First Look: LIV Golf UK by JCB

ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT

When: July 26-28, 2024

Where: JCB Golf and Country Club, Rocester, England

Competition: Three rounds/54 holes of stroke play

Field: 54 players – 13 teams of four players each, and two wild cards

Purse: $25 million US ($20 million individual, $5 million team)

Winner’s Share: $4 million USD (individual), $3 million USD (team)

Local Tee Times: Shotgun Start for Rds. 1-2 at 2:15 p.m. local (9:15 a.m. ET); Rd. 3 at 2:05 p.m. local (9:05 a.m. ET)

KEY STORYLINES

• LIV Golf returns to England for the third consecutive year but a different venue, the JCB Golf & Country Club.

• England was the site of LIV Golf’s inaugural tournament in 2022 at Centurion Club outside London

• Three tournaments remain in the regular season that will decide the overall Individual Champion and determine seeds for the Team Championship in Dallas

• Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann currently leads the individual standings, having posted two wins and six other top 10s this season

• Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm, who makes his first visit to England since joining LIV Golf in December, is in second place in the individual standings and has finished top-10 in all nine tournaments he has completed

• Spanish star Sergio Garcia makes his first start since winning an individual playoff on home soil at LIV Golf Andalucía, his fourth professional win at his favorite course, Real Club Valderrama

• Garcia’s Fireballs GC won the team title at Andalucía, also via playoff, against Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC

• Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith won the individual title at last year’s LIV Golf London, while Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces GC won the team title

• Seven players in the field will compete in the men's golf competition at the Paris Olympics the following week – Spain's Jon Rahm and David Puig, Mexico's Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz, Chile's Joaquin Niemann and Mito Pereira, and Poland's Adrian Meronk

ENGLISH COMING HOME

Six English-born LIV Golf players, including LIV Golf Nashville winner Tyrrell Hatton and double senior major champion Richard Bland, will have plenty of support this week as they compete in front of their home fans at LIV Golf UK.

Hatton joined LIV Golf in the offseason to become a member of Ryder Cup teammate Jon Rahm’s expansion team, Legion XIII. He’s been among the most consistent performers this season, the only player on the LIV Golf roster to finish with points (top 24) in each of the first 10 tournaments. Legion XIII is a three-time team winner this season.

The 51-year-old Bland recently won consecutive senior majors – the Senior PGA Championship and the U.S. Senior Open. He also helped the Cleeks GC team, captained by Martin Kaymer, win their first-ever team title in Houston.

Paul Casey has been a key member of Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC team with four top-10s this season, including a runner-up finish in a playoff loss at Hong Kong.

Majesticks Co-Captains Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter are among England’s most celebrated players, with a combined 61 professional wins and 18 Ryder Cup appearances. Teammate Sam Horsfield recently posted his best LIV Golf finish, a second place behind Hatton in Nashville.

“It’s a great venue," Poulter said. "People can drive up from the south and drive down from the north.”

“Really looking forward to it," added Westwood. "Obviously it’s nice to play in front of your home fans.”

ABOUT THE COURSE

JCB GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB
Rocester, England

Par: 71
Yardage: 7,255

• The JCB is the brainchild of Lord Anthony Bamford (son of Joseph Cyril Bamford) who is the chairman at the construction company started by his father, where the club gets its name

• Designed by Robin Hiseman of European Golf Design, the course opened for play in 2018 and made Golf Monthly’s list of the 10 Most Exclusive Golf Clubs in the UK

• The course routing utilizes a variety of landscapes, including open farmland, stately parkland, woodlands and spectacular lake lands

• Holes 1 and 3 utilize the Uttoxeter Canal, while holes 5, 11 and 12 play along the Alders Brook

• The island green 17th is the longest par 3 on the course at 244 yards

• The 506-yard 6th plays as a par 5 for members but will be a par 4 for LIV Golf UK

• Holes 2 (337 yards) and 12 (303) are both potentially drivable par 4s

• Creeping Bent grass is on the greens with a projected green speed of 11

WEATHER

Forecast from weather.com

HOW TO WATCH

UNITED STATES: The CW Network airs the LIV Golf League in 100% of U.S. markets.

Friday – Live on The CW App, LIV Golf Plus and LIV Golf YouTube.

Saturday and Sunday – Live on The CW, LIV Golf Plus and LIV Golf YouTube.

GLOBAL: Broadcast in over 160 international territories Live and On-Demand, free of charge, via LIV Golf Plus. Available for download on iOS, Android, FireTV, and on LIVGolfPlus.com. Also airing on several international broadcast partners.

In person: Tickets available here

More info: Click here