LIV Golf: Mayakoba - Insight & Betting Tips
The new LIV Golf season starts on Friday in Mexico - LIV Golf Mayakoba - and all eyes will be on the fresh signings the Saudi-backed circuit has made.
Former world number one Dustin Johnson was the first big name to make the switch from the PGA Tour to LIV, then another Major champion, Brooks Koepka, eventually followed suit. Aussie ace Cameron Smith signed after his British Open victory, but in the wake of that 2022 coup, LIV chiefs were frustrated.
The frustration ended when Masters champion Jon Rahm put pen to paper on a mega-bucks LIV contract - an incredible acquisition which has transformed the golfing landscape. Rahm has become the new face of LIV Golf.
Rahm's Ryder Cup colleague, Tyrrell Hatton, has since joined LIV, so the Saudis have managed to attract two European stars as golfing politics continues to hog the headlines.
There will be 13 teams of four going to post at LIV Mayakoba, with a 54-man field competing for the individual prize. Laurie Canter and Hudson Swafford have been invited to tee up as individuals, but are not in any team.
The venue - El Camaleon - hosted PGA Tour action from 2007 through 2022. It is a 7,116-yard, par-71, with three par-fives. A calm Friday is set to be followed by a breezy weekend.
Masters champion ready for LIV debut
Jon Rahm will hog the spotlight at LIV Mayakoba and has probably been practising hard for his first event. The Spaniard made his PGA Tour debut at El Camaleon in 2014 and missed the cut, but he will definitely be in attendance at the weekend this time - because there is no cut in LIV events.
A 54-hole sprint gives Rahm less chance of asserting his superiority over lesser-lights. The Spaniard can be backed at 9/2 for victory at El Camaleon. Hatton, who won two points alongside Rahm when they teamed up in the last Ryder Cup, is 9/1 to claim the silverware in Mexico.
Henrik Stenson is a European who managed to win on his LIV debut, so Rahm and Hatton, as well as Adrian Meronk, have been shown the way. Cameron Smith, favourite for most LIV events last season, is 14/1 to get 2024 started in the best possible fashion, while Talor Gooch, the most prolific LIV champion last season, is an 18/1 poke.
Tip 1 - Joaquin Niemann @ 14/1
LIV Mayakoba looks a wonderful opportunity for Joaquin Niemann to open his account on the LIV circuit. Aside from the new recruits, Niemann is arguably the best LIV player never to have lifted an individual trophy.
With question marks over the motivation of players at the LIV circus - everyone gets paid something so pressure on performance is lessened - finding those with some fire in their belly can be profitable. Niemann carries a determination for a maiden triumph.
Niemann also has less rust in his system than many of his rivals. While the likes of Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka have probably been taking it easy over the holiday period, Niemann finished fifth in the Australian PGA Championship, won the Australian Open, then was fourth in the Dubai Desert Classic.
Niemann finished fifth the last time he played El Camaleon on the PGA Tour and he was 11th in the inaugural LIV Mayakoba last year.
Tip 2 - Abraham Ancer @ 22/1
The galleries will be keen to see a Mexican contend in this event and Abraham Ancer is good enough to deliver what his fans crave. Ancer had a quiet end to last season, but he has a solid record at El Camaleon from his PGA Tour days and is well suited to the challenge.
Ancer's game has been built on accuracy, while he is proven in the wind, so a breezy El Camaleon seems like ideal terrain for the 32-year-old to do plenty of damage.
Tip 3 - Mito Pereira @ 28/1
Two Chileans may end up on the leaderboard after the 54 holes of action at El Camaleon - Mito Pereira is capable of joining Joaquin Niemann in the mix.
Pereira was a hero for Niemann in their junior days. Pereira is three years older than his compatriot and the first to make an impact in their amateur days.
Pereira is a rock-solid tee-to-green operator who should be able to plot safe passage along the tight, windswept fairways of El Camaleon. These two great friends may be battling it out for the title on Sunday.
Check out the extensive golf betting markets for the action in Mexico, and see who else we're tipping as favourite to win. It's showtime!