Which LIV Golf players are in the 2024 British Open field at Royal Troon and will one of them win?
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Will Royal Troon see The Open’s first LIV Golf winner?
Cast your mind back to the summer of 2022: St Andrews. The home of golf. The Old Course. The 150th Open.
In the town that produced Old Tom Morris, tens of thousands of fans from around the world arrived to celebrate a century and a half of the oldest championship of them all. It was party time for the sport. Everyone was invited.
Well, not quite everyone. One month earlier, a week before the US Open, LIV Golf had played its first tournament at Centurion Club near London and split the sport down the middle in the process. Its CEO was Greg Norman, a two-time winner of the Claret Jug and his invite to the big party didn’t get lost in the post. It was never sent.
Thereafter LIV cast a shadow across the Open and it became a darker one when Cameron Smith, widely rumored to be preparing to join the breakaway circuit, won the championship and was asked about his future. “I just won the British Open and you’re asking about that,” he replied. “I think that’s pretty not that good.”
- Monty’s hole-by-hole Royal Troon Course Guide
- Analysing every player in the 152nd British Open field
Five weeks later he joined the rebels and while, in a literal sense, Brooks Koepka at last year’s PGA Championship was the first LIV major winner, symbolically Smith was the first.
Two years on the most recent major winner is another LIV golfer, the resurgent Bryson DeChambeau, and he will lead a strong faction of the rebels to Royal Troon for the final major of 2024. It is a gang that even includes the two stars of the Open’s last visit to the west coast of Scotland eight years ago.
Return of the Sons
Nearly a decade on from the weekend of the 145th Open it remains slightly hard to believe what we witnessed. On the Friday night, Phil Mickelson led by one from Henrik Stenson after 36 holes. Soren Kjeldsen and Keegan Bradley were two shots further back. No-one remembers that though. Nor does anyone recall that Bill Haas was their closest pursuer after 54 holes. Or that JB Holmes finished 72 holes alone in third. Or that Steve Stricker was solo fourth.
Why is none of this part of the story? It’s because the two Sons (Mickelson’s father is half Swedish) turned the quest for the Claret Jug into a two-horse race of unmatched quality. It was quite simply a routing of the field and the American was unfortunate to have played so well on the Sunday that the Swede played a more or less perfect final round.
Mickelson closed with a 65 to finish 11 shots clear of third-placed Holmes. But Stenson thrashed a 63 to win by three. If we get anything close to that exhibition of quality we’re in for a treat this week.
Has DeChambeau peaked?
Quite apart from winning over the galleries in sensational style and partying with the Trump family, Bryson DeChambeau has enjoyed a near perfect upward curve in the 2024 majors.
In the first he transformed his Masters record (no top 20 in seven previous starts) by leading through 36 holes and finishing sixth. In the second, he challenged Xander Schauffele right down to the line in finishing second. In the third, he claimed a second US Open triumph.
Has he peaked though?! How can the curve continue upward?
One target is to improve his links record. After closing his 2021 account at Royal St George’s with a 65, his first sub-70 Open score in his 12th round, he said: “I don’t think I’ll ever figure links out but I think I’ll learn a lot from this going into next year.” He backed up that notion with eighth at St Andrews in 2022 but he was T60th last year and no less than half of his 20 Open rounds have needed at least 73 shots.
Can Rahm revive his year?
It’s been a far from fun year for Jon Rahm although, if you dig deeper, the malaise runs deeper. In the aftermath of winning the Masters last April he was far from impressed at having to play the RBC Heritage a week later due to the PGA Tour’s elite player requirements. He was equally miffed about having to play the Travelers Championship after the US Open. He’d have played neither by choice and it’s not hard to imagine that this frustration at least partly influenced his decision to choose a rigid LIV schedule over an inflexible PGA Tour calendar.
All that said, he’s looked far from impressed on his new home circuit, grumbling at noisy DJs and raging at overhead drones.
His unhappiness has also transferred to the majors. He carded 73-76-72-76 when finishing T45th on defence of his green jacket, missed the cut in the PGA Championship and had to watch the US Open from home due to an infected toe. He has one last chance to salvage something from this year’s majors and he’s capable of something special.
