LIV GOLF JEDDAH POWER RANKINGS: 5 PLAYERS, 4 TEAMS

Cameron Smith, Talor Gooch or Bryson DeChambeau will win the Individual Champion title. Five other golfers still have a shot at claiming the third place bonus position. It’s the last chance for the rest of the field to claim a top 24 spot in the Lock Zone or avoid the bottom positions in the Drop Zone that will face relegation. And, of course, team seeds are also on the line. (Click here for all permutations.)

Only a small handful of players in the 48-man field will be unfamiliar with Royal Greens, which hosted LIV Golf Invitational Jeddah last year and is the annual site for the PIF Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers on the Asian Tour.

The four Saudi International winners (Dustin Johnson, Graeme McDowell, Harold Varner III and 2023 winner Abraham Ancer) and last year’s Jeddah winner (Brooks Koepka) should enter with good vibes on a course that can be challenging when the winds kick up.

With that in mind, here are the picks for top five players and top four teams going into Friday’s opening round:

5 PLAYERS

1. DUSTIN JOHNSON – Nobody in the field can match his track record at Royal Greens, with two victories and a runner-up in his five Saudi International starts. Last year in Jeddah, he tied for fifth, just two shots out of a playoff. It’s been an inconsistent year for DJ, but he seems to be rounding into form. And he still has a shot at claiming the third-place individual bonus.

2. ABRAHAM ANCER – Like DJ, just can’t ignore his track record at Royal Greens. He won the PIF Saudi International in February to start his 2023 season. In previous visits, he finished T6 in 2020 and T8 in 2022. And he was T10 last year at LIV Golf Jeddah. Plus, he’s in form, with top-5s in his last two LIV starts.

3. ANIRBAN LAHIRI – Could easily had ranked him at the top this week, given his recent performances – 2nd in Bedminster, T2 in Chicago. Decent track record at Royal Greens; he was T12 to Ancer earlier this year. Plus, if anyone’s “due” for a win, it’s Lahiri.

4. BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU – Just a reminder: Two wins in his last three starts. A third win this week doesn’t automatically guarantee him the Individual title, but it would force Smith and Gooch to finish close to him on the leaderboard. He’s played Royal Greens several times, including a T6 in 2019.

5. CAMERON SMITH – He’s in pole position for the final lap of the Individual Champion title. Lots of permutations at play, but the simplest approach is that he needs to finish ahead of Gooch and stay close to wherever DeChambeau finishes. Actually, the simplest approach is that he wins for the third time in his last five LIV Golf starts. That’ll take care of everything.

OTHERS CONSIDERED: Marc Leishman has cranked it up recently, with a couple of runner-up finishes and another top 10 in his four LIV starts … Talor Gooch is No. 2 in points and has the best chance to catch Smith, so expect a big push … Brooks Koepka and Peter Uihlein dueled in a thrilling playoff last year as teammates. They’re on separate teams now but would love another showdown … Expect at least one Torque to be in the mix on Sunday – and it just might be the youngest one, David Puig, who comes off his first pro win at last week’s International Series Singapore.

4 TEAMS

1. CRUSHERS GC – Won in Chicago and runners-up in the previous two events. With DeChambeau and Lahiri in form, Paul Casey’s familiarity with Royal Greens, and Charles Howell III’s in a consistent stretch, the Crushers moved into second in the team standings and seek to overtake the 4Aces for the top seed.

2. RANGEGOATS GC – Harold Varner III and Bubba Watson were 1-2 at the 2022 Saudi International (Varner winning on a 90-foot eagle putt on the last hole). Talor Gooch needs a big week, and Thomas Pieters is playing better. Plus, the RangeGoats are looking to move into the top 4 for a first-round bye.

3. TORQUE GC – Joaquin Niemann’s team would love to claim the top seed by winning for the fifth time this season. Three different Torque player have finished in the top 10 on the individual leaderboard in the last three events. Will be interesting to see if the team gets a bounce from David Puig’s victory on Sunday in Singapore.

4. STINGER GC ­– The South Africans have just a two-point lead over the RangeGoats for the fourth and final bye position, so maintaining that advantage will be the team’s key motivation. Unlike last year, Branden Grace enters Jeddah in better shape, healthwise. He’d love a big performance before his wife delivers their second child early next week.

OTHERS CONSIDERED: League-leading 4Aces GC still hope to finish No. 1 but as the only team that’s sealed a bye for the Team Championship, their focus may be on repeating next week in Miami … Fireballs GC comes off a runner-up performance in Chicago, its best result in the last seven LIV events.