Best Players On The LIV Golf Tour

Competition is good. Healthy competition leads to improvement and spurs the evolution of the games we love. PGA tour commissioner Jay Monahan recently addressed the media for the first time since the LIV has poached some of its biggest names. Monahan was blunt, stating: “If this is an arms race, and if the only weapons here are dollar bills, the PGA Tour can’t compete.” It’s clear those leaving the PGA tour are not motivated by legacy or the evolution of golf, but by dollar bills. So who are the best players that collected their bag and joined the LIV golf tour?

9.) Bubba Watson

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14 Professional Wins: 2012, 2014 Masters

Two-time Masters champion and one of the more decorated golfers still golfing today, Bubba Watson, recently announced his departure to the LIV Tour. Watson has been a professional golfer since 2002, and even reached world #2 rankings in 2015. Although he is recovering from a torn meniscus currently, Watson has signed on to be a non-playing team captain for the remainder of the LIV season. Bubba Watson resigning from the PGA Tour is one of many decorated golfers ditching the historic league for a bigger paycheck.

8.) Joaquin Niemann

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9 Professional Wins: 2022 Genesis Invitational

The loss of Joaquin Niemann didn't hurt the stardom of the PGA Tour, but was a worrying sign of what the future may hold. Niemann is only 23 years old, and remains one of the best young golfers in the world. He won the Genesis Invitational in 2022, a sign that Niemann was on a clear trajectory to be a dominant golfer. It was publicly covered that Niemann was on the fence about whether to join the LIV Tour or stay with the PGA. After a weekend at a LIV Boston event, he would make his decision. The PGA Tour lost one of the most exciting young golfers in the world in Joaquin Niemann, but Niemann also may have put a ceiling on what his legacy will be in golf.

7.) Patrick Reed

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9 Professional Wins: 2018 Masters

Another Masters champion to depart from the PGA Tour was Patrick Reed, who won the historic tournament in 2018. Reed is known for budding heads with the PGA and has even been seen as a controversial figure in the sport for some time. He even filed a defamation lawsuit against the Golf Channel because he believed they were conspiring with the PGA Tour to defame his name. Controversies aside, Reed remains one of the best golfers in the world, and in-turn the PGA Tour will take a hit because of it.

6.) Cameron Smith

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6 Professional Wins: 2022 Open Championship

Without a doubt the most promising golfer the LIV tour poached from the PGA is Aussie golf phenom Cameron Smith. Smith is only 29 years old, and made huge waves during the 2022 PGA Tour. He finished in third at the Masters and even took home The Open Championship trophy. Recently, Smith won the LIV even in Chicago, Illinois, securing him a $4 million pay-day. That is nearly double the prize money he earned for winning The Open Championship, one of golf's most prestigious tournaments. Smith remains one of the best golfers in the world today, but may never receive that recognition because of his decision to join LIV.

5.) Bryson DeChambeau

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10 Professional Wins: 2020 U.S. Open Champion

After initially declining an invitation to the LIV golf league, Bryson DeChambeau ultimately would join the league after missing the cut at the Memorial Tournament. DeChambeau has increasingly grown a reputation for budding heads with officials on the tour and taking extended time to tee off. He has won 10 professional tournaments with a single Majors victory since going pro in 2016. One thing that the LIV golf tour gets in Bryson DeChambeau is someone who can absolutely send the ball off the tee. He was the PGA Tours longest driver in 2020 and is looking to translate that talent to the LIV tour.

4.) Brooks Koepka

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15 Professional Wins: 2018, 2019 PGA Champion, 2017, 2018 U.S, Open Champion

Brooks Koepka was a budding star on the PGA tour. He began his professional career in 2012 on the European Challenge Tour. He would win his first PGA tour event in 2015 at the Waste Management Open and then go on the run of a lifetime. He would win the U.S Open championship in back-to-back years, being the first golfer to accomplish the feat in 30 years. Koepka would then defend his PGA Championship in 2018-19, the first person to do so since Tiger Woods. Koepka is the latest golfer to join the LIV tour after vehemently denying he would join the league.

3.) Dustin Johnson

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28 Professional Wins: 2020 Masters Champion, 2016 U.S. Open Champion

Dustin Johnson is one of the most decorated golfers to join the LIV tour. Not only has Johnson won two Majors, but he is the only person to ever win all four of the World Golf Championship events. He’s a two time PGA Tour Player of the Year and won the FedEx cup in 2020. In 2017 Johnson was the world #1 ranked golfer and held that title for over 60 weeks. Johnson committed to joining LIV in early June of 2022.

2.) Sergio García

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36 Professional Wins: 2017 Masters Champion

Sergio García has had an incredible career on the PGA Tour, claiming 11 wins and the 2017 Masters. Those 2017 Masters would be his lone Major victory. García has had some legendary moments on the tour however with a slew of playoff holes on the biggest stage. He won his 2017 Master with a birdie on the first playoff hole. In 2008 he claimed the Players Championship with a par on the first playoff hole. García had been rumored to join the Saudi backed LIV league since 2019. After increased tension between himself and tour officials, Sergio García officially joined LIV in April of 2022.

1.) Phil Mickelson

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57 Professional Wins: 2004, 2006, 2010 Masters champion, 2005, 2021 PGA Championship, 2013 Open Championship

The most decorated player to join the LIV tour to date is without a doubt Phil Mickelson. Mickelson has won nearly 60 professional tournaments, including three green jackets. Mickelson's career on the tour will be greatly remembered for his epic battles against Tiger Woods on some of the biggest stages. Mickelson did participate in the 2022 U.S. Open, but did not make the cut after finishing 144th out of 156 total participants. It is rumored that Mickelson will be earning upwards of $200 million playing for LIV.