Latest news with #LIVMiami
West Australian
6 days ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Marc Leishman happy with how LIV tour prepares players for golf's four majors
Marc Leishman is adamant that playing on the LIV tour is good preparation for golf's four majors as he steels himself for the tough challenge of a US Open next week. For the first time since 2022, Leishman will compete in a major after qualifying for the tournament, which is being played at the Oakmont Country Club in Texas. It took Leishman 38 holes – including two playoff holes – in a single day earlier this week at Woodmont Country Club in Maryland to secure US Open qualification. 'It's an experience I'd probably rather not have to deal with … 38 holes in a day isn't the easiest, but I'm just happy to have it be worthwhile,' the 41-year-old Victorian said. 'Coming off a month off, get some competitive rounds under the belt and play under a little bit of pressure … I'm happy to gain some confidence out of it and hit some good shots when I really need to.' Before the US Open, Leishman will further hone his game in the LIV Golf Virginia event this week at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. Critics of the 14-event LIV tour have suggested its three-round, no-cut, 54-hole format doesn't properly prepare players for the tough mental test of a four-round, 72-hole major. However, Leishman – who will join fellow Australians Cameron Smith, Jason Day, Adam Scott, Min Woo Lee and Cam Davis in the US Open field – disagreed. 'The way our schedule is set up actually lends itself to being able to prepared very well for the majors,' said Leishman, a member of LIV's Ripper GC team alongside Smith, Lucas Herbert and Matt Jones. 'We're playing against great fields every single week on tough golf courses. Yes, it's 54 holes, but it puts a bit of pressure on that first round to get off to a good start because they are a little bit more of a sprint. 'We're still playing a lot of golf, away from tournaments, enjoying golf more, and when you are enjoying your golf and it's not so much of a grind, that lends itself to better play. 'I prepared for the (US Open) qualifier which I normally wouldn't have been able to do, I'd be preparing for other tournaments. 'I'm happy with the way the schedule is, and the way you can lead into majors. 'I want to test myself against the best players, and we do that in the LIV events. Yes, there are no cuts, but once you get to the end of the tournament and it's `I win or you win', you're not even thinking about that, all that stuff. 'You want to get yourself into that pressure cooker and test yourself under the most immense pressure and see if you can handle it. 'That's why I do it. Whether I'm playing the Victorian PGA or the LIV Miami (event,), I want to try to win.' And having won the LIV Miami event in April, Leishman was confident he could be among the US Open contenders next week. 'Golf's a funny game, and you need a lot of stuff to go right on the right weeks, particularly the major weeks,' he said. 'I've never treated them any different to the event I'm playing this week, or the Australian PGA, or whatever it might be, 'I just prepare the way I prepare, and hope that I've got my good stuff on the right week, and sometimes even if you do have your good stuff and you make the putts, and you get a couple of lucky breaks, someone can still go crazy and beat you. 'You need a lot of stuff to go right, but definitely I feel like my game is probably as good as it's ever been, my mindset is as good as it's ever been, and hopefully I can get the breaks and come out on top. 'It's a long tournament, there are a lot of unbelievable players, and I just hope I can give myself a chance to be in contention (in the fourth and final round) and test myself.'
Perth Now
6 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
‘Test': Aussie star rejects LIV theory
Marc Leishman is adamant that playing on the LIV tour is good preparation for golf's four majors as he steels himself for the tough challenge of a US Open next week. For the first time since 2022, Leishman will compete in a major after qualifying for the tournament, which is being played at the Oakmont Country Club in Texas. It took Leishman 38 holes – including two playoff holes – in a single day earlier this week at Woodmont Country Club in Maryland to secure US Open qualification. 'It's an experience I'd probably rather not have to deal with … 38 holes in a day isn't the easiest, but I'm just happy to have it be worthwhile,' the 41-year-old Victorian said. 'Coming off a month off, get some competitive rounds under the belt and play under a little bit of pressure … I'm happy to gain some confidence out of it and hit some good shots when I really need to.' Marc Leishman has qualified for next week's US Open. Michael Klein Credit: News Corp Australia Before the US Open, Leishman will further hone his game in the LIV Golf Virginia event this week at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. Critics of the 14-event LIV tour have suggested its three-round, no-cut, 54-hole format doesn't properly prepare players for the tough mental test of a four-round, 72-hole major. However, Leishman – who will join fellow Australians Cameron Smith, Jason Day, Adam Scott, Min Woo Lee and Cam Davis in the US Open field – disagreed. 'The way our schedule is set up actually lends itself to being able to prepared very well for the majors,' said Leishman, a member of LIV's Ripper GC team alongside Smith, Lucas Herbert and Matt Jones. 'We're playing against great fields every single week on tough golf courses. Yes, it's 54 holes, but it puts a bit of pressure on that first round to get off to a good start because they are a little bit more of a sprint. 