LIV GOLF LAS VEGAS: TEAM POWER RANKINGS

The 2024 LIV Golf season continues at Las Vegas Country Club in Las Vegas. Each tournament week, we’ll provide team power rankings, a brief breakdown of each team and predicted order of finish for the individuals in each team.

1. CRUSHERS GC: The Crushers sit atop this week’s Power Rankings fresh off a runner-up finish in Mayakoba. Charles Howell III led the team with three rounds in the 60s en route to a top-5 finish, while all four players finished under par for the week. Captain Bryson DeChambeau’s T-25 was his lowest LIV finish since Adelaide last April – a testament to his consistency over the last several months. Predicted order of finish: DeChambeau, Howell, Lahiri, Casey

2. TORGUE GC: The team got off to an excellent start in large part from Joaquin Niemann’s 12-under 59 in the opening round, and despite his playoff victory, the squad ultimately settled for a third-place team result. You would have to think that Mito Pereira and Carlos Ortiz will bounce back from their T-43 finishes, which were the worst finishes for either player on LIV thus far. Predicted order of finish: Niemann, Pereira, Munoz, Ortiz

3. LEGION XIII: Wasting no time getting accustomed to their new league, Legion XIII won in their first event. Captain Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton both posted top-10 results in their LIV debuts, but maybe the most impressive result was from 19-year-old Caleb Surratt in posting a T-13 finish in his first start as a professional. Kieran Vincent also showed his length off the tee by ranking fourth for the week in driving distance. Predicted order of finish: Hatton, Rahm, Surratt, K. Vincent

4. RIPPER GC: The team climbed two spots in the final round in Mayakoba to finish fourth, which is also where they stand in this week’s rankings. It was a consistent effort for the group, who had every player finish T-25 or better, although Cam Smith (T-8) was the lone player to finish in the top 10. The ceiling may be limited for this team, however, as only Smith carded more than 10 birdies last week. Predicted order of finish: Smith, Herbert, Leishman, Jones

5. STINGER GC: Dean Burmester and Louis Oosthuizen led the way for Stinger GC last week with finishes of T-3 and T-8, respectively, but it was only good enough for a fifth-place finish. Branden Grace bested just five golfers and has shown to be hit-or-miss after posting six top-10 finishes last season. Predicted order of finish: Oosthuizen, Burmester, Schwartzel, Grace

6. SMASH GC: Talor Gooch was looking to spark some life into his new team, but Smash GC was only able to muster a seventh-place finish. Captain Brooks Koepka continues to be the anchor of this team, and he led the field in fairways hit en route to a share for fifth. The team will need some additional production from Jason Kokrak and Graeme McDowell to compete in Vegas. Predicted order of finish: Koepka, Gooch, Kokrak, McDowell

7. FIREBALLS GC: The team will look to capitalize on their momentum from the final round in Mayakoba where they posted the fourth best round. That was led by Sergio Garcia’s 5-under 66 and eventual playoff loss to Niemann. Abraham Ancer closed strong as well with a 67, although Garcia was the only player on the team to finish in the top half of the individual standings. Youngsters David Puig and Eugenio Chacarra give this team a high ceiling if they can find their form. Predicted order of finish: Garcia, Ancer, Puig, Chacarra

8. CLEEKS GC: It could’ve been a much different result for the Cleeks had it not been for a disappointing second round, as they shot a combined 15 under Friday and Sunday. Richard Bland narrowly missed out on a top-10 finish but did have two rounds of 67 or better. Adrian Meronk had an uninspiring start to his LIV career with a 47th-place finish, but he’s too good not to turn that around soon. Predicted order of finish: Bland, Meronk, Samooja, Kaymer

9. 4ACES GC: Taking a big drop in the Power Rankings is 4Aces GC after finishing second-to-last to open their season. Pat Perez only beat out his teammate Harold Varner III, although Dustin Johnson (tied for fifth) and Patrick Reed (T-17) both had good showings. Varner is coming off a third-place finish in the season-long individual standings last season, so one would think last week was simply an anomaly. Predicted order of finish: Johnson, Reed, Varner, Perez

10. MAJESTICS GC: Nobody on Majestics GC finished worse than T-36 in Mexico, but they also lacked a top-15 result to finish ninth in the team standings. On the positive side of things, they were 11 under during the final two rounds, which was tied for third best. Captain Ian Poulter is hoping for a breakthrough season from a healthy Sam Horsfield, who posted back-to-back rounds of 69 on the weekend to finish T-17. Predicted order of finish: Stenson, Poulter, Horsfield, Westwood

11. HYFLYERS GC: The HyFlyers GC are coming off a 10th-place finish in which they were one of just two teams that failed to post an under-par round. Captain Phil Mickelson and Andy Ogletree shot a combined 19-over par, while Cameron Tringale (T-17) and Brendan Steele (T-21) will look to be the consistent duo on this squad. Predicted order of finish: Tringale, Steele, Mickelson, Ogletree

12. RANGEGOATS GC: The team was unable to post a top-20 individual result last week, leading to an 11th-place finish. After finishing runner-up at El Camaleon last year, Peter Uihlein’s struggles continued as he shot 11 over for the week. Perhaps a new venue will suit them well in the desert, but it’s hard to be optimistic after they posted just three under-par rounds combined last week. Predicted order of finish: Watson, Pieters, Uihlein, Wolff

13. IRON HEADS GC: Closing out the Power Rankings for a second consecutive week is Iron Heads GC, which are coming off a last-place finish by three strokes. Captain Kevin Na was the lone bright spot, carding three under-par rounds and ranking second in driving accuracy and scrambling. The rest of the team finished T-38 or worse, however, leaving little optimism heading into Vegas. Predicted order of finish: Na, S. Vincent, Kozuma, Lee