LIV Golf Jeddah Invitational Round 2 pairings and tee times explored
The LIV Golf Jeddah concluded its first round on Friday with Marc Leishman atop the leaderboard, one stroke ahead of Harold Varner III, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka. Jeddah is the final individual event of the season and will determine the 2023 champion.
Groups for Saturday were defined by the order in which players finished on Friday. Therefore, the best-placed players will play in groups one and two of the second round of the LIV Golf Jeddah.
However, there will be other groups that will receive as much or more attention, and this is due to the definition of first place in the individual ranking of the season. Three players are involved in this battle, and their groups will undoubtedly be in the spotlight.
The current leader of the season, Cameron Smith, will be playing in Group 9, along with Kevin Na and Scott Vincent. Smith has 170 points in the individual standings, and a sixth-place finish or better would guarantee him the title.
Second-place finisher Talor Gooch is in Group 10 with Brandon Steele and Lee Westwood. Gooch has 162 points and needs to finish fifth or better, and for Smith to finish lower than sixth to win the season title.
The third player in contention is Bryson DeChambeau, who will play in group seven this Saturday at LIV Golf Jeddah. He is paired with Henrik Stenson and Cameron Tringale.
DeChambeau has 146 points on the individual leaderboard and needs to finish tied for third or better to win the championship, with Smith finishing lower than sixth and Gooch lower than fifth.
If all three finish lower than the aforementioned places in the LIV Golf Jeddah, it will depend on the points they managed to score and the difference it produced between them.
Speaking of definitions, a lot of things are decided at the bottom of the standings, too. The last four players on the final list will be relegated to the development circuit.
Jediah Morgan, James Piot, Chase Koepka and Sihwan Kim currently hold those positions. However, 16 other players (excluding captains) have a mathematical chance of being relegated.
LIV Golf Jeddah Round Two Pairings
Here are the pairings for the second round of the LIV Golf Jeddah. All groups will tee off on Saturday at 5:15 p.m. (Eastern Time).
GROUP 1 (Hole 1)
- Harold Varner III GC -4
- Dustin Johnson GC -4
- Marc Leishman -5
GROUP 2 (Hole 2)
- Louis Oosthuizen -3
- Charles Howell III -3
- Brooks Koepka -4
GROUP 3 (Hole 3)
- Martin Kaymer -2
- Mito Pereira -2
- Richard Bland -3
GROUP 4 (Hole 4)
- Joaquin Niemann -2
- Carlos Ortiz -2
- Paul Casey -2
GROUP 5 (Hole 18)
- Matt Jones -1
- Phil Mickelson -1
- Sergio Garcia -2
GROUP 6 (Hole 17)
- Danny Lee -1
- Patrick Reed -1
- Eugenio Chacarra -1
GROUP 7 (Hole 16)
- Henrik Stenson -1
- Cameron Tringale -1
- Bryson DeChambeau -1
GROUP 8 (Hole 6)
- Sam Horsfield E
- Peter Uihlein E
- Sebastian Muñoz E
GROUP 9 (Hole 7)
- Kevin Na E
- Cameron Smith E
- Scott Vincent E
GROUP 10 (Hole 8)
- Brandon Steele E
- Talor Gooch E
- Lee Westwood E
GROUP 11 (Hole 9)
- Thomas Pieters E
- Charl Schwartzel E
- Jason Kokrak E
GROUP 12 (Hole 10)
- Dean Burmester +1
- David Puig +1
- Abraham Ancer +1
GROUP 13 (Hole 11)
- Bubba Watson +1
- Jediah Morgan +1
- James Piot +1
GROUP 14 (Hole 12)
- Sihwan Kim +2
- Anirban Lahiri +2
- Bernd Wiesberger +1
GROUP 15 (Hole 14)
- Ian Poulter +2
- Patt Perez +2
- Branden Grace +2
GROUP 16 (Hole 15)
- Matt Wolff +6
- Graeme McDowell +3
- Chase Koepka +3