'We're still playing a lot of golf, away from tournaments, enjoying golf more, and when you are enjoying your golf and it's not so much of a grind, that lends itself to better play. 'I prepared for the (US Open) qualifier which I normally wouldn't have been able to do, I'd be preparing for other tournaments. 'I'm happy with the way the schedule is, and the way you can lead into majors. 'I want to test myself against the best players, and we do that in the LIV events. Yes, there are no cuts, but once you get to the end of the tournament and it's `I win or you win', you're not even thinking about that, all that stuff. 'You want to get yourself into that pressure cooker and test yourself under the most immense pressure and see if you can handle it. 'That's why I do it. Whether I'm playing the Victorian PGA or the LIV Miami (event,), I want to try to win.' And having won the LIV Miami event in April, Leishman was confident he could be among the US Open contenders next week. Leishman (left) celebrates his LIV Miami win with his caddie Matthew Kelly. Montana Pritchard/LIV Golf Credit: Supplied 'Golf's a funny game, and you need a lot of stuff to go right on the right weeks, particularly the major weeks,' he said. 'I've never treated them any different to the event I'm playing this week, or the Australian PGA, or whatever it might be, 'I just prepare the way I prepare, and hope that I've got my good stuff on the right week, and sometimes even if you do have your good stuff and you make the putts, and you get a couple of lucky breaks, someone can still go crazy and beat you. 'You need a lot of stuff to go right, but definitely I feel like my game is probably as good as it's ever been, my mindset is as good as it's ever been, and hopefully I can get the breaks and come out on top. 'It's a long tournament, there are a lot of unbelievable players, and I just hope I can give myself a chance to be in contention (in the fourth and final round) and test myself.'
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
DeChambeau Finally Gets it Done
Lose, lose, lose, win. That has been Bryson DeChambeau's result in his last four events, but as he stood on the 18th green in the final round of the LIV Golf Korea event, the three previous losses were far in the rearview mirror with his third LIV individual win. Advertisement Losing is a familiar result if you play professional golf for a living. Still, in DeChambeau's case, he was in the final group at LIV Miami, The Masters, and LIV Mexico, but faltered in the final round every time. So, when DeChambeau started Sunday in Incheon, the last three events had to be somewhere on his mind. 'I was personally pretty nervous on the front nine for whatever reason,' DeChambeau said after his final round 66. 'That putt I made on 8 was great, two-putt on 9. After the 9th hole, I don't know what hit me, I just said, you know what, just play like a kid again, and I started doing that on the back nine and striped a 3-wood on 11, gave me a lot of confidence.' Bryson DeChambeau in action during the first round of LIV Golf Korea at Jack Nicklaus Golf Course. Kim Soo-Hyeon/Reuters via Imagn Images Recording 20 birdies and a lone bogey in the final round, DeChambeau showed nothing but supreme confidence, almost like the last three failures meant nothing. Advertisement The other dynamic that DeChambeau had to address was the fact that the final threesome included his Crusher teammate Charles Howell III. Good friends, Howell started the day five shots behind the Crushers' captain but methodically chipped away at DeChambeau's lead. Starting the round with three consecutive birdies, Howell was a constant irritant to DeChambeau, and when he made his lone bogey of the tournament on the sixth hole, and then Howell made his fourth birdie, the lead was just one shot. When the group made the turn, they would record 12 birdies, and when Howell made a birdie on the 14th, the lead had evaporated. Advertisement After both birdied the par 5 15th hole, the match turned on the par 4 16th hole when Howell found the right fairway bunker, 30 yards behind DeChambeau, who was at just 137 yards from the hole. The Augusta native could not get to the green, and his third stayed on the front edge, leaving Howell with a 17-footer that was short of par. Getting back his one-shot lead propelled DeChambeau with birdies on the final two holes, 48 footer on the 17th and tap-in on the 18th and a two-shot victory over Howell. Charles Howell III of the Crushers GC plays his shot from the 16th tee during the LIV Golf Dallas Team Championship Semifinals at Maridoe Golf Club. Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images 'Chucky and I had a great battle out there. He never wavered today, it felt like, until 16,' DeChambeau said. 'It felt like he was just pushing forward, and he was going to shoot 10, 11-under today. I thought, my goodness, I don't know if I could beat that today.' Advertisement When Howell made birdie on the final hole he signed for a 9-under 63, it was the 45-year-old's lowest round under par in his LIV Golf career. Listen, I knew today would be a tough day to catch Bryson and even to try to beat him, but I gave it my best,' Howell said after his round. 'I definitely would have thought 9-under would have done it, and clearly it didn't.' Related: Bryson DeChambeau Isn't Answering the Bell Related: Torque GC Needs to Dump Mito Pereira
NBC Sports
09-04-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Masters 2025 Punch Shot: Who wins and who leaves Augusta National most disappointed?
