LIV Golf Watch: The Week Ahead (September 22-28)

LIVGolf.com’s newest feature, LIV Golf Watch: The Week Ahead, tracks the participation of LIV Golf players in tournaments around the world during the offseason, as well as provide a roundup of notes regarding the league’s players and teams. This week, three LIV Golf players will be playing in the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.

RYDER CUP

The Ryder Cup kicks off Friday and will feature four foursomes matches and four fourball matches on both Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, every player on both teams will play in 12 singles matches. The first team to hit 14.5 points takes the trophy.

Bethpage Black is a 7,398 yard par 70 with thick rough and penal bunkers surrounding the greens. It was designed by A.W. Tillinghast in 1936 and has established a reputation as one of the most difficult courses in the world.

TYRRELL HATTON (Europe)

Tyrrell Hatton has been a consistent presence on Europe's Ryder Cup team since his debut in 2018 at Le Golf National in France.

Hatton was as a 26-year-old rookie on Thomas Bjørn's winning European squad, which won 17.5-10.5 over the U.S. He played three matches, posting a 1-2-0 record.

At the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, Hatton returned for Europe's defense but endured a tough week on American soil, where the U.S. dominated 19-9. He competed in four matches, finishing 1-2-1.

At the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Italy, Hatton was one of the stars of the event as Europe reclaimed the cup 16.5-11.5. The Legion XIII star played four sessions, going 3-0-1 and was one of only three undefeated Europeans.

Cumulative Record: Across 11 matches in three Ryder Cups, Hatton stands at 5-4-2.

JON RAHM (Europe)

Jon Rahm first entered the Ryder Cup scene as a young up-and-comer and has since become one of Europe's most reliable performers and leaders of the team.

In the 2018 Ryder Cup, Rahm was on Thomas Bjørn's victorious European team. As a rookie, he only played three matches and went 1-2-0.

In the 2021 Ryder Cup, Rahm thrived despite the loss, earning three of Europe’s nine total points. He played in all five matches, going 3-1-1.

In the 2023 Ryder Cup, Rahm didn’t lose a match, going 2-0-2 and earning three points in four matches, helping Europe win 16.5-11.5.

Cumulative Record: Over 12 matches in three Ryder Cups, Rahm boasts a 6-3-3 record.

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU (USA)

Bryson DeChambeau's Ryder Cup tenure has been boom-or-bust.

In the 2018 Ryder Cup, DeChambeau, then only 24 and fresh off his maiden PGA Tour win, joined Jim Furyk's U.S. team but struggled in a 10.5-17.5 rout. He played three matches, going 0-3-0.

In the 2021 Ryder Cup, DeChambeau played very well on home soil, contributing to the U.S.'s record 19-9 beatdown of Europe. He played three matches, going 2-0-1.

Cumulative Record: In six matches across two Ryder Cups, DeChambeau holds a 2-3-1 record.

MERCURIES TAIWAN MASTERS

Chieh-Po Lee will be playing in this week’s Mercuries Taiwan Masters at Taiwan Golf and Country Club in Chinese Taipe this week. Lee played in last week’s Yeangder TPC on the Asian Tour, finishing 34th after shooting rounds of 73-69-71-70.

PLAYER NEWS

• Sergio Garcia and Patrick Reed will join Jon Rahm at this year’s Spanish Open at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid. Garcia will be making his first Spanish Open appearance in six years while Reed will be making his second appearance after finishing T10 last season.
• Lucas Herbert of Ripper GC has high expectations for the upcoming Australian Open at Royal Melbourne, with the field boosted by a strong LIV Golf contingent. While speaking with FOX Sports Australia, Herbert said the event “could be one for the ages.” Herbert will be joined in the field by Ripper GC teammates Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman as well as stars such as Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee.
• Crushers GC’s Paul Casey is set to headline the Moutai Singapore Open, returning Nov. 6-9 at Singapore Island Country Club after a two-year hiatus. The $2 million Asian Tour event, part of the International Series, features a pathway to LIV Golf for its season-long rankings champ. Casey will be joined by fellow LIV golf players Talor Gooch, Peter Uihlein and Anthony Kim.
• While speaking on the official Ryder Cup YouTube channel, DeChambeau told a story about an interaction he had with Phil Mickelson in his Ryder Cup debut in 2018 at Le Golf National in France. “Another one was Phil Mickelson, he wasn’t playing that great then and he goes, ‘Bryson, I just need a pep talk right now, you need to give me a pep talk’. As a veteran, the second-most winning golfer in our era. For me to give him a pep talk down the third fairway, I was like, ‘this is so wrong’, the roles have been reversed. What’s going on?”
• Speaking to Smylie Kaufman, Graeme McDowell of Smash GC talked about being excluded from the Ryder Cup: “I miss it. I miss being part of that ecosystem. I miss being part of the Ryder Cup culture. I get it, though. It wouldn’t make any sense to have a guy like me or [Ian] Poulter or [Lee] Westwood as a Ryder Cup vice-captain because we really don’t spend enough time with these guys anymore.
• “Being on LIV [Golf], we don’t get a chance to go back and play the European Tour very often. And there’s a huge amount of trust and communication that you need with these players to be able to have them trust you, to have them know that you’ve got their back.”

• Brooks Koepka felt the pressure of being in the final group at last week’s FedEx Open de France for the first time in over a year. The Smash GC captain finished in 4th place at 14-under, two shots behind the winner, Michael Kim. Although he came up short, being in contention is a major step in the right direction for Koepka, who spoke about his year-long struggles with the putter after shooting a third round 6-under 65.

“Just putting, honestly. I've felt very uncomfortable over the putts pretty much all year. Just been a little bit of hand position. We've got it sorted now where I feel like I'm striking the putts very well, hitting them on line and feeling confident,” he said. “And that's honestly half the battle, is feeling confident. And if you're not confident, not there, it's tough to shoot good scores. I'm pleased with the work I've put in over the last two or three months. It's been a lot of work, so hopefully it pays off.”

• The R&A announced on Monday that there will be a LIV Golf exemption category for the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. “The first player and anyone tying for that place, not otherwise exempt, in the 2026 LIV Golf Individual Season Standings on completion of LIV Golf Louisiana. Blank entry will be made on behalf of the player.”
• Sergio Garcia shared on social media that he shot a 58 at Austin Country Club, which used to host the WGC Dell Match Play on the PGA Tour. His scorecard included 12 birdies and no bogeys.