LIV GOLF UK PREVIEW – Golf News

The LIV Golf League returns this week for the 11th event of the season as the UK plays host for the first and only time in 2024.

In June 2022, the inaugural tournament was held at Centurion Club in Hertfordshire as the Saudi-backed breakaway league began its ascent to disrupt the professional game.

Fast forward two years, the series has expanded rapidly. Centurion held the LIV Golf UK event last year, but this week will see JCB Golf & Country Club in Staffordshire host the event for the very first time.

LIV Golf UK by JCB will take place between July 26-28 and will be the final stop outside the US for LIV Golf’s 2024 season. Among the 56-man field for the 54-hole event will be Ryder Cup stars Tyrrell Hatton and Jon Rahm, who will both be making their first appearances with LIV Golf in the UK at the event, along with a host of other major champions, including Bryson DeChambeau, Cam Smith, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson.

Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann currently leads the individual standings, having posted two wins and six other top 10s this season. Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm is in second place in the individual standings and has finished top-10 in all nine tournaments he has completed.

ENGLISHMEN TO THE FORE

Six English-born LIV Golf players, including LIV Golf Nashville winner Tyrrell Hatton and double senior major champion Richard Bland, will have plenty of support this week as they compete in front of their home fans at LIV Golf UK for a total prize fund of $25m.

Hatton joined LIV Golf in the offseason to become a member of Ryder Cup teammate Jon Rahm’s expansion team, Legion XIII. He’s been among the most consistent performers this season, the only player on the LIV Golf roster to finish with points (top 24) in each of the first 10 tournaments. Legion XIII is a three-time team winner this season.

The 51-year-old Bland recently won consecutive senior majors – the Senior PGA Championship and the US Senior Open. He also helped the Cleeks GC team, captained by Martin Kaymer, win their first-ever team title in Houston.

Paul Casey has been a key member of Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC team with four top-10s this season, including a runner-up finish in a playoff loss at Hong Kong.

Majesticks Co-Captains Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter are among England’s most celebrated players, with a combined 61 professional wins and 18 Ryder Cup appearances. Teammate Sam Horsfield recently posted his best LIV Golf finish, a second place behind Hatton in Nashville.

THE COURSE

First opened in 2018, the JCB course was designed by Robin Hiseman of European Golf Design and is built on a 240-acre site adjacent to the JCB World Headquarters.

The 7,308-yard, par 72 course serves as a showpiece for the engineering excellence of JCB’s machinery and is only open to employees of JCB and its corporate partners, with green fees costing £60 for staff and £70 for staff guests.

The course routing utilizes a variety of landscapes, including open farmland, stately parkland, woodlands and spectacular lake lands. Holes 1 and 3 utilize the Uttoxeter Canal, while holes 5, 11 and 12 play along the Alders Brook.

The island green 17th is the longest par 3 on the course at 244 yards, while the 506-yard 6th plays as a par 5 for members but will be a par 4 for LIV Golf UK. Holes 2 (337 yards) and 12 (303) are both potentially drivable par 4s.

TICKETS

A limited number of hospitality tickets for LIV Golf UK by JCB are still available from livgolf.com, starting at £180 for the Birdie Shack on Saturday and rising to £245 for the Gallery Club on Sunday.

LIV Golf UK Tee Times

Friday, July 12:  2.15pm
Saturday, July 13: 2.15pm
Sunday, July 14: 2.15pm

UK viewers can watch the action for free on the LIV Golf YouTube channel.