LIV Golf 2026 Season Player Preview: Carlos Ortiz

The 2026 LIV Golf season starts next February under the lights in Riyadh, and in the next few months, we’ll take a detailed look at each player competing next season. Next up is a player who made a weekend charge at the U.S. Open in 2025, Carlos Ortiz.

LOOKING AHEAD

Alongside Joaquin Niemann and Sebastian Munoz, Ortiz will look to continue to improve and help Torque GC compete for their first Team Championship. Having established himself as a top-10 player in the league, he should challenge for individual trophies more often next season. Ortiz's performance at the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont secured him a spot in the 2026 Masters and 2026 U.S. Open, and he’ll now have major championship experience under his belt if he finds a way to get into contention again. Although last season was his best on LIV Golf, another step forward into the top 5 of the standings is a realistic outcome for Ortiz.

LOOKING BACK

Ortiz has consistently ranked among LIV Golf's top performers without much fanfare. The standout from Mexico has secured a spot in the Lock Zone across all four seasons, with his eighth-place finish in 2025 marking his strongest campaign to date. While he didn't claim an individual LIV Golf title in 2025 like teammates Niemann and Muñoz, he triumphed at the International Series Macau and notched six top-10 finishes. He also delivered Torque's highest major result, placing T4 at the U.S. Open at Oakmont, the best performance ever by a Mexican golfer in a major and the first top-10 finish by a Mexican golfer in a major since 1972. Ortiz remains a dependable ball-striker and one of pro golf's most overlooked talents.

WHAT THE STATS SAY

Strengths: Ortiz was the league’s sixth-best player around the green, gaining 0.33 strokes on the field per round on average. He ranked 4th in Par 3 Scoring with a cumulative score of –2 for the season. The 34-year-old's ranking of 17th (+0.09) on long approach shots and 13th (+0.15) will certainly have contributed to his par 3 success.

Ortiz’s ball striking was reliable. He ranked 17th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and 13th in Strokes Gained: Approach. This led to plenty of birdies and his birdie or better rate of 26% was tied for 5th best in the league.

Weaknesses: Ortiz’s wedge play was inconsistent in 2025. Despite his strong approach play overall, he ranked 37th in the league on approach shots from 150 yards and in, losing 0.13 strokes to the field.

Ortiz had a negative season with the putter, losing 0.03 strokes to the field per round (28th). While not terrible, his lack of success with a scoring club in hand combined with a mediocre putter limited his scoring chances. If Ortiz can improve in these two areas, he’s likely to parlay his trending form into a well-deserved second LIV Golf win in 2026.

CAREER RESULTS

LIV GOLF REGULAR SEASON

TOTAL TROPHIES WON (5)

LIV GOLF CAREER SCORING

Stroke Average Total: 69.23
Round 1 Average: 70.29
Round 2 Average: 68.38
Round 3 Average: 69.02

Lowest Round: 63

BOTTOM LINE

Ortiz raised the bar with a strong performance in 2025, but he has the talent, and now the experience, to raise it even further in 2026. As one of LIV Golf’s most underrated players, the Mexican will be a contender for individual victories as well as a key factor in Torque’s ability to challenge Legion XIII and Crushers GC for the Team Championship.