What all to look out for at LIV Golf’s $18,000,000 Jeddah Invitational?
LIV Golf is all set to host the Jeddah Invitational for the second consecutive year at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia. The final event of the League's season is all set to have multiple things on offer, including the whopping $18,000,000 winning prize and eligibility for future season.
The tournament will crown the individual champion of the season. Last season, it was Dustin Johnson who got hold of the whopping $18 million champion's paycheck.
Below, we look at the top four prospects to watch out at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club this weekend:
#4 Road to Team Championship
Soon after the Jeddah Invitational, LIV Golf will move to Trump National Doral, Miami for the Team Championship. The final event of the 2023 season will give the top four teams a first-round bye and will directly book a spot in the semi-finals.
Dustin Johnson-led 4Aces GC are already in the semi-finals and four teams out of 11 are still competing for the last three spots. Crushers GC, Torque GC, Stinger GC, and RangeGoats GC are in the race to earn the first-round byes.
#3 Bryson DeChambeau could slip out of the top 3
Before the LIV Golf's Jeddah Invitational, the leader Cameron Smith and second-placed Talor Gooch had already cemented their place in the top three in the final individual standings of the season.
Two-time champion Bryson DeChambeau is placed in the third spot with 146 points and is 16 points behind Gooch. He needs to finish well at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club this weekend to earn the $4 million bonus prize money.
Patrick Reed, Branden Grace, Brooks Koepka, and Dustin Johnson will look to put on a stellar show at the event to make a move inside the top three of the individual standings of the season.
#2 Last chance to book a spot for the 2024 season
With LIV Golf already announcing their new relegation rule for the 2024 season, a lot of golfers' fates would depend on the Jeddah Invitational.
As per the new rule, only the player placed inside the top 24 in the season's individual standings will get permanent entry to the next season. This is called the lock zone.
Players placed between the 25th to 44th ranks can either be traded or released from the teams. This is said to be the Open Zone. Finally, the players ranked 45th or below will be 'relegated', which means they have to qualify for the next season through LIV Golf's inaugural promotion tournament.
#1 Race to individual championship
Cameron Smith is leading the individual leaderboard with 170 points and is followed by Talor Gooch in second spot with 162 points. With the odds in favor of Smith this weekend, he is likely to earn the whopping $18 million bonus prize money at the Jeddah Invitational.
The chances for Talor Gooch dethroning Smith in the first spot can not be ruled out. Bryson DeChambeau, who is placed in third rank with 142 points, can also replace the Australian and earn the mega bonus this weekend.