When talk surrounding LIV Golf started out, one of the big questions concerned which players were going to decide to join and potentially jeopardise their position on the PGA Tour.
There were times when the threat of LIV Golf looked set to go away. But by the time their inaugural event was set to take place, the PIF had managed to put together an impressive roster of names.
And in the years that followed, the off-season became an incredibly concerning time for the PGA Tour as speculation linked a host of their star players with making the jump. LIV have certainly been able to make a number of significant statements over the years.
The PGA Tour surely misses the likes of Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Cam Smith. But it was not difficult to understand why some of the older players on the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour decided to take up the riches on offer.
The two LIV Golf signings in 2022 which shocked Sir Nick Faldo
However, there were still plenty of shocks in the signings they did manage to make.
And speaking on his YouTube channel in 2023, Sir Nick Faldo named the couple of LIV signings which really caught him off-guard – because of the potential they had showed on the PGA Tour.
“I get the guys at 50, who are close to 50 and know that you can’t win again, it’s got to be very tempting. Someone has given you a nice nest egg. You say, ‘love, I will go and play golf for another two years and look what I have got, go and buy another pool’,” he said.
“Talor Gooch. I was touting him every week on TV saying he is really coming along, learning and climbing the ladder. Finally wins. And Joaquin Niemann same thing. I honestly think there is a huge mental difference between having no cut and playing 54 holes. There is no failure, there is no fear of failure,” he added, when asked about the biggest shocks.
“If you have a 20 over week, you are still going to get $120,000. I bet out of those 48, I bet there is at least 24 players who looked first at the $120,000 for last and thought I can not hit my hat. On Tour you can play nicely and miss the cut by one, not playing badly, and of course then nothing happens and you finish 50th and win £20,000 or so and it won’t pay the jet fuel home.”
How Talor Gooch and Joaquin Niemann have performed in the majors since 2022
Both Gooch and Niemann have enjoyed plenty of success since moving to LIV. Gooch won the individual title in 2023 as he claimed three wins across the season.
Niemann meanwhile, went into the final week of last year as the one player who could stop Jon Rahm winning the season’s race. The Chilean won twice throughout the year, while he also posted a 59 at Mayakoba.
Niemann is yet to take that success to the major championships, as he finished no higher than 22nd in the three majors he played in 2024.
Gooch has had a much tougher time in the sport’s four biggest events. He only played in the PGA Championship in 2024 – finishing tied for 60th. Meanwhile, he missed two cuts in three majors the previous year.
You do get the feeling that LIV probably needs someone like Niemann or Gooch – someone yet to win a major – to go and win one of the game’s biggest prizes to really prove that the league is helping younger players realise their potential.
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