Looking beyond Bryson: Is there much hope for LIV Golf’s stars at the US Open?
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We’re all expecting Bryson DeChambeau to put up a good defence of his title at Oakmont. But are there any other LIV golfers at the US Open that we’re expecting to be in the mix on Sunday? You’re in the right place…
There will be 14 LIV golfers at the US Open for the 125th playing of golf’s second oldest major.
Over the next few hundred words I’m going to look at their respective records in the tournament, their form, and consider whether or not they can end the week putting that famous gold medal around their neck.
As always, I’m no expert – I’ll leave that to our resident tipster Tom Jacobs – and you absolutely should not place any actual bets based on my opinion. Now the disclaimer is done, let’s get into it…
LIV golfers at the US Open
In no particular order (except alphabetical), LIV Golf’s representatives at the 2025 US Open are as follows.
Jose Luis Ballester
How he qualified: Won the 2024 US Amateur
US Open record: Rookie
LIV Golf form: T50
2025 majors: MC-DNP
US Open odds: 1000/1
Verdict: The 2024 US Amateur champ turned pro last week to join Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs – so unsure as to why his spot in the US Open field hasn’t been rescinded. Anyway, Ballester’s LIV debut in Virginia went about as badly as it could have. Needs to do something quick to avoid just being “the guy who took a whiz in Rae’s Creek”.
Richard Bland
How he qualified: Won the 2025 Senior US Open
US Open record: MC-T50-T43
LIV Golf form: T40-5-T30-T14-T47-T11-T7-T29
2025 majors: DNP-T37
US Open odds: 250/1
Verdict: I’m a huge fan of how ‘Blandy’ has grabbed life on LIV by the horns. A genuine inspiration to all of us approaching middle age…
Bryson DeChambeau
How he qualified: Won the 2020 and 2024 US Opens, and top 60 in the world rankings
US Open record: MC-T15-MC-T25-T35-W-T26-T56-T20-W
LIV Golf form: T6-T18-T20-T10-5-T2-W-T4
2025 majors: T5-T2
US Open odds: 7/1
Verdict: Defending the US Open is so difficult that only a handful of players have ever done it – and none of them are called Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. But if anyone can join that list it’s DeChambeau, and you’d be a fool to bet against him here. If you haven’t seen his Oakmont video yet, change that instantly. When people ask about one player they would have back on the PGA Tour in a heartbeat, there’s a reason so many say Bryson.
Tyrrell Hatton
How he qualified: Top 60 in the world rankings
US Open record: MC-T6-T21-MC-MC-T56-T27-T26
LIV Golf form: T6-T23-T20-T19-T33-T5-T13-T15
2025 majors: T14-T60
US Open odds: 50/1
Verdict: Hatton is having something of a difficult second season on LIV. And his US Open record – that T6 aside – is nothing to write home about. (Do people still write home any more?) Only eight English players have won the US Open – including two since the turn of the century. Suspect we’re more likely to see Hatton leaving Oakmont with a middle finger salute than a gold medal…
Dustin Johnson
How he qualified: Won the 2016 US Open and 2020 Masters
US Open record: T48-40-T8-T23-MC-55-T4-T2-W-MC-3-T35-T6-T19-T24-T10-MC
LIV Golf form: T44-T31-54-T5-T27-T7-T34-T10
2025 majors: MC-MC
US Open odds: 150/1
Verdict: The reigning Oakmont champion, as it were, but so much has happened in those nine years. DJ is a shadow of his former self and looks increasingly like he’d rather be any else on the planet other than a golf course each time he tees up. Looked absolutely furious that he had to do a press conference on Monday and it barely lasted 10 minutes – partly because he couldn’t be bothered and partly because of his increasing lack of relevance in the game.
Brooks Koepka
How he qualified: Won the 2018 and ’19 US Opens, and the 2023 PGA Championship
US Open record: MC-T4-T18-T13-W-W-2-T4-55-T17-T26
LIV Golf form: T33-T7-T35-2-T18-T30-T17-T33
2025 majors: MC-MC
US Open odds: 66/1
Verdict: Koepka has never missed more than two major cuts in a single season – the other was his injury-plagued year in ’22 – but it’s really hard to see any other outcome. Stats-wise, he’s 38th, 30th, 34th and 17th in Fairways Hit, Scrambling, Greens in Regulation and Driving Distance respectively. (He’s 5th for putting, but that’s redundant when it’s taking you too many shots to get on the dancefloor.) There’s a very real possibility that this is his last year on LIV Golf (side eyes emoji). That PGA exemption won’t last forever.
Jinichiro Kozuma
How he qualified: Final Qualifying in Japan
US Open record: MC
LIV Golf form: 21-T7-T23
2025 majors: DNP-DNP
US Open odds: 750/1
Verdict: The Japanese player has been out all season with an injury but returned just in time to notch up a top-10 and get through US Open Final Qualifying. A couple of rounds at Oakmont will sharpen things up a bit.
