From PGA Tour competitors, LIV Golf has been able to attract some of the biggest stars in the sport, including Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, and Phil Mickelson.
With Rahm’s reportedly record-breaking £450 million deal, the Spaniard became the most recent mega-money acquisition to go to Saudi Arabia. It turned out to be a successful offseason for the breakaway league with the arrival of Adrian Meronk, the DP World Tour Player of the Year, and subsequently Ryder Cup colleague Tyrrell Hatton.
Nevertheless, the Saudi-backed series, which has grown steadily since its June 2022 Centurion premiere, has no doubts about their future intentions to further enhance their lineup. Here are five players who the Saudi executives would undoubtedly be eager to add to their roster. A plethora of well-known names have been connected to Greg Norman and company.
Hovland, Viktor
One man who seems to be at the top of the LIV Golf want list is Viktor Hovland, one of the most valuable assets on the PGA Tour. In recent seasons, the Norwegian has established himself as one of the top players in the world, and he will top it all off by winning the FedEx Cup in 2023.
Hovland expressed his dissatisfaction with the PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan for his handling of the LIV scandal, but he also spoke off over switching to Saudi Arabia at the end of the previous season. Despite his continued allegiance to the Tour, Hovland is still a top priority for Norman and his group, according to a piece published this week in the Guardian.
Ludvig Aberg
Ludvig Aberg, Hovland’s Ryder Cup partner, has just recently gained attention from LIV Golf because to his explosive rise. In just ten months, Aberg has gone from being an amateur to the seventh-best golfer in the world. He is currently the hottest star in golf.
Only last week, after making his Masters and major debut with a runner-up result at Augusta National, did he solidify his place among the greatest in the world. Aberg also revealed that he had turned down the breakaway league twice in 2023, suggesting that LIV had seen his potential even before his recent surge.
The emergence of Ludvig Aberg has been amazing.
Matsuyama Hideki
Hideki Matsuyama, the winner of the 2021 Masters, is one athlete who LIV recruiters have frequently kept an eye on. Matsuyama is still on the PGA Tour for the time being, despite rumors that he may be joining the breakaway league. CEO Norman has nevertheless expressed his strong interest in the Green Jacket winner despite this.
He told Australian Golf Digest, “We’ve been trying to get Hideki Matsuyama (over to LIV Golf).” “I’m not ashamed to say that. What did I do as soon as Hideki won The Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles? “Congrats, Hideki,” I said. I’m happy for you, friend.
Clark Wyndham
Wyndham Clark, the winner of the U.S. Open, is another name tipped to follow in Rahm’s footsteps in the offseason. Clark acknowledged that he met with executives from LIV to discuss a potential switch, even though he decided to stay on the PGA Tour for 2024. Following his triumph, Clark declared, “I definitely met with LIV and went through those discussions.”
A teammate’s agreement with Rory McIlroy gives Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton a boost for the Ryder Cup.
When Dustin Johnson met with a rival on the PGA Tour, the LIV Golf star revealed candidly, “I wanted to see what they could bring to the table.” I finally decided against going to LIV because I thought I had a lot left in me to give the PGA Tour, and I wanted to seek world rankings and records.” However, Clark might have damaged his reputation with Norman and company after making a cruel joke about the breakaway league and then failing to make the cut at the Masters this past week.
Fowler Rickie
Former world No. 1 Norman was also keeping an eye on Clark’s Ryder Cup partner Rickie Fowler, who had been repeatedly linked to a switch to the LIV setup. Like the U.S. Open champion, he was offered a huge sum of money to move to Saudi Arabia, but he chose to turn it down.
According to the six-time PGA Tour winner, “[Joining LIV] wasn’t the best choice for me,” Full Swing on Netflix. “I play to compete with the world’s best players, not to get paid, and I think the Tour is the best place to be,” the player stated. I Would prefer for things to stay that way.”
