First Look: LIV Golf United Kingdom Presented by JCB

LIV Golf returns to action at this week’s LIV Golf United Kingdom Presented by JCB, the 10th tournament of the 2026 regular season.

BASIC INFO

When: July 23-26, 2026

Where: JCB Golf & Country Club, Rocester, Staffordshire, England

Competition: Four rounds/72 holes of stroke play

Field: 57 players - 13 teams of four players each, and five wild cards

Shotgun Start
Local time
Thursday, Rd. 1 - 1:15 p.m. (8:15 a.m. ET)
Friday, Rd. 2 - 1:15 p.m. (8:15 a.m. ET)
Saturday, Rd. 3 - 1:15 p.m. (8:15 a.m. ET)
Sunday, Rd. 4 - 1:05 p.m. (8:05 a.m. ET)

KEY STORYLINES

LIV Golf’s worldwide schedule resumes with its annual visit to the United Kingdom, with England becoming the 10th different country to host a LIV Golf tournament in the first 10 tournaments of the 2026 season

JCB Golf & Country Club is the host course for the third consecutive year, becoming the seventh different course to host three or more LIV Golf tournaments

The tournament begins the final stretch of the season, with three more tournaments – including the Team Championship in Michigan – set for the United States in August

Season-long points leader Jon Rahm has a chance to seal his third consecutive Individual Championship with a win this week, depending on how Bryson DeChambeau finishes (see section below)

Rahm’s Legion XIII have won the previous two LIV Golf UK team titles, with Rahm also winning the individual trophy in 2024

Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann, who ranks third in points behind Rahm and Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau, is the defending individual champion; the year before, he finished T2

16 players who competed in last week’s Open Championship are in the field, including Lucas Herbert, who finished T6 after tying a men’s major record for low round with his 62 on Friday

Niemann, Rahm, OKGC Captain Talor Gooch and Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith are the only players who have finished in the top 10 in each of the two previous visits to JCB

LIV Golf’s full-time playing roster counts seven players from England, including the entire Majesticks Golf Club lineup of co-captain Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood, along with teammates Laurie Canter and Sam Horsfield

England’s Tyrrell Hatton enters as the most recent LIV Golf individual winner, having won LIV Golf Andalucia in his first start since becoming a father

Hatton’s win is his second career LIV Golf title and moved him to fourth in the season-long Individual Championship

WILL RAHM CLINCH SEASON-LONG CROWN?

Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm has won the LIV Golf Individual Championship in each of his first two seasons – and he could possibly wrap up his third consecutive title by winning LIV Golf United Kingdom presented by JCB.

Rahm currently leads the season-long points race with 928.58 points, giving him an advantage of 284.18 points over his closest pursuer, Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau, who is at 644.40 points.

Three tournaments are left in the regular season – UK, then LIV Golf New York and LIV Golf Indianapolis in August. Tournament winners receive 200 points, with second place worth 113 points and third place worth 75 points.

Rahm would clinch the 2026 Individual Championship at JCB Golf & Country Club if DeChambeau finishes in a three-way tie for second or worse. If that scenario happens, then Rahm would be more than 400 points ahead of DeChambeau going into the final two regular-season tournaments. Even if DeChambeau were to win New York and Indy, he could claim 400 points maximum.

DeChambeau is the only realistic challenger to Rahm. To overtake Rahm, he would need to outscore him by more than 284.18 points combined in the final three tournaments.

Even if DeChambeau were to sweep the final three tournaments, Rahm could still win the season-long crown by accumulating 316 points, which would require him to finish second in each of the final three tournaments. Rahm already has four solo seconds this season in addition to his two victories in Hong Kong and Mexico City.

Rahm cannot clinch the season-long title in UK with a solo second, though.

Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann, currently No. 3 in points, could finish with 944.66 points if he wins the remaining three tournaments. That would put him 16 points ahead of Rahm’s current total and thus require Rahm to suffer unlikely poor results down the stretch (Rahm’s worst finish in any of the LIV Golf tournaments he’s completed is his recent tie for 16th in Korea). DeChambeau would also need to stumble, too.

Rahm’s teammate Tyrrell Hatton, winner of the league’s most recent tournament in Andalucia, could also move ahead of Rahm’s current total with three more wins. That would put Hatton at 932.93 points, although Rahm would need just five points to move ahead of Hatton.

THE ENGLISH ARE COMING HOME

Tyrrell Hatton recently conquered Spain. Now he’s hoping for a second consecutive LIV Golf individual trophy in his return home to England.

