Smith, Gooch, DeChambeau in fray for LIV season title at Jeddah

By Rahul Banerji

The final LIV Goilf League event of the regular 2023 season tees off at Jeddah’s Royal Greens with three in the running for the top prize led by Cameron Smith.

The Australian star is followed closely by early-season form man Talor Gooch and the rejuvenated Bryson DeChambeau, who has won the last two LIV Golf events in a row.

In all, $25 million is up for grabs at the 7,048-yard, par-70 Royal Greens GCC at the King Abdullah Economic City, with $20 million earmarked for the individual event and $5 million for the team competition.

Smith with his two wins backed up by six top 10s and eight top-24 points finishes leads the way on 170 points while Gooch is just eight points behind on the back of his three titles in a row mid-season.

DeChambeau is the latecomer on the scene with two blitzing wins at Greenbrier and Chicago, and his 146-point tally makes the Crushers captain a long shot for season’s honours.

Searing run

DeChambeau may need the top two to falter badly to land the big prize but no one will have forgotten his blistering LIV-record 12-under 58 in the final round in Greenbrier, so things are not all that settled yet.

‘The Professor’ also has the advantage of a well-gelled team that has allowed him full expression to make his run in the individual event. At Chicago in fact, DeChambeau edged out fellow Crusher Anirban Lahiri for the top prize.

The Indian star too will want to put away the memories of an indifferent Asian Games campaign at Hangzhou and get back to the business of pushing his team towards top honours.

For the season-wrapping team championship in Miami next week, defending champions the 4Aces led by Dustin Johnson have already sealed a first-round bye with 188 points.

In the hunt

Second-placed Crushers (178 points), no. 3 Torque (171), no. 4 Stinger GC and fifth-placed RangeGoats GC are competing for the remaining three byes that will see them directly in the second round at Miami.

At LIV Golf Jeddah last year, individual winner Brooks Koepka led Smash GC to the team title, who are well down the order this time.

Final season status for the 48-strong field will also be confirmed at Jeddah with those in the Lock Zone (top 24), and Open Zone (25th-44th) safe for the 2024 season, leaving those in the Drop Zone (45th and below) vulnerable to demotion.

However, those in the Open Zone could face a trade or release by their teams. Jason Kokrak is currently 24th in the standings and leads Matthew Wolff by only two points.

Busy venue

Royal Greens GCC has hosted multiple professional events since opening in 2017, including last year’s LIV Golf Invitational Jeddah.

The course also hosts the flagship event on the Asian Tour, the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers.

All five winners of the PIF Saudi International will tee off on Friday including 2019 and 2021 winner Dustin Johnson, 2020 champion Graeme McDowell, Harold Varner III (winner in 2022) and 2023 champion Abraham Ancer.

Royal Greens is nominated for multiple World Golf Awards in 2023, including World’s Best Golf Course, Middle East’s Best Golf Course and Saudi Arabia’s Best Golf Course.

The signature hole is the 180-yard par-3 16th located next to the Red Sea.

“It’s a really good golf course,” McDowell told the LIV Golf website.

“The way the wind blows here, you have to hit a lot of different shots. It asks all the questions. You have to put it in the fairway to hit key shots. But to me it’s a big iron-play golf course.”

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