How did the LIV golfers qualify?
Mickelson, Stenson, Smith and Louis Oosthuizen are all exempt as former Open champions under the age of 60. Rahm qualifies by dint of finishing T10th or better in last year’s championship. DeChambeau, Tyrrell Hatton and Brooks Koepka are in because they were in the top 50 of the world rankings in week 21 of this year, Adrian Meronk because he was in the 2023 Race to Dubai top 30 and Dustin Johnson because he is one of the last five Masters winners. Joaquin Niemann and John Catlin landed spots via the Open Qualifying Series (Australia and Malaysia respectively). Finally, Sam Horsfield and Abraham Ancer progressed from Final Qualifying.
Who didn’t qualify?
Sergio Garcia was the biggest name to pull up short at Final Qualifying. He was two shots shy of the total required at West Lancs alongside Carlos Ortiz on the same number. Branden Grace endured play-off agony at Royal Cinque Ports as did Anirban Lahiri at Burnham & Berrow. Kieran Vincent, Peter Uihlein and Graeme McDowell also failed to progress. Talor Gooch, Patrick Reed and Paul Casey surprisingly didn’t attempt to qualify.
Check out the other big names who failed to qualify for The Open at Royal Troon.
LIV golfers at Royal Troon
Bryson DeChambeau (Odds with Skybet 12/1)
Championship record: MC-51-MC-33-8-60
On tournament record alone, the 30-year-old might be ranked outside the favourites this week. He has, after all, registered just the one top 30 in six starts and gone sub-70 in just four of 20 championship rounds. But that would be a rash analysis of a golfer who has been riding an extraordinary wave over the last 12 months. He kicked it off with two wins on LIV and has topped them by contending till halfway in the Masters, maintaining his challenge through 72 holes in the PGA Championship and then sealing a second US Open triumph at Pinehurst last month.
Jon Rahm (Odds with Skybet 22/1)
Championship record: 59-44-MC-11-3-34-2
There’s absolutely no doubt that the Spaniard can play links golf, as he’s proved with victories at Portstewart and Lahinch in the 2017 and 2019 Irish Open. He also finished third at Royal St George’s in 2021 and second last year at Royal Liverpool in the Open. The doubts afflict his form and current temperament. He hasn’t won since the Masters last April and hasn’t really ever looked like changing that situation ever since moving to LIV this year. His majors this year have been a terrible disappointment: T45th on defence of the green jacket, a missed cut in the PGA Championship and he missed the US Open with an injury. He’s a proud man, however, and he’ll ant something from this year’s majors.
Cameron Smith (Odds with Skybet 33/1)
Championship record: MC-78-20-33-1-33
The Aussie improved year-on-year after missing the cut on his Open debut and peaked with victory on the Old Course in the 150th championship. His best golf is based around a red hot putter and, although that fuelled his win in 2022 and is generally vital on the links, it is perhaps less important at Troon. Driving might be and that can sometimes be the Aussie’s Achilles heel. His form has been iffy this year.
Tyrrell Hatton (Odds with Skybet 30/1)
Championship record: MC-MC-MC-MC-5-MC-51-6-MC-11-20
The Englishman is a very fine linksland performer who has won the Dunhill Links twice and also finished runner-up in that tournament two times. He’s never quite brought it to the Open, however, even though he’s landed two top sixes. Consider this: he’s never been within eight shots of the 54-hole lead in the Open. In better news he landed a first win since early 2021 when winning LIV Nashville last month.
Brooks Koepka (Odds with Skybet 28/1)
Championship record: MC-67-10-6-39-4-6-MC-64
A little like Hatton, the five-time major champion has good results in the Open but, in his case, he’s never ended a third round within five shots of the lead. He won LIV Singapore in May but has cut a somewhat bad tempered figure in the majors this year and has so far failed to register a top 25 in them.