The Legion XIII star is among seven English-born players on LIV Golf’s full-time roster. The league is making its third consecutive visit to JCB Golf & Country Club and fifth visit overall to England, having played its inaugural tournament in 2022 (and a follow-up in 2023) at Centurion outside London.

Hatton has the best LIV Golf result of any English player on home soil, tying for second behind his captain, Spanish-born Jon Rahm, at JCB in 2024.

“Playing home events are always fun,” Hatton said. “Having friends come out to support you … Home fans in general, even if things aren’t going well, they always support you. If you have a good moment, you get a good cheer – and that can kind of breathe some life into you.”

The all-English Majesticks Golf Club are hoping to draw upon their home support to turn around a disappointing 2026 campaign. They enter JCB in last place in the season-long team standings but would love to give their fans – particularly those at the raucous party-hole 9th pub – something to cheer for.

“Very much looking forward to returning to JCB,” said Majesticks Co-Captain Ian Poulter. “It’s become our home event. The fans come out in massives. We have an incredible fan village, incredible activations. We have the pub. It’s a special week.”

Added his fellow captain Lee Westwood: “It’s always nice for English and British players to play in front of our home crowds. They really get behind us. It’s a great atmosphere.”

ENGLISH BORN

• Richard Bland (Cleeks) – Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire
• Laurie Canter (Majesticks) – Bath, Somerset
• Paul Casey (Crushers) – Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
• Tyrrell Hatton (Legion XIII) – High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
• Sam Horsfield (Majesticks) – Manchester
• Ian Poulter (Majesticks) – Hitchin, Hertfordshire
• Lee Westwood (Majesticks) – Worksop, Nottinghamshire

ABOUT THE COURSE

JCB GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB

Rocester, Staffordshire | England

Par: 72

Yardage: 7,332

Meters: 6,706

JCB is hosting a LIV Golf tournament for the third consecutive season, becoming the seventh different course to host three or more LIV Golf tournaments

The country club is the brainchild of Lord Anthony Bamford (son of Joseph Cyril Bamford) who is the chairman at the construction company started by his father, where the club gets its name

Designed by Robin Hiseman of European Golf Design, the course opened for play in 2018 and made Golf Monthly’s list of 10 Most Exclusive Golf Clubs in the UK

The course routing utilizes a variety of landscapes, including open farmland, stately parkland, woodlands and spectacular lake lands, along with the historic ruins of Woodseat Hall

From a playing perspective, JCB rewards strategy and precision more than outright power; driving accuracy is important, with thick fescue and awkward angles punishing wayward tee shots

Holes 1 and 3 utilize the Uttoxeter Canal, while holes 5, 11 and 12 play along the Alders Brook

The island green 17th, the signature hole on the course, is the longest par 3 at 244 yards

COURSE CHANGES FOR 2026

The 6th hole, which has been the most difficult hole the previous two years of LIV Golf UK when it played as a par 4, now becomes a par 5, with the entire course now at par 72. The back tee at the 6th has been slightly pushed back and enlarged, with the hole extended to 509 yards.

Other changes:

• 5th hole: The back tee that has not previously been used has now been cleared and enlarged and may be included in the setup
• 7th hole: The hole will now play at 494 yards (previously 470) due to a back tee that has been reshaped
• 10th hole: The tee has been slightly raised, and some scrub has been cleared on the left of the drive zone, allowing the potential for using the furthest back tee
• 14th hole: The tee has been reconstructed, with the hole now playing at approximately 140 yards (subject to hole locations)

WEATHER FORECAST

Rd. 1 – Daytime high of 76 degrees. Partly cloudy. 6% chance of precipitation. Winds NW at 10-15 mph.

Rd. 2 – Daytime high of 75 degrees. Partly cloudy. 6% chance of precipitation. Winds WNW at 10-15 mph.

Rd. 3 – Daytime high of 68 degrees. Cloudy. 24% chance of precipitation. Winds W at 10-15 mph.

Rd. 4 – Daytime high of 69 degrees. Partly cloudy. 15% chance of precipitation. Winds WNW at 10-15 mph.

BROADCAST INFO

USA: The FOX broadcast schedule for the U.S. will start each tournament day at 8 a.m. ET. Rounds 1 and 2 will be shown on FS2. Round 3 will be show on FOX. Round 4 will be shown on FS1.

UK: TNT Sports is LIV Golf’s exclusive partner in the UK and will have full tournament coverage, including pre- and post-round shows with Craig Doyle, Oli Wilson, and Rachel Drummond. The pre-round show will air at 12:30 p.m. BST throughout the event, while the post-round show will air 15 minutes after play concludes each day.