LIV heavyweight contenders Brooks Copka, Dustin Johnson, and Jon Rahm are struggling in major tournaments.
Louisville, Kentucky – Player affiliations, whether they belong to the PGA Tour or the LIV Golf, seem to be less of a topic these days, aside from noting who’s starting and who’s winning in the end.
But with two major championships already underway this year, some LIV players are worth paying attention to, as they are relatively unknown.
Brooks Koepka has never finished outside the top 20 in a major when healthy. Since last summer’s Open Championship, he has made three consecutive major cuts, finishing in the top 25 each time. This year, he secured a T45 finish at the Masters, a T26 finish at the PGA Championship, and in between, claimed victory at the LIV.
When asked about his performance this week, Koepka responded, “Not very good. I think that’s obvious, isn’t it?”
Dustin Johnson is building a larger sample size, and for the two-time major champion, it isn’t very impressive. On Friday, he had to make three birdies in the last five holes at Valhalla to make the cut. He has never made the cut three times in a row in major championships.
Since joining LIV, the 39-year-old Johnson has participated in eight major championships and has only finished in the top 20 twice. He tied for 10th at last year’s U.S. Open and tied for 6th at the 2022 St. Andrews Open.
Jon Rahm has a smaller sample size, but given his ranking as world number two when he headed to LIV from London International Airport last December, it is notable.
As the reigning Masters champion, Rahm looked certain to miss the cut at Augusta this year until strong winds moved the cut line, allowing him to make the cut by one stroke. He didn’t break par that week.
Then he missed the cut at the PGA Championship. This ended his streak of 18 consecutive cuts made in majors, the longest active streak. This will put more focus on next month’s U.S. Open.