Quotes of the year from the 2024 LIV Golf season
The 2024 LIV Golf season provided plenty of historic moments that will live in the memories of golf fans throughout the world. From clutch shots to drama-filled closing holes prompting team celebrations, it was a season to remember.
But some of the best moments came before and after rounds, when the game’s biggest stars were asked to reflect on successes and disappointments, or discuss a bevy of golf topics. And there were plenty of hilarious moments as well.
With that, here are some of the best quotes from 2024.
“I said coming into the week if we were to win, I don’t know that I could do the champagne celebration because I’m underage.” - Caleb Surratt, who was 20 when Legion XIII won the team title at LIV Golf Mayakoba
“It has that feel of like the first day of school.” - Tyrrell Hatton of Legion XIII prior to the team’s first-ever LIV Golf event at LIV Golf Mayakoba
“I’m pretty tired, to be honest. I’m sure me and mama are going to go back to the room and just hang out, go to bed.” - 4Aces GC Captain Dustin Johnson on his wild plans after winning the individual title at LIV Golf Las Vegas
“I don't blame anybody but myself for the issues that I've had. With that being said, I was thrown into a situation because I had some success in golf that gave me different opportunities than a normal 23- or 24-year-old, and I took advantage of that. Once you get going down that slippery slope, it's hard to make your way back, and unfortunately, I just kept going downhill and somehow, I've made it through. I'm sitting here in front of you just feeling really honored and blessed to be here because there's a lot of reasons I shouldn't be here right now.” - Anthony Kim at LIV Golf Miami on returning to professional golf after a 12-year absence
“We should definitely make it happen. The only thing is that Mark plays extremely fast, so we’ve got to be almost sprinting to our balls. It’s a little bit crazy the way he plays golf.” - Fireballs GC’s Abraham Ancer, who is close friends with superstar actor Mark Wahlberg, on filming a round together
“The photographer did not get me at the apex (of my jump) and didn’t do it justice.” - HyFlyers GC Captain Phil Mickelson, with a laugh, at LIV Golf Miami when asked about the iconic photo of him jumping after winning the Masters 20 years ago
“We love team sports and team golf. You see it on paper and reading it is one thing, but actually coming out here living it and seeing the growth over the years, the growth of the people around us and buying into it, it’s an enjoyment. Competition is real. There’s a different element; it’s not just individual. It creates a lot of drama out there on Sunday.” - RangeGoats Captain Bubba Watson at LIV Golf Miami discussing team golf
“I think it’s awesome how we can get together, come together when teammates are struggling and lift them up. Last year, I was struggling pretty badly and Paul (Casey) and Charles (Howell III) were like, ‘Dude, let’s figure this out. Let’s go to the driving range.’ From the team aspect, there are so many times that I’ve been out here and thought, ‘I can’t see this any other way.’ This is just the coolest thing that I’ve ever experienced in professional golf.” - Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau at LIV Golf Miami discussing team golf
“A storybook ending. I think we’re all ready for a beer and a long sleep.” - Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith after his all-Aussie team won in their home country of Australia
“A couple Diet Cokes and off to bed.” - Ripper GC’s Marc Leishman, with a wink, on how the teammates would celebrate after winning LIV Golf Adelaide
“I was terrified over that wedge shot. It’s really tough. I had to get it over the tier and not go back into the bunker. And I’ve got 10,000 fans in the fairway.” - HyFlyers GC Brendan Steele on his clutch shot on the final hole to win the individual trophy at LIV Golf Adelaide
“Being able to come here and bring professional golf at the highest level to different parts of Asia, it’s a huge part of the growth of the game. I grew up being able to watch professional players in my (hometown of) San Diego. It was something to be able to see the best players play and be inspired to try and get out there and dream about it as a kid.” - HyFlyers GC Captain Phil Mickelson at LIV Golf Singapore
“You can’t miss it a millimeter behind the ball or a millimeter too close to the call. From 60 yards with an open face, if you catch it just a little thin, I’m hitting it into the clubhouse. There is no room for error. For it to even go that far out of a bunker takes a pretty darn good amount of strength ... The difficulty was through the roof. It’s something that I never wish anyone to have.” - Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau on his now-legendary long bunker shot on the final hole of the U.S. Open
