The fifth season of LIV Golf will look different than the previous three with an additional round added and the lineup increased to 57 players. What remains the same are the names at the top of the LIV Golf betting board for the initial event.
Jon Rahm opened as the outright betting favorite, aided by the departure of two of the sport's big names. Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed opted to return to the PGA Tour and Phil Mickelson announced he would miss the first two events due to a family emergency.
An increased field brings new players to the league, all of whom will be pegging it up in Saudi Arabia at LIV Golf Riyadh. Bryson DeChambeau and David Puig have the next shortest odds behind Rahm.
LIV Golf Riyadh Preview
The first 72-hole tournament in LIV Golf history will open the fifth season with the field assembled at Riyadh Golf Club in Saudi Arabia. The event runs from February 4-7 with all 4 rounds played under the lights. The tournament will be televised on FOX Sports.
LIV Golf Riyadh Predictions
- Brooks Koepka (5) and Patrick Reed (1) combined to win 6 tournaments over the years with their departure leaving a void at the top of the odds list opening the door for Rahm to continue his dominance. Rahm finished inside the top 10 in all but one start in his LIV career with two titles. Rahm was co-runner up in Riyadh last year finishing 2-shots off the lead.
- The additional 18 holes for each tournament will help the favorites and limit the chances of a major upset. Last year in Riyadh Adrian Meronk opened with a 62 and held on for the win despite scoring 71 in the third round. He closed with odds around 80/1.
- Last year’s MVP Joaquin Niemann looks like a value pick with LIV Golf odds of +1600. He was money, literally, a season ago raking in more than $30 million in prize money on the strength of 5 individual wins. However, he’s struggled recently missing the cut in his last 4 starts.
- Newcomer Thomas Detry is a sleeper with good value and equally good results entering his first LIV event. He finished among the top 15 in each of his last 3 starts on the DP World Tour.
- With 4 career LIV wins Talor Gooch is another player to keep an eye on. He closed last season on a heater with 5 top 10s in his last 7 starts, including a win at Andalucia. He had middling results recently on the Asian Tour, but is always a threat.
- Will Dustin Johnson make a comeback? The 22-time winner on the PGA Tour with 3 LIV titles under his belt, DJ fell off a cliff, metaphorically speaking, last year. He did close the season with his best finish of 3rd in Indianapolis and at his price he’s certainly worth taking a look at.
LIV Golf Riyadh Betting Tips
LIV Golf Riyadh Odds to Win
- Jon Rahm +500
- Bryson DeChambeau +700
- David Puig +1000
- Tyrrell Hatton +1200
- Joaquin Niemann +1600
- Carlos Ortiz +2000
- Sebastian Munoz +2000
- Talor Gooch +2200
- Tom McKibbin +2500
- Dean Burmester +2800
- Thomas Detry +2800
- Marc Leishman +2800
- Louis Oosthuizen +3300
- Jose Luis Ballester +3500
- Cameron Smith +3500
- Thomas Pieters +3500
- Lucas Herbert +3500
- Byeong-Hun An +4500
- Abraham Ancer +4500
- Laurie Canter +4500
- Sergio Garcia +4500
- All Other Golfers +5000 or Higher
LIV Golf Riyadh Head to Head and Key Stats
- In the brief history of LIV Golf there have been some unexpected winners. Who can forget Eugenio Chacarra winning in Bangkok in 2022 with odds around 208/1. It doesn’t always happen but it seems to take more in LIV Golf with a small field and no cut.
- The odds aren’t favorable, but it’s hard to ignore what Rahm has accomplished. He has 24 top 10s in his 25 completed starts with a pair of victories. And the Spaniard is thirsty for a win after not collecting one last year. He still won the individual points race and the bonanza that came with it.
