LIV Golf Watch: Stars set for DP World Tour Championship

This week, six LIV Golf players will be in action, with three players teeing it up in DP World Tour Championship on the DP World Tour, one player participating in the Ford NSW Open Championship on the PGA Tour of Australasia, one player in the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open and one in the Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters.

DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

The DP World Tour Championship is the finale for the DP World Tour season and the conclusion of the season-long Race to Dubai. The event is held at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai. The Greg Norman design is a par-72 layout measuring 7,675 yards. The championship features a highly exclusive field, with the top 50 players in the Race to Dubai Rankings eligible to participate. It is designated as a Rolex Series event, offering an elevated total prize fund of $10 million, with the winner receiving a $3 million first-place prize. Players are also competing for a share of the separate $6 million Race to Dubai bonus pool, which is paid out to the top 10 players in the final season-long standings.

TYRRELL HATTON. Hatton enters the week ranked third in the Race to Dubai standings and is looking to win the season-long prize for the first time in his career. The Legion XIII star will be making his 12th consecutive appearance at the DP World Tour Championship. Six of his 11 starts at the event have resulted in top-10 finishes, with two runner-up finishes in 2016 and 2022. To win the Race to Dubai, he’ll need to win the tournament and get some help from No. 1-ranked Rory McIlroy.

TOM MCKIBBIN. After McKibbin’s dominant victory at the Link Hong Kong Open, he understandably put forth a lackluster finish at last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, finishing 66th out of 72 players. The Northern Irishman is 46th in the Race to Dubai standings and has finished T32 and T11 in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

PATRICK REED. Reed comes into the week 24th in the Race to Dubai standings and is making his first start at the DP World Tour Championship since 2021. Reed has four top-10 finishes at the event, with his best finish coming in 2018 when he finished T2. The 4Aces GC star finished T49 at last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

FORD NSW OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

The Ford NSW Open Championship has become a feature of the Australian golf season, but the venue for the championship rotates annually to showcase different world-class courses across New South Wales. This year, the tournament will be held at The Vintage Golf Club in the scenic Hunter Valley region. The Greg Norman and Bob Harrison design is a short but strategic par 71 measuring 6,863 yards.

LUCAS HERBERT. Last year, Herbert won the Ford NSW Open Championship for his first professional win on Australian soil and will defend his title this week. His victory came with his coach Dom Azzopardi, who he’s been working with since he was 13 years old, on the bag. Azzopardi will once again loop for the Ripper GC star this week.

TAIWAN GLASS TAIFONG OPEN

The Taiwan Glass Taifong Open will be played for the second consecutive year on the Asian Tour's main circuit and will take place at the scenic Taifong Golf Club in Changhua, Chinese Taipei. The course is a par 72 measuring 7,552 yards, known for tough coastal winds and challenging fairways. The defending champion is Suteepat Prateeptienchai of Thailand.

CHIEH-PO LEE. Lee will be making his sixth start since the conclusion of the LIV Golf season, with mixed results. He’s missed two of five cuts, including in his most recent start at the Link Hong Kong Open. His best finish was a T11 at the Jakarta International Championship.

MITSUI SUMITOMO VISA TAIHEIYO MASTERS

The Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters has been a key event on the Japan Golf Tour since 1972. The host course is the majestic Taiheiyo Club Gotemba Course in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, which is famous for its volcanic vistas and demanding elevation changes. Taiheiyo Club Gotemba Course is a Par 70 measuring 7,262 yards featuring strategically bunkered fairways, lightning-fast Bentgrass greens and signature holes like the par-5 18th with Mount Fuji visible in the background.

JINICHIRO KOZUMA. It’s been a rough stretch for Kozuma, who has teed it up five times since the Iron Heads GC season commenced and has missed the cut in all five starts. He will look to get on track this week in his home country of Japan.

PLAYER NEWS

- Last week, LIV Golf announced that beginning in 2026, all events will be played over 72 holes, marking the next chapter of LIV Golf’s mission to grow and celebrate the sport for a new era of players and fans around the world.

- The LIV Golf Promotions event will take place Jan. 8-11, 2026, at Black Diamond Ranch in Lecanto, Florida, with four rounds of stroke-play over four days. The League will reward the top two finishers with a full-season spot in the 2026 LIV Golf League, an increase from one spot in 2025.

- LIV Golf and Trackman announced a multi-year partnership.

- 4Aces GC have released episode two of their docuseries, Behind The 4ACES. You can find episode one here.

- Sebastian Munoz has been nominated for Columbia's Athlete of the Year. Vote for the Torque GC star here.

- Anthony Kim continues to make strides in his comeback to professional golf. Last week, he shot his best 36-hole score since his return, posting 7-under through 36 holes at the Moutai Singapore Open. He went on to finish T43 shooting rounds of 68-69-72-71.

- Cameron Smith believes LIV Golf’s move from 54 to 72 holes can help him find some form, he told Australia, 7 News last week. “I think the 54 was a bit of a sprint; I feel like I’ve played my best golf over 72 holes, so I’m looking forward to the change,” Smith said.

The Ripper GC captain also spoke about the excitement surrounding LIV Golf Adelaide in 2026. “It’s going to be bigger again this year, so can’t wait to get back there,” he said. “I think the crowd makes [LIV Adelaide] so special. The atmosphere is cool. It seems like no matter what little nook or cranny of golf course you’re in, there’s people watching and everyone’s having a good time.“