The LIV Golf DC Profile
LIV Golf is having a strong second year, one that has included a wildly successful venture to Australia in April and high-quality golf from its players in the two major championships.
At the Masters, Brooks Koepka threatened to win and last week at Oak Hill he did just that in the PGA Championship, his fifth major triumph, and with it he was confirmed as one of the greats of the sport.
Justin Thomas, a two-time major winner himself, said: “Brooks dominated the day. Guy knows how to play in the majors, incredibly impressive!”
Koepka will be looking to extend an exceptional run of form that has seen him finish first, second, 11th, third, fifth, and first since the start of April.
He’s up there with Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler as the hottest golfers on the planet.
But can he win again this week?
Course Report
Trump National Golf Club in Washington DC is a par-72 that plays at 7,479 yards and features seven holes that sit alongside the wide Potomac River.
A series of water hazards are also in play calling for bold shots and attacking lines.
In theory, it could play as long as 7,700 yards and Koepka said: “It’s a big boy golf course. We’ve played a lot of thinking courses and this could be a bomber’s paradise. It’ll be exciting.”
Bryson DeChambeau was in agreement, adding of Donald Trump’s layout: “It’s a big golf course and I like big golf courses.”
The Favorites
It goes without saying that Koepka is in great form.
“I've been playing good,” he said after the win last Sunday. “I feel like I've been in contention every week since Orlando. I just need to continue it.”
He’s right about that: he’s been in the top three with 18 holes to play in four of those last five starts.
Cameron Smith made a slow start to the year with just one top 20 in his first five starts but, after T34th at the Masters, he landed three top 10 finishes in a row on LIV, only losing the last tournament in that run after extra holes.
Last week he struggled through three rounds before bounding through the field with a 65 for ninth place.
Dustin Johnson was another slow starter in 2023, in his case because he had a back injury.
He bounced back to form with victory in the LIV Tulsa event two weeks ago before he had a contrasting week at the PGA to Smith.
DJ opened with a 67 to sit second after 18 holes before adding three 74s and finishing T55th.
Bryson Can Go Big
Let’s take Bryson DeChambeau at his word that this big golf course will suit him.
He’s yet another player who left the blocks in slow style early in the year but he was fifth in Tulsa two weeks ago and an impressive fourth last week.
He looked happy and he not only hit the ball a long way, he was accurate as well.
He’s visited the course in the past, he likes it, and the many holes with carries over water is a reminder of his success at Bay Hill when he thrived on tacking adventurous lines from the tee over lakes.
Back him each way with Caesars Sportsbook offering +1600 (five places).
Wolff Bite
We noted for the last LIV event that Matthew Wolff has been happier playing LIV on American soil and he threatened to back us up, sitting in the top 10 all week before adding a poor final round.
But let’s stick with the policy.
He has just two top 40s in five LIV starts on foreign soil but six top 20s in seven starts in the United States.
Of those seven, four were top 10s and, in the three exceptions, he was top 10 all week before bad final rounds scuppered his hopes.
Back him to land another top 10 with bet365 offering +240.
Another Playoff?
Might there be a trend emerging on this new circuit?
Remember, LIV Golf is played over just three rounds and with a shotgun start.
The first factor might be more responsible than the second for the truth that there have been six playoffs in the first 13 tournaments.
But in 2023 that number is three in six.
With one round less for the field to separate itself perhaps extra holes are more likely.
Whatever, another two events have come very close to needing playoffs (the winners finished just one shot clear of the field) and the numbers are with us.
Another playoff can be backed at +330 in bet365’s winning margin market.
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