It's fair to say that outside of those who watch LIV on a regular basis, LIV generally passes through the sporting world unnoticed. Whilst nobody can argue about the quality of players on the Tour, the lack of any real TV deal has still meant that only those who really want to watch and find the action are tuning in. However, that could all change this week.
With Bryson DeChambeau claiming his second major victory at last week’s U.S Open, the golfing world is abuzz with Bryson mania. Once viewed as golf’s arch enemy due to his passion and dedication for creaming the ball off the tee, in recent year’s DeChambeau has managed to turn the mood of the crowd around and his post U.S Open victory celebrations have managed to endear himself to the sporting masses.
Whilst of course it is good news for the man himself, De Chambeau’s exploits have also been great for LIV. With the first two majors of the year falling to those on the PGA Tour, De Chambeau’s victory is a timely reminder to the golfing public that good players play on the LIV Tour too.
Without a shadow of a doubt DeChambeau has now become the breakaway tour’s biggest star and if LIV want to make further inroads in the sport they need to ride the Bryson momentum that is currently sweeping through the game.
Thankfully for those associated with the Tour they will have the perfect opportunity to move the needle further this week as the LIV bandwagon rolls into Nashville.
With plenty of excitement surrounding the event, read on as we preview this week’s tournament. We take a look at the course and who has a great chance of getting their hands on the $4,000,000 first place prize.
LIV Nashville: The Course
One of Tennessee's finest courses, The Grove, will host this week’s LIV action and it is a course that LIV CEO Greg Norman knows well due to the fact that it is a course he designed. Set amidst beautiful surroundings, the players can’t be fooled by their surroundings as a stern test awaits.
With the fairways aligned with trees and rough on either side and there being plenty of sand and water to contend with, if a player strays off course the penalties could be severe. However, the fairways that the players will encounter this week are generous and if the players can keep their ball on the short grass, it will set them up perfectly for plenty of birdie opportunities.
Low scoring is very much set to be a feature of the three day event and the likely winner of the tournament is likely to come down to who putts the best.
LIV Nashville: Who has a shot of winning?
As always when it comes to LIV events, there are several players in the field who look to have a great chance of victory.
Bryson DeChambeau
It wouldn’t be right to start any sort of preview without mentioning the man of the moment, Bryson DeChambeau.
It’s been a strange season for DeChambeau, electric in the majors, he has largely struggled back in the LIV environment with his best performances coming in Jeddah where he finished fourth.
DeChambeau has two wins on the LIV Tour and he will be riding high this week as he seeks a third. If at his best DeChambeau has the ability to chew up this course and he will want to cement his position as one of the very best players in the world when he tees it up on Friday.
Jon Rahm
One man who might be relieved that DeChambeau is getting all of the attention is Jon Rahm. Since making his multi-million dollar move to LIV, many were expecting Rahm to take the tour by storm, however through the first eight tournaments that hasn’t proved to be the case and he arrives in Nashville seeking a first win.
For a man of his quality it will only be a matter of time before Rahm finally gets his hands on his first LIV trophy. Yet to finish outside of the top ten in any of his previous LIV starts, nobody has been more consistent and with the setup sure to suit, another big week could be in store.
Rahm arrives at Nashville well rested due to him withdrawing from last week’s U.S Open due to a niggling foot injury. The injury also forced him out of the last LIV event in Houston and those looking to back the big hitting Spaniard will be severely hoping those injury woes are firmly behind him now.
Brooks Koepka
Nobody has won more LIV events than Brooks Koepka and you can be assured that he will want to steal the limelight away from Bryson DeChambeau this week.
It’s no secret that Koepka struggles for motivation outside of the majors, but it's been a strange season for the five time major winner as he has barely featured on the major scene and will want to play his way into form ahead of the British Open next month.
The winner of LIV Singapore, he has also finished in the top ten in Houston and Adelaide and he will want to record another high finish here.
Cam Smith
Cam Smith has three LIV titles to his name and after a quiet year, Smith will want to remind the golfing world that he is a major force to contend with.
Like Koepka, Smith will have been disappointed with how he has performed at the majors. He barely featured at the PGA Championships and US Open but did record a 6th place finish at the Masters.
WIthout a victory in 2024, his best effort came in Singapore when he finished second behind Koepka.
This is a time of year that Smith clearly enjoys. The winner of the Open back in 2022, Smith will have high hopes of getting his hands back on the Claret Jug next month and will want to ensure that he heads to Troon in great form. Expect a big week from the Australian here.
Joaquin Niemann
2024 has been a memorable year for Joaquin Niemann. The winner of the Australian Open, Niemann also won his first LIV event when winning in Saudi Arabia earlier in the year.
At the start of the year Niemann was arguably playing the best golf in the world and his exclusion from the majors based on his lowly world record got the golf world talking about the need for the system to change. Thanks to his win in Australia, Niemann has been assured of his place at the Open for months and he will hope to remind everyone of his talents with another great showing this week.
Jack Hartman
A keen golfer and huge fan of the game, Jack has been covering golf for the last five years. Bringing you all the latest coverage and news from the PGA, LIV, LPGA and DP World Tours, never before has golf been so popular and Jack can’t wait to bring all the excitement to his readers.
