The LIV Golf League’s maiden (full) season gets underway this week with the inaugural Mayakoba event.
The marquee names headlining the LIV Golf Invitational – Mayakoba are Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson Dechambeau, Patrick Reed, Henrik Stenson and Cameron Smith, among others.
Below are some details to get you primed for an exciting week of golf on the Mexican shore.
2023 LIV Golf Invitational – Mayakoba
Pro Golf Weekly previews LIV Golf’s stop at Mayakoba in this week’s 2023 LIV Golf Invitational – Mayakoba Primer.
The Skinny
Tournament:Â LIV Golf Invitational – Mayakoba
Dates:Â Feb. 24-26, 2023
Where: Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Course:Â El Camaleon Golf Club
Distance: Par 71, 7017 yards
Architect: Greg Norman
Format: 54-holes: Team & Individual
Purse: $25,000,000
Winning Share: $4,000,000
Winning Team Share: $3,000,000
TV Broadcast: The CW Network
How to Follow: LIV Golf Invitational – Mayakoba
TELEVISION: Sat-Sun: 1-6 p.m. (The CW)
STREAMING: Fri-Sun: 1-6 p.m. (The CW App, Youtube, LIVGolf.com)
LINKS: Web | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Youtube
The Format
The LIV Golf League 2023 features 12 teams comprised of four players competing over a 14-event schedule, with players and teams competing simultaneously for both points and prize money.
Tournaments consist of 54-hole stroke play, no cuts and shotgun starts, ensuring a faster and more exciting pace of play.
Captains: Each team has a captain while members of the four-player teams, including the captain, participate in the three-day tournament.
Individual Winner: The player with the lowest 54-hole stroke play total is the winner. At the season’s end, the player with the most ranking points will be named the season’s Individual Champion.
Team Competition: Over the first two rounds, the best two stroke play scores will count for each team. For the third and final round, the best three scores will count. The lowest overall team score after 54 holes is the team winner. The final event of the season is the team championship.
LIV Golf Mayakoba Field
While the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic will have a field headlined by the likes of Sungjae Im, Sepp Straka and Aaron Wise, the LIV field in Mexico will include some of golf’s most familiar names, such as Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson, Bubba Watson, Joaquin Niemann, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed, and Cameron Smith, the reigning British Open champion.
Other marquee names, co-headlining in Mexico, include international stars such as Thomas Pieters, Sebastian Munoz, Carlos Ortiz, Mito Peirera, Paul Casey, Lee Westwood, Dean Burmester, Abraham Ancer, Branden Grace, Marc Leishman, Martin Kaymer, Ian Poulter, Charl Schwartzel, Graeme McDowell, Bernd Wiesberger and Anirban Lahiri; along with Americans Matthew Wolff, Charles Howell III, Jason Kokrak, Talor Gooch, Pat Perez, Brendan Steele, Kevin Na, and Harold Varner III, among others.
Field: The Players
(Alphabetic order by last name)
1. Ancer, Abraham
2. Bland, Richard
3. Burmester, Dean
4. Casey, Paul
5. Chacarra, Eugenio
6. DeChambeau, Bryson
7. Garcia, Sergio
8. Gooch, Talor
9. Grace, Branden
10. Horsfield, Sam
11. Howell III, Charles
12. Johnson, Dustin
13. Jones, Matt
14. Kaymer, Martin
15. Kim, Sihwan
16. Koepka, Brooks
17. Koepka, Chase
18. Kokrak, Jason
19. Lahiri, Anirban
20. Lee, Danny
21. Leishman, Marc
22. McDowell, Graeme
23. Mickelson, Phil
24. Morgan, Jediah
25. Munoz, Sebastian
26. Na, Kevin
27. Niemann, Joaquin
28. Oosthuizen, Louis
29. Ortiz, Carlos
30. Pereira, Mito
31. Perez, Pat
32. Pieters, Thomas
33. Piot, James
34. Poulter, Ian
35. Puig, David
36. Reed, Patrick
37. Schwartzel, Charl
38. Smith, Cameron
39. Steele, Brendan
40. Stenson, Henrik
41. Tringale, Cameron
42. Uihlein, Peter
43. Varner III, Harold
44. Vincent, Scott
45. Watson, Bubba
46. Westwood, Lee
47. Wiesberger, Bernd
48. Wolff, Matthew
Top-5 Betting Favorites
1. Dustin Johnson +800
2. Cameron Smith +900
2. Joaquin Niemann +900
4. Abraham Ancer +1200
5. Paul Casey +1600
5. Thomas Pieters +1600
5. Sergio Garcia +1600
5. Patrick Reed +1600
Full Field & Odds
LIV Golf Mayakoba Teams
Below are the 12 teams (with captains italicized) who will compete at Mayakoba.
