Power Rankings for LIV Golf players at 2025 U.S. Open

This week, 14 LIV Golf members will be among the 156 players competing in the 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club.

The 7,372-yard par-70 course will present an enormous challenge for players this week. Asked Monday which course is the hardest he’s ever played, 4Aces GC Captain Dustin Johnson – the 2016 U.S. Open winner when it was last played at Oakmont – replied, “probably this one.”

RELATED: Tee times for Rounds 1-2

Johnson was one of just four players under par that week. Nobody will be surprised if there are fewer players under par this week.

The 14 players representing LIV Golf bring a mix of experienced professionals, major winners, and rising stars to the U.S. Open field.

Here are the power rankings going into Thursday’s opening round.

POWER RANKINGS

1. Jon Rahm

Best U.S. Open Finish: 1st (2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines)
Recent Form: T8 (LIV Golf Virginia), T8 (PGA Championship), T7 (LIV Golf Korea)

This was a difficult choice between Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, but ultimately I decided to go with the Legion XIII captain.

Rahm has been remarkably consistent on LIV Golf despite not having a win yet this season. In particular, the 30-year-old has been superb off the tee. He’s gained strokes on the field off the tee in 21 consecutive events and has gained in both distance and accuracy in three of his past four starts. At LIV Golf Virginia presented by Maaden, he led the field in strokes gained off the tee. Oakmont is going to play extremely long and the rough will be exceedingly penal. Rahm’s ability to hit it long and straight with the driver makes him a serious contender.

At last month’s PGA Championship, Rahm made an impressive charge at the eventual champion, Scottie Scheffler, on Sunday. He finished T8, but the finishing position doesn’t tell the whole story. With Scheffler a few shots ahead and Rahm running out of holes, Rahm was forced to go after difficult pins on the Green Mile (holes 16-18) at Quail Hollow. The win-or-bust mentality he showed in the closing stages of the year’s second major should be viewed as a positive sign.

2. Bryson DeChambeau

Best U.S. Open Finish: 1st (2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot, 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No.2)
Recent Form: T4 (LIV Golf Virginia), T2 (PGA Championship), 1st (LIV Golf Korea)

Bryson DeChambeau could have easily been ranked No. 1, but the history of the event has shown us how difficult it is to repeat as U.S. Open champion. Smash GC Captain Brooks Koepka showed it was possible in 2017-2018. Prior to Koepka, the last champion to successfully defend was Curtis Strange in 1998-1999.

The Crushers GC captain comes into the week in immaculate form and since the start of 2024 has established himself as arguably the world’s most reliable player in majors. His remarkable ability to keep the ball straight off the tee while hitting it further than everyone else gives him an extremely high floor at a difficult USGA setup. Perhaps the most underrated part of DeChambeau’s game is his around-the-green play. At Pinehurst, he showed the world that he can get up-and-down from just about anywhere on golf’s biggest stage.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone if both DeChambeau and Rahm are a big part of the story over the weekend at Oakmont.

3. Joaquin Niemann

Best U.S. Open Finish: T23 (2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot)
Recent Form: 1st (LIV Golf Virginia), T8 (PGA Championship), T20 (LIV Golf Korea)

Joaquin Niemann has been nothing short of dominant in LIV Golf events thus far in 2025. The Chilean has won four of the eight events and leads the LIV Golf individual standings by a significant margin over DeChambeau and Rahm.

Niemann is coming off his career-best major result and should be in a great position to build off that giant step in the right direction.

The Torque GC captain led the field in strokes gained approach last week in Virginia and won the tournament despite losing strokes putting for the week.

Last week, Niemann admitted the need for greater patience in major championships and showed signs of improvement in that area. At this stage, it’s not a question of “if” he’ll contend on the weekend at a major, but “when.”

4. Marc Leishman

Best U.S. Open Finish: T14 (2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club)
Recent Form: T10 (LIV Golf Virginia), T34 (LIV Golf Korea), T30 (LIV Golf Mexico City)

Marc Leishman may not generate headlines like the first three, but he’s quietly having a very strong season. The Ripper GC veteran won LIV Golf Miami, beating a stacked leaderboard at a long and grueling golf course.

Leishman leads LIV Golf in strokes gained approach through the first eight events, averaging +0.97 strokes per round. He has two top-10 finishes this season in addition to his win at Doral. The 41-year-old also has the benefit of having played Oakmont before. He finished T16 at the 2016 U.S. Open.

5. Tyrrell Hatton

Best U.S. Open Finish: T6 (2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills)
Recent Form: T15 (LIV Golf Virginia), T60 (PGA Championship), T13 (LIV Golf Korea)

As the 2025 LIV Golf season approached, it seemed as if Tyrrell Hatton was in store for a massive season. He won the Alfred Dunhill Links on the DP World Tour in October and the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January. His momentum halted early in the LIV season, but he finished T14 at the Masters and T5 in Mexico City and added two more top-15s in the last two LIV Golf events.

Despite the lack of fireworks lately, there’s no doubt that the Legion XIII star can compete at a course like Oakmont. He’s gained strokes off the tee in three of his past five starts and has gained strokes around the green in five consecutive starts. At a course where short game and putting will be a necessity, Hatton can get in the mix.

