Top 5 pairings to watch at LIV Golf London 2023
The LIV Golf London event is going to be only the second event of this season where teammates will be paired together for the first round. LIV Golf London will begin on Friday, July 7, at Centurion Club in Hemel Hempstead.
LIV Golf announced the threesomes for the first round on Thursday. Captains of various teams are paired together in teams. Only Majesticks GC captains Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter are in a single group, along with their teammate Laurie Canter. In the rest of the threesomes, non-captaining teammates are clubbed together.
For #LIVGolf London round 1 LIV is returning to captains and teams playing together! Personally I think this is a good system for the first round! https://t.co/GzFgGD753b
Among the 18 groups, there are a few pairings that fans will be excited to look forward to. Here we will look at five of the exciting groupings for LIV Golf London 2023.
5 pairings to watch at LIV Golf London 2023, round 1
1) Henrik Stenson, Cameron Smith, and Louis Oosthuizen
The first pairing of the LIV Golf London event is Stinger GC Captain Louis Oosthuizen, Majesticks co-captain Henrik Stenson, and Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith.
The trio hasn't been impressive in the 2023 season of the Saudi-backed circuit, as they have struggled to register a single win in eight starts this season. Smith has been consistent with four top-10 finishes, while Oosthuizen finished twice in the top 10 and Stenson only once. It will be interesting to see if any of them breaks the winning drought this week.
2) Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, and Brooks Koepka
Hole 2 is perhaps the most exciting group of the first-round pairings. The group is full of star power, with big names like Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, and Brooks Koepka.
Among the three, Koepka has tasted success with the LIV Golf Orlando title and a win at the PGA Championship, his fifth major win. Despite one victory this season so far, Johnson individually has been hot and cold as per his standards. However, his team, the 4Aces, is still topping this year's standings. Mickelson has yet to win on the Saudi-backed circuit.
3) Sergio Garcia, Joaquin Niemann, and Martin Kaymer
On hole 3, we have Sergio Garcia, Joaquin Niemann, and Martin Kaymer. Garcia is entering the tournament after failing to qualify for the Open Championship 2023, which would have been his 25th straight appearance. Although Niemann hasn't won an event in the individual portion, his team, Torque GC, is on a roll with three victories already.
4) Talor Gooch, Harold Varner III, and Thomas Pieters
The group on hole 6 has been the most successful in the LIV Golf League 2023. With success at Adelaide, Singapore, and Andalusia, Talor Gooch has won three events already this season. Harold Varner also emerged victorious at the DC event last month.
While Gooch and Varner are in the top 10 of the season standings, Pieters currently sits in the 38th position
5) Bubba Watson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Kevin Na
This group comprises Masters winner Bubba Watson, US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau, and multiple title winner Kevin Na.
DeChambeau struggled with his form initially, but soon he found his rhythm and has made three back-to-back top-10 finishes, including a runner-up finish at Valderrama. While Na has had two top-10 finishes in eight starts, Watson has struggled throughout this season.