Smash GC’s Kokrak makes major move into Lock Zone as LIV Golf Chicago nears

Jason Kokrak saw the writing on the wall. Or rather, where his name was on the standings. 

Entering LIV Golf Greenbrier, the Smash Golf Club stalwart knew he needed to have his best week of the season to move out of the Open Zone and into the Lock Zone with only one regular season event to follow in Chicago.

All he did was finish solo third, help Smash GC earn a team victory and finish one shot out of a playoff with his captain Brooks Koepka and Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm. And while Kokrak’s finish might have been overshadowed by Koepka’s record fifth LIV Golf individual title, it wasn’t lost on Kokrak and his teammates. 

“I knew it was going to be a long day and it was a birdie-fest,” said Kokrak, who shot 7-under 63 in the final round to finish 18-under for the week. “Hit a lot of fairways, gave myself a lot of chances. Very pleased with how I finished. I would have liked to be in the playoff with those guys, but pleased with how I played this week.” 

Kokrak began the event 32nd in the season-long individual standings and in the Open Zone. But he earned 24 points with his third-place finish and vaulted to No. 22. The boost was massive considering players who finish the regular season in the top 24 in points will secure a position in the Lock Zone and guarantee their spots for 2025. 

But it’s not set yet. LIV Golf Chicago is the final event for players to make moves on the standings. Players currently ranked No. 21-24, which include Charl Schwartzel (Torque GC), Kokrak, Sebastián Muñoz (Torque GC) and Brendan Steele (HyFlyers GC), could drop out of the Lock Zone in Chicago, but any of those players will guarantee a Lock Zone berth with a top-10 finish at Bolingbrook Golf Club. 

LIV Golf Greenbrier couldn’t have come at a better time for Kokrak, who has plenty of success and experience on The Old White course. What also helped was playing practice rounds with reserve player John Catlin. 

“I’ve played here a bunch of times in the past, and John and I see a golf course very similarly,” said Kokrak, who has 11 worldwide victories. “We both hit sort of a draw. We’re going to see different shots a little bit different than maybe Brooks or (Talor) Gooch. I’ve played here, I want to say, at least eight or nine times now the past two years on LIV and before that.” 

The confidence gained at Greenbrier might go a long way in Chicago and beyond. It was his best showing of the season and only his third top-10 of 2024. The other two came early in the year at Las Vegas and Jeddah which were the second and third events, respectively, of the season. 

Kokrak, 39, has made it clear how much he wants secure his place in the Lock Zone, and he knows it will be a pressure cooker in Chicago. After all, he’s been in this position before. 

He joined the LIV Golf League in July of 2022 and finished 33rd in the season-long standings while trying to find his footing. Kokrak improved in 2023 and finished 10 spots higher at No. 23 to secure a position in the Lock Zone for this season. 

Now he hopes the upward trend continues in Chicago, where the writing on the wall will be in permanent ink.