AUGUSTA, Ga. — There was a moment in LIV Golf’s final round Sunday at Doral when the top of the leaderboard was littered with past Masters champions.
Three-time green jacket winner Phil Mickelson, at age 54, was right there in the mix to capture his first LIV title.
Jon Rahm, the 2023 Masters winner, was there, too.
So were Sergio Garcia (2017), Patrick Reed (2018) and Charl Schwartzel (2011).
LIV Golf couldn’t have scripted a better finish with Masters week awaiting the day after that final round.
Its only problem was that delicious leaderboard, in the end, didn’t finish with one of those green jacket winners at the top, with Aussie Marc Leishman winning.
LIV Golf is in desperate need of more eyeballs on its product.
Despite the stars playing on the PGA Tour’s rival circuit, it feels like those players are plying their trade in Witness Protection.
The LIV television rating numbers have been lower than “I Dream of Jeannie’’ reruns.
But there’s surely a hope on the part of LIV that if one of its 12 players in the Masters field wins this week at Augusta National, it would raise the LIV profile and add credibility to the tour since the PGA Tour loyalists and the powers that be on the Official World Ranking demean it as inferior competition because of the shortened 48-player fields and playing 54 holes instead of the customary 72.
It’s a difficult thing to measure, because there’s been no tangible evidence that Bryson DeChambeau’s U.S. Open win last June at Pinehurst moved the needle.
But the more LIV players excel in major events it cannot help but raise their profile.
In last year’s Masters, DeChambeau and Cam Smith finished tied for sixth as the highest-finishing LIV players. Tyrrell Hatton finished tied for ninth and Reed tied for 12th.
In 2023, Rahm won, Mickelson and Brooks Koepka finished tied for second and Reed was tied for fourth.
In 2022, Smith was tied for third, Dustin Johnson, the 2020 Masters winner, was tied for 12th and Schwartzel tied for 10th.
So clearly, LIV players are a threat to win this week at Augusta and, should one accomplish that, it could be a major boost for the rival tour’s credibility.
Rahm is burning to win another Masters, particularly after a poor 2024 major season by his standards.
“Not my favorite major season last year,’’ Rahm said. “I didn’t play great here [a tie for 45th], didn’t play great at the PGA and wasn’t even able to tee it up at the U.S. Open [with a toe injury]. I feel like I’m playing much better golf coming into this week.
“Playing at Doral last week was extremely challenging. It was definitely one of the hardest setups I’ve played. Feeling really, really good about this year in general.’’
Rahm said he welcomes the pressure to perform this week.
“I feel like my expectations, the pressure I put on myself has always been pretty high,’’ he said. “I would say my first few majors when I turned pro, I don’t think I handled it at my best. I think wanting to win so bad to where I wanted to control everything a little bit too much, and it took me a few years to learn that I’ve just got to go out there and play and let it happen.
“I think a lot of it changed once I was able to win my first major. There’s definitely a before and after when you go to a major knowing you’ve done it already and you know what the formula is.”
DeChambeau was asked what he learned from last year at Augusta, where he shot 65 in the first round.
“I haven’t learned enough, obviously,’’ he said with a laugh. “Each year I learn a little bit more about winds and how it affects the golf ball on a certain hole or a certain slope around a pin location, just little things that continue to improve my knowledge around the golf course.’’
DcChambeau’s tie for sixth last year was the best of his career, the previous best finish being a tie for 21st in 2016 as an amateur.
“As an amateur, I felt like I knew the golf course pretty well, but I didn’t know how to control a lot of the nerves that flowed through my body, and that was something that I still work on today,’’ he said. “I think the emotional challenge is just keeping yourself patient. I felt like I was really patient last week and gave myself a good run.
“Hopefully that pays off this week.’’
From his lips to the LIV gods’ ears.
