Season in review: 20 moments that helped define the 2024 LIV Golf League
Selecting the most important days of the 2024 LIV Golf League is not easy. After all, with 42 rounds played over 14 global tournaments, as well as numerous announcements made that showcase the growth of the league and its teams, it’s been a busy and newsworthy nine months. The final three months will continue to be interesting, with players competing in offseason events, while the Asian Tour’s International Series and LIV Golf Promotions tournament offering pathways to next year’s roster.
Here’s a look at 20 key moments in 2024 (in chronological order).
Jan. 30 – Legion XIII unveiled. Captained by Jon Rahm, LIV Golf’s first expansion team was officially announced prior to the season opener in Mayakoba. Legion XIII’s debut ended in spectacular fashion with a team win – the first of a league-best four in 2024.
Feb. 2 – Joaco shoots 59. The opening round of the season produced the second-lowest score in LIV Golf history, as Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann shot a 12-under 59 with 10 birdies and one eagle.
Feb. 4 – Playoff into darkness. In the longest playoff in LIV Golf history, Niemann outlasted Fireballs GC Sergio Garcia on the fourth playoff hole with a birdie. With daylight fading, both golfers agreed to keep playing, and a scoreboard near the 18th green supplied sufficient light.
Feb. 10 – Super Bowl week in Vegas. LIV Golf was part of the sports landscape during Super Bowl week in Las Vegas, playing at the historic Las Vegas Country Club near the strip. 4Aces GC Captain Dustin Johnson won the individual title while Smash GC took the team trophy, just one day ahead of the Super Bowl held a few miles away.
Feb. 28 – Kim returns to golf. After a 12-year retirement, Anthony Kim announced his return to golf as an independent wild card player for LIV Golf. “It’s been a long time coming,” said Kim, who made his first start two days later in Jeddah.
April 28 – Home favorites win first team playoff. With a LIV Golf-record 94,000 fans attending the three days in Adelaide, the all-Australian Ripper GC rode the support and fulfilled their quest of winning the team title at home, beating the all-South African Stinger GC in LIV Golf’s first-ever team playoff.
May 8 – Trade window opens. In another sign of the importance of LIV Golf’s team concept, the league opened its first-ever mid-season trading window to provide opportunities for the 13 teams to adjust their rosters. Until then, trades had been limited to the offseason. Several trades were discussed but none completed before the deadline.
June 9 – Cleeks get to celebrate. With the HyFlyers’ Brendan Steele winning the individual title in Adelaide earlier in the year, Cleeks GC became the only team not to have celebrated either an individual or team victory. Led by newcomer Adrian Meronk’s solo 2nd and captain Martin Kaymer’s T9, the Cleeks finally broke through in Houston with the team win.
June 21 – U.S. Open champ in Nashville. Just five days after winning the U.S. Open in dramatic fashion at Pinehurst, Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau returned to action in Nashville, receiving huge support throughout the week – and even taking the U.S. Open trophy downtown – as he finished tied for third behind Legion XIII’s Tyrrell Hatton.
July 9 – All hail King Richard. Cleeks GC’s Richard Bland gets a warm welcome after arriving in Andalucía for his first LIV Golf start since winning his second consecutive senior major, the U.S. Senior Open. Earlier in the year, he had won the Senior PGA Championship in his senior debut.
July 14 – Sergio, Fireballs succeed in Spain. Sergio Garcia calls Valderrama his favorite, and the Spanish legend showed why, winning his first LIV Golf individual title in a playoff against Anirban Lahiri. Meanwhile, his Fireballs make it a sweep by claiming the team trophy in a playoff against the Crushers.
July 23 – Any Shot, Any Time innovation. LIV Golf announced its latest broadcast feature, allowing golf fans the ability to watch every shot taken by their favorite players. “This innovation will revolutionize how golf is consumed,” said Chief Media Officer Will Staeger.
July 28 – First individual win for Rahm. The Legion XIII captain had been the league’s most consistent player all season, finishing inside the top 10 in every completed start. But not until LIV’s tournament at UK by JCB, his 11th start, did he reach the top of the individual podium.
Aug. 16 – 100th LIV Golf round. The first round at Greenbrier marked the 100th competitive day in LIV Golf’s history, a significant milestone coming just 26 months after LIV Golf’s debut with its Invitational event in London in 2022. “These 100 days have been incredible,” said Bryson DeChambeau. “The journey has been awesome.”
Aug 18 – Koepka-Rahm playoff. Smash GC Captain Brooks Koepka added to his league-leading win total, capturing his fifth individual tournament in Greenbrier against Jon Rahm in a playoff involving two of LIV Golf’s biggest names.
Sept. 10 – Team GMs announced. In the continued evolution and development of LIV Golf’s 13 teams, general managers were announced for Legion XIII, Ripper GC, Stinger GC, Cleeks GC and Stinger GC, a huge sign of the building-out of staffs.
Sept. 14 – Record crowd in Chicago. More than 15,000 fans attended the second round at Bolingbrook, the largest single-day attendance figure for any LIV Golf tournament held in the U.S.
Sept. 15 – Rahm wins Individual Championship. In an epic showdown for LIV Golf’s season-long individual crown, Jon Rahm outdueled Joaquin Niemann on the final day of the regular season. Rahm did it in style, winning the Chicago tournament title while Niemann tied for second.
Sept 21 – Iron Heads play Cinderella. Kevin Na’s Iron Heads GC, the 13th and lowest-seeded team at the Dallas Team Championship, produced back-to-back upsets of 4th-seeded Smash GC and top-seeded Crushers GC to advance to the top tier in the final stroke-play round.
Sept. 22 – Rippers win Team Championship. In a drama-filled final day in Dallas, with a leaderboard constantly churning, Cameron Smith and his Ripper GC team made the clutch shots down the stretch to win the season-long title. The Aussies celebrated the next day with a Mad Monday party at Smith’s Florida home.