- 4 ACES GC – Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Peter Uihlein, Pat Perez
- RIPPER GC – Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, Matt Jones, Jediah Morgan
- CLEEKS GC – Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Bernd Wiesberger, Richard Bland
- SMASH GC – Brooks Koepka, Jason Kokrak, Matthew Wolff, Chase Koepka
- CRUSHERS GC – Bryson DeChambeau, Paul Casey, Charles Howell III, Anirban Lahiri
- MAJESTICKS GC – Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson, Sam Horsfield
- STINGER GC – Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace, Dean Burmester
- FIREBALLS GC – Sergio Garcia, Abraham Ancer, Carlos Ortiz, Eugenio Chacarra
- RANGEGOATS GC – Bubba Watson, Talor Gooch, Harold Varner III, Thomas Pieters
- TORQUE GC – Joaquin Niemann, Mito Pereira, Sebastian Munoz, David Puig
- HY FLYERS GC – Phil Mickelson, James Piot, Brendan Steele, Cameron Tringale
- IRON HEADS GC – Kevin Na, Scott Vincent, Danny Lee, Sihwan Kim
Teams: Top-5 Betting Favorites
1. 4 Aces (DJ) +350
2. Fireballs (Sergio) +550
3. RangeGoats (Bubba) +600
3. Torque (Niemann) +600
5. Crushers (DeChambeau) +700
5. Ripper (Cam Smith) +700
LIV Golf Mayakoba Course
El Camaleon Golf Club, the host of the LIV Golf Invitational – Mayakoba, is a Greg Norman-design in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. The course boasts a variety of tropical settings, including a jungle, mangroves, and oceanside holes.
Distinctive hazards such as cenotes (sink holes), including the famous “cave bunker” along with crystal-clear fresh-water canals make El Camaleon one of the most visually appealing on all the pro tours. It is certified by Audubon International for its commitment to the environment.
From a scenic standpoint, situated along the Mexican Caribbean Sea coastline, it will be one of the best the players see all year.
Fast Facts
El Camaleon GC
Opened: 1999
Par: 36-35-71
Yards: 7062
Par 3s: 4 (4, 8, 10, 15)
Par 5s: 3 (5, 7, 13)
Payouts: Points & Money
The tournament winner will receive a $4,000,000 payday along with 40 first-place points.
Note: a one-hole playoff will be conducted if there is a tie for first place after 54 holes. Hole 18 will be repeated until a winner is determined.
Pos-(Points)-Money
1 (40) $4,000,000
2 (30) $2,125,000
3 (24) $1,500,000
4 (18) $1,050,000
5 (16) $975,000
6 (14) $800,000
7 (13) $675,000
8 (12) $625,000
9 (11) $580,000
10 (10) $560,000
11 (8) $540,000
12 (7) $450,000
13 (6) $360,000
14 (5) $270,000
15 (4) $250,000
16 (3) $240,000
17 (3) $232,000
18 (2) $226,000
19 (2) $220,000
20 (2) $200,000
21 (1) $180,000
22 (1) $172,000
23 (1) $170,000
24 (1) $168,000
25 (-) $166,000
26 (-) $164,000
27 (-) $162,000
28 (-) $160,000
29 (-) $158,000
30 (-) $156,000
31 (-) $154,000
32 (-) $152,000
33 (-) $150,000
34 (-) $148,000
35 (-) $146,000
36 (-) $144,000
37 (-) $142,000
38 (-) $140,000
39 (-) $138,000
40 (-) $136,000
41 (-) $134,000
42 (-) $132,000
43 (-) $130,000
44 (-) $128,000
45 (-) $126,000
46 (-) $124,000
47 (-) $122,000
48 (-) $120,000
Next Stop: LIV Golf Tucson
LIV Golf Invitational – Tucson (Mar. 16-19) – Arizona is the setting for a high-stakes showdown when the LIV Golf League rolls into town for the second event in this year’s schedule.
Many of the world’s top players will be at The Gallery Golf Club, just outside Tucson, in the spirit of what was once the Wild West.
It’s a fitting venue for a pioneering golf series that is breaking new ground and exploring new frontiers with its fresh format and innovative all-action approach.
