Could a LIV Golf player win the 2024 Masters?
Whether you like it or loathe it, LIV Golf certainly isn’t going away anytime soon. It’s likely only going to keep growing in stature and continue luring away the PGA Tour’s biggest names year after year.
Brooks Koepka, who captains the Smash team in the controversial Saudi-led breakaway competition, became the first LIV Golf winner of a major when landing the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club last May.
That left those pundits, players, and fans who are anti-LIV Golf reeling, so one can only imagine what the fallout will be like when (not if) one of the ever-growing list of castaways wins the prestigious Masters — the sport’s most iconic event.
Luckily for the purists, the 2022 champion Scottish Scheffler is the favourite to regain his title in the Masters odds 2024. With the shortest price in over a decade (9/2), the in-form American will take all the beating.
However, this is the Masters, so anything could happen in Atlanta. That said, let’s look at some of the LIV Golf players who could have a shoo-in at Augusta National and assess their chances of upsetting the likes of Scheffler and Rory McIlroy.
Jon Rahm
Jon Rahm, who sent shockwaves through the world of golf when announcing he was joining LIV last year, carries the burden of trying to successfully defend his Masters title — a feat only a handful of players have previously managed to achieve.
However, if there is anybody capable of retaining the Masters trophy, it’s arguably Rahm — who won last year’s tournament by a commanding four shots over Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson.
Now the captain of Legion XIII, Rahm is second in the LIV Golf standings at the time of writing with top 10 finishes in his first three tournaments in Mayakoba, Las Vegas, and Jeddah before finishing 14th in Hong Kong.
Brooks Koepka
Those who watched the first season of Netflix’s hit docuseries ‘Full Swing’ will be well aware that Koepka has a special place on his mantle just for the Masters.
As already mentioned, the American was agonisingly close to claiming the prestigious title last year when a sudden resurgence in form saw him finish second to Rahm at Augusta National.
That third PGA Championship win last year saw him lift the burden of a four-year major drought from his shoulders, but Koepka’s form on the LIV Golf tour this year has been a cause for concern as the Smash captain is currently 15th in the standings, and recently finished 28th in Hong Kong.
Cameron Smith
Another player whose decision to switch to LIV Golf rocked the golfing world – Cameron Smith made the shock announcement that he would be leaving the PGA Tour not long after winning The Open in 2022.
The Australian, who fronts Ripper GC on the breakaway tour, was second overall in last year’s standings — picking up wins in London and Bedminster — and is currently eighth this season, with a notable third recently in Hong Kong.
While Smith was tied-34 last year, he has a very consistent record at the Masters — recording four top-10 finishes in seven starts at Augusta — and he’s worth considering as an outsider in the golf betting.
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Former Masters champions Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed, and Charl Schwartzel will also represent LIV, along with Bryson DeChambeau, Tyrrell Hatton, Adrian Meronk, and Joaquin Niemann.