The LIV Golf Tour is back in action this week after having been off for a month while many of its big names took part in the Scottish Open and Open Championships.
This week’s event is back on US soil after two foreign jaunts — Real Club Valderrama in southern Spain and Centurion Golf Club just outside of London — for a stretch of three straight tournaments in the States.
Now with all of the LIV players back in the fold, this week’s tournament at The Greenbrier in West Virginia as their season also starts to wind down.
With all of this time off, it might be good to take a minute to catch everyone up on the highlights of the LIV’s second year.
Leading the way is the Tour’s top golfer, Talor Gooch.
No, we’re being serious. The guy who left the PGA Tour with one victory in 123 starts has three LIV victories in a year and a half.
And that’s just this year.
He’s leading the Tour in points by seven points over Cam Smith, 137-130. Third is Brooks Koepka at 112 and fourth is Patrick Reed at 102. They are the only players over 100 points and this is important for the end-of-the-season standings as the top-three players will receive bonuses. Last year, Dustin Johnson wound up in that No. 1 spot and pocketed a cool $18 million.
As the season winds down, with just four events remaining after this week’s tournament, these totals show these four players could be the key when it comes to making money betting on this tour.
Odds to Win LIV Golf Greenbrier
| Player | Caesars Sportsbook |
|---|---|
| Cameron Smith | +850 |
| Dustin Johnson | +1200 |
| Brooks Koepka | +1200 |
| Patrick Reed | +1400 |
| Talor Gooch | +1400 |
| Bryson Dechambeau | +1500 |
| Joaquin Niemann | +1800 |
| Sergio Garcia | +2000 |
| Sebastian Munoz | +2200 |
| Harold Varner | +2500 |
| Branden Grace | +2500 |
| Louis Oosthuizen | +2500 |
| Mito Pereira | +2800 |
| Henrik Stenson | +2800 |
| Thomas Pieters | +3000 |
| Abraham Ancer | +3000 |
| Cameron Tringale | +3000 |
| Marc Leishman | +3000 |
| Peter Uihlein | +3500 |
| Jason Kokrak | +3500 |
We list odds from Caesars but shop around at other top-rated sportsbooks to find the best prices on your plays.
Talor Gooch: Who Would Have Thought It?
Talor Gooch is one of those players who is tough to handicap.
At +1400 this week, he’s a solid value.
Looking at his record, he’s one of those players who is tough to back with a lot of confidence… that is, until he wins.
It’s been feast or famine with Gooch who has those three victories this season.
But, other than those wins, he has no top 10s in the other six events he’s played.
Talk about a roller-coaster season.
We’re going to back him this week despite the fact he’s coming off a missed cut at the Open Championship.
The first time he won in 2023, he came in not playing his best golf and promptly won two straight events.
Then he went back to the mid-pack player for a couple of weeks before winning again, giving him three for the year.
Now he’s coming off a 22nd-place finish in the last LIV event in London before his MC at the Open Championship.
We’re figuring he’s due to have another one of those impressive three-day stretches and we’re here for it.
Cameron Tringale Finding His Way
For a while on the PGA Tour, Cameron Tringale (+3000 this week) was the best player to have never won a golf tournament.
Well, even after leaving the PGA Tour for the LIV Tour, he still hasn’t won.
But, he’s getting closer.
Over his last three events, he’s finished ninth, eighth, and eighth.
During the 2023 season, his worst finish has been 22nd and that was in the season opener.
Since that time, he’s had four top-10 finishes, including those last three in a row, and he’s up to 12th in the LIV standings.
Before making the move to LIV, he had 338 starts on the PGA Tour with four runner-up finishes as his best. In his PGA Tour starts, he’s recorded 31 top-10 finishes so he does get in the hunt.
Does he have the talent to win on this Tour? Absolutely.
Can he win this week? We think so with the solid play he’s shown over the last three LIV events.
Patrick Reed’s Form
Patrick Reed is the only one in the top five in the individual points race without a victory.
At +1400 this week, he’s got solid odds.
And during this season, he’s got a second, a third, a fourth, and a fifth on his resume.
That second-place finish came in the last event in London where he lost to Cameron Smith who birdied the 54th hole for the victory.
We’re wondering if that first LIV victory comes this week.
Reed is coming off a T-33 at the Open Championship so he’s still in decent form.
He won nine times on the PGA Tour, including the Masters, so he’s comfortable being in the hunt on Sunday.
Now he just needs to finish it off.
About the Author