“He comes here after the U.S. Open, and instead of coming out to the golf course, he goes to downtown Nashville for two days and we are seeing pictures of him in the tee shirt and the hat. I told somebody that if they see this guy walking around downtown Nashville, you’d never know he’s a professional golfer.” - Tennessee native Caleb Surratt on teammate Tyrrell Hatton at LIV Golf Nashville
“The last three days have been wild. Overwhelming gratitude and I just want to say thank you to everybody. The support and the care that everybody has shown me, the love that they’ve shown me has been inspiring. It’s what keeps me going. I’ve been running on probably a cumulative total of 12 hours sleep in the last three days. You guys are the reason why I keep going. It’s been fantastic.” - Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau in his first LIV Golf press conference in Nashville after winning the U.S. Open at Pinehurst
“I love this place. I love these people. So thankful to everyone for what we were able to achieve today. I might be wrong, but I think that if the soccer team wins tonight, it could be probably one of the biggest days in the history of Spanish sports, I would say: (Carlos) Alcaraz winning, us winning both individually and as a team, and then the national team winning the Euro Cup. It would be amazing to have all those four things happen in the same day. It would be amazing.” - Fireballs GC Captain Sergio Garcia after winning the individual and team titles at Valderrama in his home country of Spain at LIV Golf Andalucia
“I felt like there was a hole in the game of golf where you look at guys like Mr. Beast or David Dobrik that are influencing a lot of people in the world, and I saw that market back in 2020. I said, ‘Man, if the golf industry could tap into that just a little but, how many more followers and players would we get? The game would just explode if we tapped into a small percent of that. The possibilities that come with garnering that type of audience is so unique that I thought it was not only important but necessary.” - Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau at LIV Golf Singapore on how LIV Golf has helped him elevate his social media and content platforms
“Whenever we have the opportunity to come and play in front of home fans, and especially this week, extending the tickets to 14,000, should be awesome for us. We don’t play enough golf over here, so when we do, it’s pretty special.” - Majesticks GC’s Co-Captain Ian Poulter at LIV Golf UK by JCB
“Charles Howell III would be the best person to call. He’s going to answer and he’s going to give you every scenario in which to make it make sense. He would say, ‘Yes, absolutely, I got you, no problem, yes, we’re going to do this.’” - Crushers Captain Bryson DeChambeau when asked who he would call first if his car broke down in the middle of nowhere at 3 a.m.
“I think this one just meant a little bit more. For the last few years playing Jon and obviously he got the better of me at Augusta. I just wanted to beat him.” - Smash GC Captain Brooks Koepka after defeating Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm in a playoff at LIV Golf Greenbrier
“It's a different accomplishment because it's not just one week. Can't really compare anything to majors in the sport that we live in, but being able to win the season-long race in two out of the three big leagues and having almost done it on the PGA Tour, as well, it's a different feeling. Just being able to culminate all the good golf all season, and especially doing it by winning individually today I think is what makes it so much more special, knowing that I had to win and getting it done is something to really be proud of and something to reflect on. When I get to a point like this, I always think about the amount of work that a lot of people have to put in for me to get to this position and how thankful I am for everybody around on my team. It all starts with my wife because without her support, it wouldn't be the same.” – Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm reflecting on his season-long individual title during his first year on the LIV Golf League
Niemann: “My wife probably wouldn’t be happy knowing that my ring would have more carats” … Rahm: “I'm trying to picture what it looks like right now, and I can't get that in my mind. It's a lot. It's definitely a lot. But honestly, who cares what it is as long as you're the one that has it. That's, I think, what most of us will be thinking. - Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann and Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm when told the LIV Golf championship rings have 5.78 carats of white diamonds
“I think when you have the guys that you genuinely care about, those moments out there with three or four holes to go, we’re all pulling for each other, you can’t replicate that. That’s a feeling that only friends really get. Teammates is a cool thing and of course you’re playing for your team, but wanting to win as friends is almost cooler.” - Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith after he and his teammates won the season-ending Team Championship in Dallas