Joaquin Niemann (Odds with Skybet 45/1)
Championship record: MC-59-53-MC
He hits a low ball flight which ought to work by the British and Irish seaside but the other element of links golf have combined to befuddle the Chilean and he’s yet to record a top 50 at the Open. It’s all on-theme with his major championship log book because it remains baffling that he’s yet to finish top 10 in any of them. He’s been in great form this year and still only finished T22 in the Masters and T39 at the PGA Championship.
Dean Burmester (Odds with Skybet 125/1)
Championship record: 40-11
The South African was brilliant late last year when winning back-to-back on home soil on the DP World Tour and he added a first LIV victory in Miami. He also finished T12 in the PGA Championship and will be excited about returning to the linksland because his last four starts on it reaped him top 12 finishes including T11 at the 150th Open on the Old Course.
Dustin Johnson (Odds with Skybet 80/1)
Championship record: MC-14-2-9-32-12-49-9-54-MC-51-8-6-MC
The 39-year-old has looked a bit of a busted flush in this year’s majors, carding 78-79 in the Masters, 73-68-71-66 for T43 in the PGA Championship and 74-75 in the US Open. Add in 74-81 at last year’s Open and it’s a bit of a mess.
Louis Oosthuizen (Odds with Skybet 100/1)
Championship record: MC-MC-MC-1-54-19-WD-2-MC-MC-28-20-3-MC-23
Winner on the Old Course in 2010, a play-off loser there in 2015 and third at Royal St George’s in 2021, the South African has real Open pedigree. And he’s also got links-ish form. He won a new links-like course of his own designed in Mauritius in December, was second at links-like Al Mouj in February and second on the sandbelt at LIV Adelaide.
Sam Horsfield (Odds with Skybet 175/1)
Championship record: 67-MC
The Englishman has a quirky Open record. He went sub-71 in his first three rounds and hasn’t gone sub-74 in his last three. He’s better than that and rediscovered form when second at LIV Nashville last month.
Abraham Ancer (Odds with Skybet 150/1)
Championship record: MC-MC-59-11-49
The Mexican did win on the Asian Tour early in 2023 but, in general, had been somewhat subdued since joining LIV but he claimed a first win in Hong Kong earlier this year. He’s never ended any round at the Open inside the top 10 on the leaderboard.
Adrian Meronk (Odds with Skybet 175/1)
Championship record: 42-23
The big Pole does have some links form as an amateur (he led the stroke play qualifier at the 2013 Amateur Championship and made the final four in 2016) but he has done very little on the links as a professional. His T23 in last year’s Open is his major championship best from nine starts however.
Phil Mickelson (Odds with Skybet 200/1)
Championship record: 73-MC-40-41-24-79-MC-11-30-66-59-3-60-22-MC-19-48-2-MC-1-23-20-2-MC-24-MC-MC-MC-MC
A return to the scene of his greatest non-triumph in the majors. He’s finally looking like a veteran golfer this year, however. A good round would be no surprise, a great week would be.
Henrik Stenson (Odds with Skybet 175/1)
Championship record: MC-34-48-MC-3-13-3-68-2-39-40-1-11-35-20-MC-MC-13
No mixed emotions for the Swede on his return to Royal Troon, eight years on from becoming the first man from his nation to win a major. It was a sensational performance and he’s desperate to put on a good show for his fellow members (he was granted Honorary Membership of the club).
John Catlin (Odds with Skybet 250/1)
Championship record: MC-MC
The 33-year-old American is a LIV substitute this year and has returned to the winner’s circle on the Asian Tour, landing two wins but he’s yet to make the cut in a major.
About the author
Matt Cooper
Contributing Writer
Matt Cooper has been a golf journalist for 15 years. He’s worked for, among others, Golf365, SkySports, ESPN, NBC, Sporting Life, Open.com and the Guardian. He specializes in feature writing, reporting and tournament analysis.
He’s traveled widely in that time, covering golf from Kazakhstan to South Korea via Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Nepal.
More straightforwardly, he’s also covered numerous Majors, Ryder Cups and Solheim Cups.
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Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm aim to become the first LIV player to win The British Open