The Masters Tournament commences Thursday. Who will don the green jacket? Who will leave dejected? Who might surprise along the way? The team is on-site at Augusta National Golf Club and offers up some answers to the pressing questions at the year's first major. Who wins the 89th Masters? Ryan Lavner: Collin Morikawa. Everything seems to be coalescing for one of the game's most accurate players. Good form this season; he's tops in strokes gained. And good history to draw upon; three consecutive top-10s at Augusta, including playing his way into the final group a year ago. If he's at his sharpshooting best, it could be his time to bust his winless drought and nab a third leg of the Slam. Rex Hoggard: Rory McIlroy. This is a head vs. heart conversation and without an undeniable alternative, the Northern Irishman is the statistical favorite by any measure. He's the only player this year on the PGA Tour to win twice — at a signature event and the circuit's flagship stop — and he does the one thing (strokes gained: approach) that Augusta National demands better than anyone else this season. Brentley Romine: Justin Thomas. It's so easy to go with Scottie or Rory, but Thomas is back to being the superstar he used to be. He ranks top 10 in strokes gained: approach and is a top-40 putter, plus he's posted three top-10s in his last four worldwide starts. Will a LIV play contend? Lavner: Yes. Multiple. Jon Rahm has been a top-10 machine and feels great about the year ahead. Bryson DeChambeau is driving the ball as well as he ever has. And then there's other players who are trending in the right direction, such as Joaquin Niemann, who has never played better, or Tyrrell Hatton, who has been a consistent force on any tour. Also wouldn't be surprised if Phil Mickelson makes a run; he tied for second two years ago, and his game is in a much cleaner place at the moment. Ryan Lavner, Hoggard: Jon Rahm. Although the Spaniard is just one of arguably a half dozen LIV players who can contend at the Masters, he seems to be in the best form having finished inside the top 10 in all five events on the rival league this season and his record at the year's first major is undeniable with a victory (2023) and five top-10 finishes in eight starts. Romine: Yes. Jon Rahm's T-9 at LIV Miami on Sunday was his worst finish of the season. He's fired up to redeem himself after last year's less-than-stellar green-jacket defense. Will 10 to 12 under win again? Lavner: No. Slightly deeper. Heavy rain Monday has taken some of the fire out of the course, and there isn't anything in the upcoming forecast – upper 60s, bright sunshine, mild breeze – that should frighten the players. These are ideal playing conditions, and the scores should reflect that. Hoggard: Yes (11 under). There will be plenty of handwringing over the Monday rains that soaked the course and the notion a soft Augusta National will yield to the game's best, but the last four years have seen similar conditions and the winning scores have been 10 under, 10 under, 12 under and 11 under, respectively. These guys are good, as the old marketing material noted, but so is Augusta National. Romine: No. Lower. The conditions are largely ideal with little wind in the forecast. Sure, there are four new — and firm — greens, but these guys are really good. Who leaves most disappointed? Lavner: Ludvig Åberg. In a small sample size he's proven to be a big-game hunter, playing his way into the lead at the Masters in his debut performance. But there are some significant question marks about the state of his game, as he enters the year's first major having missed the cut at The Players and Valero Texas Open. Most crucially this year, he's been untidy with his approach play, and that is – by far – the most critical component at Augusta. Hoggard: Bryson DeChambeau. His love of the Masters is obvious and Augusta National is exactly the kind of serpentine test that brings out the best in the game's deepest thinker, but the equation has eluded him with just one top-10 finish in eight starts (2024). This doesn't feel like the year he figures it all out, but he won't stop trying. Romine: Ludvig Åberg. After last year's runner-up, so many people are riding the young Swede to make a run again this week. But I just don't see it. He's barely inside the top 100 in both strokes gained: approach and strokes gained: putting. He's got the talent to certainly prove me way wrong, but I'm just saying I'm concerned. What longshot could be in the mix? Lavner: Russell Henley. Surprised the world No. 7's odds are this low (55-1), given his form entering the Masters. Though he's relatively short off the tee, he makes up for it with his dialed approach play and red-hot putter. He's the no-brainer choice here. Sepp Straka (75-1) and Patrick Reed (90-1) also warrant consideration given their recent play and course fit. Hoggard: Russell Henley. The five-time Tour winner doesn't perfectly fit the mold of Masters champion but he is statistically an easy pick. Augusta National has the greatest GIR (greens in regulation) bias on Tour and Henley is third this season in GIR and sixth in proximity to the hole. If he can putt like he did last month when he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational he has the makings of a textbook longshot. Romine: Sepp Straka at 75-1 is great value. The Austrian ranks in the top five in both strokes gained: approach and proximity, and he's poised to build on not only a dazzling start to his year but also his T-16 from last year's Masters. If you want someone a little deeper, look at J.J. Spaun at 130-1. Spaun debuted at Augusta National three years ago and posted a T-23. He's enjoying arguably the best golf of his career right now, and he's second on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: approach. Bryson DeChambeau addresses the media on the evolution of his approach at Augusta National, his focus of playing the golf course over the competition, tinkering his driver heads, and coming up from Northern California.