Marc Leishman
How he qualified: Final Qualifying at Woodmont CC
US Open record: MC-T51-MC-MC-T18-T27-T45-T35-MC-64-T14
LIV Golf form: T6-T21-T12-T51-W-T30-T34-T10
2025 majors: DNP-DNP
US Open odds: 200/1
Verdict: Playing in his first major since 2022 and has found there’s life in the old dog yet in recent weeks. The fact he’s almost as long as Richard Bland in the betting odds feels like an oversight. (Again – I cannot stress this enough – I am not an expert.)
Phil Mickelson
How he qualified: Won the 2021 PGA Championship
US Open record: T29(LA)-T55(LA)-MC-T47-T4-T94-T43-T10-2-T16-T7-2-T55-2-T33-T2-MC-T18-T2-T4-T54-T65-T2-T28-T64-MC-T48-T52-MC-T63-MC-MC-MC
LIV Golf form: DNP-T23-3-T19-6-T22-50-T4
2025 majors: MC-MC
US Open odds: 300/1
Verdict: Did you see that ludicrous shot he played at the LIV Golf event in Virginia on Sunday? What a showman. Regardless of what you think of ol’ Lefty, it would be great fun to see him have a run at the title he has spent his entire career craving more than any other. I’m torn, because Mickleson lifting the trophy on Sunday would be one of the most remarkable things you could witness as a golf fan, but also can you imagine how unbearable he would be.
Joaquin Niemann
How he qualified: The highest-ranked player in the LIV standings
US Open record: MC-T23-T31-T47-T32
LIV Golf form: T33-W-T12-W-T33-W-T20-W
2025 majors: T29-T8
US Open odds: 28/1
Verdict: Finally got the finishing-in-the-top-10-of-a-major monkey off his back, even if it was through the backest of back doors at Quail Hollow. Quite enjoying the fact he’s winning every other tournament on LIV. Hard to predict how he’ll cope with Oakmont, but at least we know he’ll win in Andalucia.
Carlos Ortiz
How he qualified: Final Qualifying at Bent Tree GC
US Open record: MC-T52-MC-MC
LIV Golf form: T25-T2-T30-37-4-16-T7-T10
2025 majors: DNP-DNP
US Open odds: 125/1
Verdict: This is Ortiz’s entire major record: MC-T52-MC-MC-T55-MC-MC-MC-MC. How the hell is he 125/1? Oh man, they know something we don’t. Quick, lump on!
Jon Rahm
How he qualified: Won the 2021 US Open and 2023 Masters
US Open record: T23(LA)-MC-MC-T3-T23-W-T12-T10
LIV Golf form: T2-6-T6-T5-T9-4-T7-T8
2025 majors: T14-T8
US Open odds: 11/1
Verdict: Seems to have rediscovered his major mojo after sulking his way through 2024 and you simply cannot rule him out. The LIV fanboys are overly excited by the fact he’s finished in the top 10 of every LIV tournament he’s played in, but even Rahm’s not that fussed by it. That said, he’s not only a contender for top LIV player at Oakmont, but for the title.
Patrick Reed
How he qualified: Top 60 in the world rankings
US Open record: T35-T14-MC-T13-4-T32-T13-T19-T49-T56
LIV Golf form: T44-T37-T10-T25-T7-T17-T4-T23
2025 majors: 3-MC
US Open odds: 90/1
Verdict: Can I shock you? I like Patrick Reed, despite what I said earlier. I don’t know what it is about it him. Feels like a hate-watch but then I’ll have a little tingle of joy when he does well. Well, you know what they say, there’s a little sadist in all of us.
Cameron Smith
How he qualified: Won the 2022 Open
US Open record: T4-T59-MC-T72-T38-MC-MC-4-T32
LIV Golf form: T25-30-T20-T19-T9-T5-T7-T23
2025 majors: MC-MC
US Open odds: 125/1
Verdict: The Aussie won The Open less than three years ago before semi-retiring. His odds are the same as Carlos Ortiz, which tells you everything you need to know. Still, as long as he’s happy.
TG Verdict
So who’s it going to be?
First of all, well done on getting this far, but while our betting expert, Tom Jacobs, may be taking Jon Rahm, it can’t be anyone else but Bryson DeChambeau for me.
What a complete waste of time this has all been.
I do fancy Rahm to be in the mix, but after that? Well, it’s slim pickings.
Normally I would say Brooks Koepka, but he is in miserable form, so I’ll go with Joaquin Niemann instead. Tom likes him as an each-way bet – and that really should be good enough for me – but I just can’t ignore that major record. But that’s why we use words like “expert” to describe him and not me…
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There are 14 LIV golfers at the US Open.
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There are 14 LIV golfers at the US Open.
