It’s back. Much to the dismay of the PGA Tour, LIV Golf returns for an expanded second season starting this week south of the border. Can we still use that phrase since there really is no southern border? Anyway, after jetting all over the place in its eight-tournament inaugural season, LIV Golf has expanded to 14 scheduled 54-hole no cut events and rebranded as the LIV Golf League. El Camaleon Golf Course at Mayakoba in Mexico hosts the opener with all the usual suspects competing for vast sums of money. A few more players made the move to LIV with Thomas Pieters, Brendan Steele, Danny Lee and Deam Burmester among them. The most impactful player from last season is back opening as the co-betting favorite. Dustin Johnson raked in a boatload of money and sits with Joaquin Niemann at the top of the odds board. Making things a little more interesting from a betting standpoint are odds for team results. The 48-player field is divided into 12 teams of four players. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Odds to Win LIV Golf Mayakoba
Dustin Johnson +800
Joaquin Niemann +800
Cameron Smith +1000
Abraham Ancer +1100
Paul Casey +1600
Sergio Garcia +1600
Thomas Pieters +1600
Patrick Reed +1800
Talor Gooch +1800
Matthew Wolff +2000
Mito Pereira +2000
Brooks Koepka +2200
Anirban Lahiri +2800
Branden Grace +3300
Carlos Ortiz +3300
Dean Burmester +3300
Harold Varner III +3300
Louis Oosthuizen +3300
Bryson DeChambeau +4000
Charles Howell +4500
Marc Leishman +4500
Bernd Wiesberger +5000
Jason Kokrak +5000
Peter Uihlein +5000
Brendan Steele +6000
Henrik Stenson +6000
Richard Bland +6000
Sebastian Munoz +6000
Charl Schwartzel +6600
Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra +6600
Ian Poulter +6600
Odds Analysis
Abraham Ancer +1100
Ancer loves playing on home soil and this is a great chance for him to enter the winners circle for the first time as a LIV golfer. He’s enjoyed success at El Camaleon with three top-10s among his five top-25s in his last five starts at the joint. The limited field and no cut give him more of an edge. While on the PGA side Ancer’s last five rounds on this course were 68 or lower. I like his chances.
Sergio Garcia +1600
There have been signs recently that Garcia is focusing more on his game than the off-course shenanigans that have hounded him throughout his career. If he continues on that trajectory there’s a chance the Spaniard has a lucrative season. He played his best toward the end of last season finishing fourth twice in the final three tournaments. He also won a team prize in Bangkok and his Fireballs squad finished second in the team championship. There’s no doubting his ability on the course but his focus has always been a concern.
Dustin Johnson +800
Few players took a liking to LIV Golf more than Johnson, who raked in around $35 million in the few tournaments last season. And I don’t expect him to slow down as he’s easily the class of the league. He placed among the top eight in six of his seven starts winning in Boston with an impressive 15-under. He also captured the individual season championship and captained the winning team in four tournaments plus the season ending team championship.
Louis Oosthuizen +3300
Last season was a mixed bag for Oosthuizen placing among the top-10 in three of his seven starts. He did captain the winning team in the season opener in London and it’s still hard for me to forget the memorable run he had on the PGA side just a few years ago. In 2021 the South African earned a podium finish in three of four majors, and while he hasn’t been the same since he has one of the sweetest swings in golf and is a threat anytime he pegs it up.
Carlos Ortiz +3300
This is also a home game for Ortiz, who like Ancer has had success at El Camaleon finishing second to Viktor Hovland in 2021 and grabbing another runner-up in 2019. In all, half of Ortiz’s eight starts on the course have resulted in a top-10. He also had a fast start to last season with a second in Portland and fourth at Bedminster before faltering. This is a good chance to Ortiz to regain his form and I expect him to be in contention at a nice price.
Course: El Camaleon Golf Club – 7,034 yards, par 71
El Camaleon opened in 2004 and was the first venue to host a PGA Tour event outside the US and Canada. Many players are familiar with the layout and being a resort course it offers little resistance. Additional yardage was added over the last few years stretching the course to 7,034 yards at par 71, still considered short by pro standards. The lack of distance can impact big hitters like Bryson DeChambeau and accuracy is a bigger deal than distance. The fairways are forgiving, but go too wide and the numbers can climb quickly with water, forests and swampland on the outer edges. Don’t expect the pros to spend much time in those areas.
TV Coverage: CW Network
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