The 2024 PGA Championship was a big deal for the 16 players on the LIV Golf breakaway tour. Both exempted players and players who received special invitations from the PGA of America, were eager to showcase their skills on one of golf’s biggest stages. The PGA prides itself on hosting the best field in golf, and the inclusion of these players from Greg Norman’s Saudi-backed tour was a testament to that commitment.
The results were mixed for LIV Golfers, with 11 players making the one-under cut mark, leaving 78 players in contention for the weekend. However, Jon Rahm was the surprise casualty when he missed the cut on Saturday morning. This set the stage for a dramatic weekend with the spotlight on the remaining LIV players.
Two of the seven players who received special invitations were unable to play over the weekend, Adrian Meronk and young up-and-comer David Puig. Of the remaining five, only Dean Burmester was near the top of the leaderboard (T12), the rest finished outside the Top 30.
As the tournament unfolded at Valhalla, Bryson DeChambeau showed his prowess on the course, carding a remarkable seven-under 64 during an exciting charge on Sunday. Despite his impressive performance, DeChambeau fell just short of victory as Xander Schauffele clinched the title with a nerve-wracking putt on the final hole. DeChambeau’s runner-up finish at a remarkable 20-under-par underscored his talent and competitive spirit and solidified his position as one of the top contenders in the field.
“I gave it my all,” DeChambeau said after his final round (according to Golf Digest). “I put as much effort as I possibly could into it and I knew that my B game would be enough. It’s just clearly somebody played incredibly well. Xander’s well deserving of a major championship and, yeah, emptying the tank, I certainly love to do that and give the fans everything I can.”
The defending champion and LIV Golf star, Brooks Koepka, fell to T26 on this occasion, largely due to his third round 74. During the final round he managed an excellent score of 66, but was already out of any chance of success in defending his title.
“I don’t think I did one thing good at all (on Saturday),” Koepka said after his final round (according to Golfweek). “Usually when you play bad you got one thing you do OK. You might putt bad. You might drive it bad. Yesterday was a combination of everything. (My game was) not very good. That’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?”
LIV Golf players final standings
Here is a breakdown of how each LIV Golf player fared at the 2024 PGA Championship:
- Bryson DeChambeau: 2nd place, -20
- Dean Burmester: Tied 12th, -12
- Brooks Koepka: Tied 26th, -9
- Joaquin Niemann: Tied 39th, -7
- Lucas Herbert: Tied 43rd, -6
- Dustin Johnson: Tied 43rd, -6
- Patrick Reed: Tied 53rd, -5
- Talor Gooch: Tied 60th, -4
- Tyrrell Hatton: Tied 63rd, -3
- Cameron Smith: Tied 63rd, -3
- Martin Kaymer: Tied 73rd, Even Par
Missed the Cut:
- Jon Rahm: Even Par
- Adrian Meronk: +1
- David Puig: +3
- Phil Mickelson: +4
- Andy Ogletree: +6
The PGA Championship served as a platform for these players to showcase their skills and compete against the best in the world, highlighting the talent and depth within the LIV Golf roster.