom of the standings.
Talor Gooch of RangeGoats GC currently leads the individual standings with 96 points thanks to impressive back-to-back wins in Adelaide and Singapore. Stinger GC’s Branden Grace and Smash GC captain and 2023 PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka trail closely behind with 86 and 85 points, respectively.
4Aces GC, captained by Dustin Johnson, leads the team competition with 124 points, followed by Stinger GC (108 points) and Torque GC (97 points). Torque, captained by Joaquin Niemann, took home the team trophy at LIV Golf DC and became this season’s first two-time team champion.
4Aces GC, captained by Dustin Johnson, leads the team competition. Photo: LIV Golf
“The incredible performances this season in Mexico, Australia, Singapore and throughout the U.S. have matched the fan energy and global excitement for the league’s launch,” said Greg Norman, CEO and Commissioner of LIV Golf. “As we hit the season’s homestretch, the pursuit for championships will continue to showcase the world-class competition on display amongst many of the best players on the planet, and I’m eager for our fans to enjoy the high-stakes race set to unfold.”
LIV Golf’s unique team and individual format features two season-long leaderboards where points for both teams and individuals are earned at each tournament. At the conclusion of the 13th and final regular season tournament, the team standings determine seeding for the season-ending Team Championship. The top four teams receive a first-round bye in the multiple-day, team-only event that determines the league’s 2023 Team Champion.
In the individual standings, the player with the most points at the conclusion of the regular season is named the league’s Individual Champion. The individual standings are broken down into three categories, with final positions potentially impacting a player’s status in the league:
- Lock Zone: Players finishing in the Top 24 secure their spot in the LIV Golf League for next season
- Open Zone: Players finishing 25-44 face potential trade or release by their team
- Drop Zone: Players finishing 45 and below are relegated out of the league and automatically qualify for the league’s promotions tournament for the chance to earn their spot back for next season
Team Captains are exempt from relegation in 2023. Players from the season’s initial 48-player roster who, due to injury, are unable to compete in a minimum of four regular season events will not be included in the season standings and will avoid relegation. There is no minimum number of events required for a reserve player to be included in the season standings.
Halfway through the season, the individual championship is anyone’s to win. Points are awarded to the top 24 finishers in each tournament’s 48-player field, and with 40 points awarded for a tournament win and 30 points for runner-up, the door is still open for many players to make a move. Gooch (96 points) leads the pack and has been playing some of the best golf of any player in the world. He’s closely trailed by Grace (86 points), who finished top three in the last two LIV events to jump up the leaderboard. The next two spots are occupied by two of the four reigning major champions: Koepka (85 points) and Ripper GC captain Cameron Smith (83 points).
In the case of ties, rankings are decided by a set of tiebreakers in the following order: 1) Best finish in an event, 2) 2nd best finish in an event, 3) 3rd best finish in an event, and so on.
As the team champion of last year’s LIV Golf Invitational Series, Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces GC has its sights set on the final team podium once again. The 4Aces currently lead the team standings with 124 points, but it’s any team’s race to earn a top-four seed and first-round bye for the Team Championship.
In every regular season tournament, teams finishing in the top eight receive points, with 32 points awarded to a team champion and 24 going to the runner-up. With six tournaments remaining, multiple teams are in position to take control of the standings. Just outside the top three are RangeGoats GC (91 points) captained by two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson, Crushers GC(80 points) led by 2020 U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, and Fireballs GC (66 points), captained by 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia to round out the top six.
LIV Golf continues action this week in Sotogrande, Spain, for its first stop of the season in continental Europe. The highly anticipated event tees off at the world-renowned Real Club Valderrama, site of more than two dozen championship tournaments including the 1997 Ryder Cup.