6. Carlos Ortiz

Best U.S. Open Finish: T52 (2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach)
Recent Form: T10 (LIV Golf Virginia), T7 (LIV Golf Korea), 16th (LIV Golf Mexico City)

Carlos Ortiz is having an incredible season and may just be one of the world’s most underrated players right now. The Torque GC star has finished in the top 10 in four of his past five worldwide starts including a win at the International Series Macau. He’s gained strokes both off the tee and on approach in each of his last four starts for LIV Golf.

Ortiz currently ranks 7th in the LIV Golf individual standings.

7. Dustin Johnson

Best U.S. Open Finish: 1st (2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont)
Recent Form: T10 (LIV Golf Virginia), MC (PGA Championship), T34 (LIV Golf Korea)

Dustin Johnson won the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont. In his pre-tournament press conference, the 4Aces GC captain praised the golf course, saying “The course is just as hard as I remember, if not harder. Yeah, I like coming back here. I love the golf course.”

Johnson has been inconsistent this season but has shown flashes of brilliance. Last week in Virginia, the 40-year-old switched to a Titleist GT2 driver and it seemed to pay immediate dividends. He gained +.78 strokes off the tee per round and finished T10.

With course history on his side, it wouldn’t be a big surprise to see Johnson play well this week.

8. Patrick Reed

Best U.S. Open Finish: 4th (2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills)
Recent Form: T23 (LIV Golf Virginia), MC (PGA Championship), T4 (LIV Golf Korea)

Patrick Reed has had a recent dip in form, primarily due to an inconsistent driver. The past Masters champion has lost more than a stroke per round off the tee in each of his past two starts and seems to be searching for answers as he’s been experimenting with different drivers this week.

The 4Aces GC veteran certainly has the mettle to grind in a difficult major championship, but if he can’t figure out his driver woes, competing at a course like Oakmont will be a tall task.

9. Cameron Smith

Best U.S. Open Finish: 4th (2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills)
Recent Form: T23 (LIV Golf Virginia), MC (PGA Championship), T17 (LIV Golf Korea)

Cameron Smith enters the U.S. Open struggling with his ball striking. The Ripper GC captain has lost strokes off the tee in four of his past seven starts and lost strokes on approach in eight of his past nine starts.

His best finish this season is a T5 at Mexico City but he’s yet to truly threaten the top of a leaderboard in any of the eight events.

Smith is arguably the world’s best putter, but in 2025, he’s simply not getting enough birdie opportunities.

10. Brooks Koepka

Best U.S. Open Finish: 1st (2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills, 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills)
Recent Form: T23 (LIV Golf Virginia), MC (PGA Championship), T17 (LIV Golf Korea)

There’s a strong argument to be made that Brooks Koepka is the best U.S. Open player of his generation. He has two U.S. Open victories as well as a runner-up in 2019 and T4 finishes in 2014 and 2021. However, that version of Koepka has not shown up so far in 2025. The Smash GC captain missed the cut at the year’s first two majors and has only one top-5 finish this season (2nd in Singapore).

Ruling out Koepka at any major is tough, but Oakmont isn’t a course to rediscover one's form.

11. Jinichiro Kozuma

Best U.S. Open Finish: MC (2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club)
Recent Form: T23 (LIV Golf Virginia), T7 (International Series Japan), T7 (LIV Golf Korea)

Jinichiro Kozuma doesn’t have much major championship experience, but he’s been impressive since his return from injury. He’s finished 21st, T7 and T23 in the last three LIV Golf events and has been a real bright spot for Iron Heads GC.

Last week in Virginia, Kozuma gained 1.45 strokes per round on approach, which ranked 5th in the field.

12. Phil Mickelson

Best U.S. Open Finish: 2nd (1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black, 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot, 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black 2013 U.S. Open at Merion)

Recent Form: T4 (LIV Golf Virginia), MC (PGA Championship), 50th (LIV Golf Korea)

Phil Mickelson dazzled the Virginia crowd last week with a T4 finish and made one of the best shots of the season when he chipped in for birdie on the 17th hole.

Mickelson’s exciting week was due in large part to his ability to chip and putt extremely well. He gained more than a stroke per round on the field in both putting and around the green. While he’s shown in the past he can compete in tournaments with his stellar short game, Oakmont may prove to be too grueling of a setup for the HyFlyers GC captain.

13. Richard Bland

Best U.S. Open Finish: T43 (2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club)
Recent Form: T29 (LIV Golf Virginia), T14 (Senior PGA Championship), T37
(PGA Championship)

Richard Bland has been relatively competitive this season on LIV, but his two best starts came at Korea (T7) and Adelaide (5th), which are two of the shorter courses on the LIV Golf schedule.

The Cleeks Golf Club veteran is yet to have a great deal of success at USGA setups in his career and it seems farfetched to believe his U.S. Open breakthrough will come at Oakmont.

14. Josele Ballester

Best U.S. Open Finish: First appearance
Recent Form: T50 (LIV Golf Virginia), MC (Masters)

The 2025 U.S. Open will be Josele Ballester’s debut in the event. He missed the cut in the Masters this season and finished T50 in his first professional start last week in Virginia.

The 21-year-old reigning U.S. Amateur champion is extremely talented and should have plenty of opportunities to showcase his skill in major championships. This one, however, may be a learning experience for Fireballs GC’s newest acquisition.