Fantasy Preview and Picks for LIV Golf UK by JCB

It’s been a busy last two weeks for LIV Golf, but with only three regular-season tournaments left on the schedule, there’s no time to rest for the field.

To recap, let’s go back two weekends to LIV Golf Andalucia, where fans saw a familiar face hoist the individual trophy. Talor Gooch, the 2023 Individual Champion, built enough of a cushion over the first two rounds to fend off a surging Jon Rahm. It was Gooch’s fourth LIV Golf victory of his career, and he became the first player in the league to win the same tournament twice in league. As for Rahm, he didn’t go home empty handed, as the final-round efforts of the captain and teammate Tom McKibbin propelled Legion XIII to a two-stroke victory over Fireballs GC.

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Nineteen golfers represented LIV Golf at The Open Championship this weekend. The links-style Royal Portrush course presented plenty of challenges for the field, but 11 of the LIV contingent managed to make the cut. That group was headlined by Bryson DeChambeau, who overcame a disastrous opening round to finish tied for 10th, his third top-10 finish at a major this year. Tyrrell Hatton was in the mix early before tapering off to a T16, Dustin Johnson was the third LIV Golfer to finish in the top-25 after going 8-under over the final three rounds, and Sergio Garcia managed to go three-under in the final round even after breaking his driver on the par-5 second hole. Rahm (T34), Lee Westwood (T34), Jason Kokrak (T40), 2016 Open champion Henrik Stenson (T45), Marc Leishman (T52), Phil Mickelson (T56) and Dean Burmester (T61) also made the cut at Royal Portrush.

LIV Golf UK by JCB is up next and the last tournament outside of the United States this season. JCB Golf & Country Club will host the LIV Golf field for a second consecutive season, and last year’s tournament proved to be a pivotal one when it came to the top of the individual standings. It’s where Rahm outlasted Joaquin Niemann, Cameron Smith and Hatton to win the first LIV Golf tournament of his career. That victory was crucial for Rahm, who followed that up with a solo second in Greenbrier and a win in Chicago to supplant Niemann at the top of the standings to win the 2024 LIV Golf Individual Championship in his debut season. Niemann and Rahm are neck-and-neck once again heading into this weekend, with Dechambeau lurking behind in third thanks to his victory in Virginia. Rahm’s success at JCB Golf and Country Club was due to his accuracy off the tee and to the green. That allowed him to convert multiple birdie opportunities, and with JCB projected to be one of the lower scoring courses this year, taking advantage of those GIR opportunities will be crucial for the field.

With three regular-season tournaments left, pressure is mounting for players to make it into the top-24 Lock Zone and, perhaps more importantly, avoid finishing outside the top 48 in the Drop Zone. As a recap, players who finish in the Lock Zone (top 24) are guaranteed a spot in the league in 2026; those in the Open Zone (25 to 48) face potential trade or release by their team, and anyone finishing in the Drop Zone (49th or below) are relegated out of the league and will only be a part of the league next year through a LIV Golf qualifying tournament or by being signed by a team. Noticeable players currently in the Drop Zone include Majesticks GC co-Captain Ian Poulter, Torque GC’s Mito Pereira, Wild Card Anthony Kim and Cleeks Golf Club’s Frederik Kjettrup.

With all that in mind, here are my fantasy picks for LIV Golf UK.

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INDIVIDUALS

GROUP 1

Bryson DeChambeau - Captain, Crushers GC

Bryson DeChambeau was the only LIV Golfer to finish in the top-10 at The Open, and were it not for his 7-over 78 in the first round, he would have pushed Scottie Scheffler for the Claret Jug. DeChambeau made the cut by carding a 6-under 65 in the second round, and his total score of 197 over the last 54 holes was the second lowest in Open history, only behind Majesticks GC’s Henrik Stenson (196) in 2016. DeChambeau has finished in the top-10 in three of the four major championships this season, and his strong play this year has him locked up for a spot in the U.S. Team for the Ryder Cup. He sits third in the individual season standings behind Rahm and Niemann heading into LIV Golf UK, where he finished T11 in 2024.

Jon Rahm - Captain, Legion XIII

Jon Rahm saw his top-10 streak at LIV Golf tournaments come to a halt in Dallas, when he finished T11, but he bounced back strongly in Andalucia with a 6-under final round to surge to solo second. JCB Golf & Country Club was the location of his first LIV Golf trophy in 2024 and helped propel the Legion XIII captain past Niemann to capture the Individual Championship. Rahm is just 12.64 points behind Niemann in the standings, and a successful defense could catapult the Spaniard to the top of the table. Rahm leads the league in GIR and ranks second and third in birdies made and scrambling opportunities, respectively.

