It is surely fair to say that LIV Golf have hardly picked up any momentum during the opening months of the 2025 season at what appears to be such an important time for the league.
It has probably not been the easiest time to be a LIV Golf fan recently. They had struggled to capture the imagination with their first few events of the season.
Even their flagship tournament in Adelaide was somewhat overshadowed by the needless comment made by Scott O’Neil, in which he claimed that LIV is the only place to watch the best players in the world outside of the majors.
Brooks Koepka admitted LIV was behind where it needed to be. And you would struggle to find a casual golf fan who could tell you with any confidence who won in Riyadh or Hong Kong.
The PGA Tour had hardly got off to the best start to the year. Fans criticised The American Express after a monotonous final round which seemed to last forever. However, there have been much more positive signs in recent weeks.
LIV Golf has barely had a better opportunity up against the PGA Tour
Brandel Chamblee claimed LIV was dying after seeing the improved viewing figures for The Players Championship. And it definitely appears that the PGA Tour has had the upper hand since the start of the Florida swing.
However, perhaps that may change a little this week.
LIV Golf Miami was always likely to provide the league with an opportunity to catch the eye. It is the first event in the Western Hemisphere since the deal with FOX was announced.
And it was going up against the Valero Texas Open on the PGA Tour. While there are some big names involved, it is no surprise that many notable players are not playing at TPC San Antonio as they get ready for The Masters.
Nevertheless, any hopes the PGA Tour have had of overshadowing LIV have surely been dashed. The leaderboard heading into the final round is far from inspiring, with Brian Harman three shots clear of Andrew Novak. Tom Hoge and Keith Mitchell complete the top four.
Hoge was the only player who started the week inside the top 40 in the FedEx Cup standings. And it is difficult to imagine anyone counting down the hours until the leaders tee off on Sunday.
The likes of Patrick Cantlay, Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth are surely too far back to seriously challenge over the last 18 holes.
Bryson DeChambeau heads a star-studded leaderboard at LIV Golf Miami
Meanwhile, Bryson DeChambeau leads at Doral. And he has Sergio García, Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm all looking to chase him down in the final round.
It is the kind of scenario those working behind the scenes at LIV would have dreamt of heading into the weekend.
Golf fans are getting more and more excited for The Masters. So LIV could have hardly had a better opportunity to make its mark, particularly as many will expect to see the likes of DeChambeau, Rahm and maybe even Mickelson in the mix at Augusta National.
It will not be a good look for LIV if they fail to outperform the PGA Tour this week given the factors in their favour. They are playing on the better course and have a leaderboard which most fans will be significantly more invested in.
It could also give its winner much more of a springboard heading into The Masters, provided that it is someone who will be in the field next week.
It seems too dramatic to wonder if this could be a turning point for LIV. But there is no question at all which leaderboard looks so much better on paper with 18 holes to play.
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