New York Times
09-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
2025 Masters long shots, sleepers and prop picks: Rooting for a hole-in-one
I liken the way that people bet on the Masters to the way people shop on Black Friday. All of the options and numbers can get overwhelming, and by the time you look at your wallet, you've spent more than you intended. You may walk into Walmart planning to get one great deal, and the next thing you know, you're asking your spouse to bring the big car so you can fit your haul in the trunk. (Or, in today's online shopping world, whatever the equivalent is for your Amazon cart.) Advertisement In the same way, that 10-leg parlay may look good right now, but it will be as big an eyesore on your betting slip as that pressure cooker you never use on your kitchen counter. I go into this week with a reminder to protect my bankroll. I also tally the Masters futures bets I've already placed and count them toward my maximum weekly spend. I had futures on Robert MacIntyre, Xander Schauffele, Min Woo Lee and Ludvig Åberg at different points. I'm happy with the numbers I have on Åberg and Min Woo Lee, but I'm not looking to invest in them any more than I already have. I still see value in betting MacIntyre and Schauffele for a few different reasons, so I am keeping those bets in mind while I scour prop bets at various sportsbooks. With Tiger Woods sidelined again with injury, we may not see the same betting volume as in past years, but we should see some decent values. While the prop bets may take up a lot of my time from now until the start of the tournament, I'll also be looking at a few longshots that I think could surprise this week and contend. Their odds are long for a reason, but their season-long statistics show a real opportunity to pay off either as a small bet outright or as a late Sunday hedge. Do I think Kevin Yu will win the Masters the first time he tees it up? No. Could he surprise everyone and be among the leaders at different points in the tournament? Yes. Here are the Masters sleepers and props that I find intriguing right now. Corey Conners (+6000, shop up to +7500) is playing some great golf leading into this year's Masters Tournament. Conners has gained strokes off the tee and around the green in five straight tournaments. He has gained more than 6.8 strokes from tee to green in four straight tournaments. He has knocked on the door at the Masters before because of his excellent tee-to-green play, and he's even been a plus with the putter three out of six times he's played at Augusta National. Advertisement Patrick Reed (+6600, shop up to +10000) won here in 2018 and has had four top-12 finishes since, yet he still gets overlooked every year. Reed may rub fans and pundits the wrong way, but you cannot deny how he gets his golf ball around the golf course at Augusta National. He comes into this week after a great week off the tee and on the greens at LIV Miami. He has gained strokes on approach in four straight tournaments on the LIV Golf Tour and looks as good as he has since he left the PGA Tour. Sepp Straka (+6600, shop up to +8000) is one of my favorite plays this week. He has gained over four strokes on approach in each of his last four tournaments and has had an incredible year so far. Straka won The American Express and sits in second place in the FedEx Cup Points race. He has made the cut in all three tries at Augusta National and gained over 6.5 strokes tee-to-green at the Masters in 2025. Sergio García (+8000) is in incredible form coming into this Masters. He won LIV Hong Kong in March and has had two other top-four finishes since. He is back to being dominant from tee to green, which bodes well for his chances this week. García looks to be pushing to play in more major championships and just missed out on qualifying for the 2025 Open Championship when he missed a 3-foot putt at the International Series Macau. He has been very bad at the Masters since his win in 2017, but I'm encouraged with how competitive he looks this year. Kevin Yu (+25000, shop up to +35000) is a wild-card pick based on my model and how he has performed from tee to green lately. His name pops when I do this week's trends and power rankings. He has gained over 4.1 strokes from tee to green in five of his last six tournaments. He has four top-18 finishes over that same time frame. He struggles with his putter, but his ball-striking form could see him surprise this week. The Masters hasn't been decided by a playoff since Sergio García defeated Justin Rose in a playoff at the 2017 Masters. With Scottie Scheffler not looking as dominant as he did last season, I don't think anyone is going to run away with this tournament. I think it will be close in the end, and I am hoping it will end in a playoff. A playoff between Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry would be an all-timer. I'm rooting for that kind of drama. Advertisement Watching the tournament and rooting against a hole-in-one just seems wrong on so many levels. We haven't had a hole-in-one since 2022, so we must be due, right? In all seriousness, I have a group of 24 or so players who are striking their irons well right now and have a chance at making an ace on the 16th. You can also bet this specifically for the 16th hole for +100. (Photo of Rory McIlroy: Richard Heathcote / Getty Images)