Honorable mentions: Tyrrell Hatton (Legion XIII - contended early at The Open before settling for T16, and he finished T2 at LIV Golf UK last year), Cameron Smith (Captain, Ripper GC - missed the cut at The Open, but the Aussie is coming off a T7 finish at Andalucia and finished tied with Niemann and Hatton for second at LIV Golf UK in 2024).

GROUP 2

Talor Gooch - Smash GC

It was a welcomed return to the winners circle for Talor Gooch, whose one-stroke victory in Andalucia was his fourth of his career. He also became the first LIV Golf player to win the same tournament twice, replicating his success at Real Golf Club Valderrama in 2023. After a slow start to the season, Gooch has accrued points in five of the last six LIV Golf tournaments, and his latest win thrust him up to sixth in the individual season standings. He ranks T4 in driving accuracy, T10 in GIR and 13th in scrambling opportunities this season.

Paul Casey - Crushers GC

Though he finished outside the top-30 in Andalucia, Paul Casey has the tools to thrive at LIV Golf UK by JCB this weekend. He ranks T2 in driving accuracy and fifth in GIR, which will translate nicely to the JCB course. Indeed, Casey was in contention for his first LIV Golf win last year in the UK after going 9 under through the first two rounds before settling for a solo fifth.

Honorable mentions: Sebastian Munoz (Torque GC - Quietly sits seventh in the standings and ranks T2, T6 and T6 in driving accuracy, birdies made and GIR, respectively), Tom McKibbin (Legion XIII - the Northern Irishman also missed the cut at The Open, but he’s finished top-5 in each of the last two LIV Golf tournaments and ranks eighth and 10th in GIR and scrambling opportunities, respectively).

GROUP 3

Jinichiro Kozuma - Iron Heads GC

Despite missing the first five LIV Golf tournaments of the season due to a back injury, Jinichiro Kozuma sits 29th in the individual standings thanks to three top-10 finishes, including a T2 performance in Dallas. He may not be the most accurate off the tee, but he has been able to minimize the damage through his putting and scrambling, which rank T7 and 12th, respectively, this season.

Cameron Tringale - HyFlyers GC

Cameron Tringale currently occupies the last spot in the Lock Zone of the individual standings thanks to consecutive top-10 finishes. He ranks in the top-15 in most statistical categories this season, including sixth in scrambling opportunities, seventh in putts per hole and T10 in driving accuracy. Tringale’s T6 finish at LIV Golf UK in 2024 was his best performance of the season.

Honorable mentions: Louis Oosthuizen (Captain, Stinger GC - though he’s coming off a T45 finish in Andalucia and missed the cut at The Open, Oosthuizen finished T6 in the UK last year and ranks eighth in driving accuracy and 13th in GIR), Harold Varner III (4Aces GC - like Munoz, Varner III has accrued points in all but one LIV Golf tournament this season and ranks third and ninth in GIR and driving accuracy, respectively)

GROUP 4

Lee Westwood - Co-Captain, Majesticks GC

Lee Westwood earned a spot at The Open through Final Qualifying and took advantage of the opportunity by finishing T34 at Royal Portrush. He’ll look for a better performance on home soil after a T47 finish at LIV Golf UK by JCB last year.

Brendan Steele - HyFlyers GC

Brendan Steele has earned points in three of the last five LIV Golf tournaments, including top-15 finishes in Andalucia and Virginia. He ranks T6 in GIR, T12 in birdies made and 14th in driving accuracy this season.

Honorable mentions: Matt Jones (Ripper GC - coming off a T4 finish in Andalucia, which was the first top-5 finish at a LIV Golf tournament in his career), Josele Ballester (Fireballs GC - used a 4-under final round to surge to T23 in Andalucia to pick up his first points of the season), Sam Horsfield (Majesticks GC - finished T15 in Andalucia and, as a member at JCB Golf & Country Club, will have homefield advantage).

TEAMS

4Aces GC (Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Harold Varner III, Thomas Pieters)

It’s hard to ignore the momentum behind 4Aces GC right now. They have three consecutive podium finishes (including back-to-back seconds in Virginia and Dallas), which has catapulted them to fourth in the team standings. The 4Aces rank in the top-3 in driving distance, GIR and scrambling opportunities this season.

Legion XIII (Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Tom McKibbin, Caleb Surratt)

After going 7-over through the first two rounds, Legion XIII went ballistic in the final round with a 12-under score to pick up the two-stroke victory in Andalucia over Fireballs GC. It was the Legion’s third victory of the season and propelled them back to the top of the standings past Crushers GC. Legion XIII won LIV Golf UK by JCB by three strokes last year, thanks in large part to Rahm’s individual victory and Hatton’s T2 finish. They lead the league in birdies made, GIR and driving distance.

Honorable mentions: Ripper GC (finished second at LIV Golf UK in 2024 and lead the league in putts per hole this season), Smash GC (three podium finishes over the last four LIV Golf tournaments).