2024 LIV Golf Miami Preview, Picks & Analysis

LIV Golf arrives at Trump National Doral in Miami this week, with all eyes on the likes of Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Cameron Smith, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Adrian Meronk and Joaquin Niemann, who will all be heading to Augusta National next week for The Masters.

Rahm remains LIV’s highest-profile defector, signing last year for around $500m. He has played well enough in the four LIV tournaments in which he has played but has yet to win. And he will be hoping to rediscover his very best form before defending the Green Jacket. The Spaniard played superbly at Augusta in 2023 during what was an incredible season. 

He won four times on the PGA Tour and finished second twice, as well as recording 10 top 10s and 13 top 25 finishes. His defection was a huge blow for PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan but does seem to have focused people’s minds, with Rory McIlroy suggesting that a European Ryder Cup team without Rahm is simply unthinkable.

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

Niemann has already won two LIV tournaments in 2024 to lead the standings and his victory at the Australian Open in December went some way towards earning him an invitation to Augusta. The Chilean golfer is a world-class player and I firmly believe that he has the game to win majors.

"It’s a great track," said Niemann of the Blue Monster. "It’s one of the toughest courses we play around the world. It has everything - you’ve got to hit it long, you’ve got to hit it straight, you’ve got to hit greens and you’ve got to do everything right to have a great week. It pushes you a lot."

Talor Gooch was the success story of LIV’s 2023 season and will be extremely unhappy not to have been given an invite by the men in green jackets. 

Rahm has complained loud and long about not being able to defend the PGA Tour titles he won in 2023 but when he joined LIV he knew full well what was going to happen. 

And as much as I rate Gooch as a golfer, the same applies to him. He is now tumbling down the world rankings - he is 550th in the world, which is patently absurd.

He has also had plenty to say about the absence of LIV players at the majors. Gooch says that if Rory McIlroy wins The Masters it should come with an asterisk to indicate that not all the world’s best players were in the field.

"It’s just the reality," Gooch said. "I think everybody wins whenever majors figure out a way to get the best players in the world there.”

McIlroy responded with: "The Masters is an invitational and they'll invite whoever they think warrants an invite. I think to be fair to Talor … the question and then the answer, it's not as if he just came out with that. I feel like whoever did the interview led him down that path to say that, so I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt there a little bit. He just agreed with what the interviewer asked.

"At the same time, Joaquin Niemann got an invite and I played with him a few weeks ago in Dubai, and he went down to Australia and won. He was in Oman last week. He has been chasing his tail around the world to get this, play his way into Augusta or show enough form to warrant an invite. I don't know if the same can be said for Talor."

And it has to be said that McIlroy makes a fair point. That Gooch has the game to contend in the majors is beyond question; that he possesses the drive and commitment to chase those world ranking points available to him is an entirely different question. In the meantime, he can lick his wounds with another victory in Miami this week.

Former Masters champion Sergio Garcia has shown some decent form this year and could be a good each-way bet for Augusta - this week will tell us much.

The Course: 

The Blue Monster is a par 72 that measures a formidable 7,608 yards and features a huge number of water hazards. But the fairways are pretty generous so expect to see some low scoring. A round of golf here will set you back in the region of $300. Designed by Dick Wilson, it played host to the Doral Open from 1962 until 2006 and the WGC-Cadillac Championship from 2007 until 2016.  

Form Guide:

Joaquin Niemann is the real deal. He has won twice on the LIV tour this season and also claimed the Australian Open in December. He will be looking for prove that he deserves his Masters invitation. And Jon Rahm will be desperate for a victory ahead of his title defence at Augusta National.

To Win:

Jon Rahm. Looking for his best form

Each Way:

Joaquin Niemann. Class act

Each Way:

Brooks Koepka. One to watch

Five to Follow:

Jon Rahm. Has been consistent without being at the peak of his powers

Joaquin Niemann. Has no weaknesses

Brooks Koepka. Hugely impressive

Talor Gooch. Feels he has a point to prove

Sergio Garcia. Showing something like his best again