The LIV Gold League is back for another year in 2026. There are 57 players and 13 teams taking part in LIV Gold this season, the fifth season of the Saudi-backed circuit.
One irony this year is that LIV Golf is now misnamed. The “LIV” in the name stands for 54, the number of holes played in each event during the first four years of the tour. That changes in 2026, with organizers reverting to the more familiar 72-hole format for each tournament. LXXII Golf just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
Event Information
It makes sense that the first event of the year is in Saudi Arabia. LIV Golf Riyadh was moved to the Saudi capital last year, where Polish golfer Adrian Meronk won the tournament. The first three years of the event were held at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, just north of Jeddah.
Riyadh Golf Club is set as a 7,411-yard, par-71 course. The purse for 2026 events is $22 million for individual players, and $8 million split among the teams.
LIV Golf Riyadh 2026 Odds
LIV Golf Riyadh 2026 to win with BetXchange:
Individual
- Jon Rahm – 5/1
- Bryson DeChambeau – 7/1
- David Puig – 10/1
- Tyrrell Hatton – 12/1
- Carlos Ortiz – 16/1
- Joaquin Niemann – 16/1
There have been several departures from LIV Golf for the 2026 season. The two big names to leave the tour were Brooks Koepka, whose contract was cancelled by mutual consent, and Patrick Reed, who failed to agree to a contract extension. Both those golfers would have been in the running for this event.
Rahm is the favorite as he goes for his third consecutive individual championship. His team, Legion XIII, was also the dominant force in 2025. They won the first four tournaments of the season, including this one, before claiming the Team Championship in the final event of the year.
LIV Golf Riyadh 2026 Leading Contenders
This event is going to be all about who has prepared the best coming into the start of the tour. One interesting option is Spaniard David Puig. The 24-year-old has picked up Top-10 finishes in each of the past two weeks on the DP World Tour. He also finished T6 here last year. He is well worth a look at 10/1.
Bryson DeChambeau hasn’t played since August, and he didn’t finish in the Top-10 in any of the last three LIV events last season.
Meronk is 80/1 to defend. He was 100/1 to win here last season, suggesting that an outside-the-box winner is entirely possible in this unique, season-opening event.
LIV Golf Riyadh 2026 Prediction
This is a night golf event, something that is basically impossible to practice for. While the greens are lit incredibly well and easy to read, the way the shadows play through the rest of the course can cause problems, especially for first-time players.
I don’t love Rahm here. He hasn’t played since October, so the tournament rust will be real. He could easily put it all together and win, but I am backing his fellow countryman to lift the trophy
Pick: David Puig at 10/1
Long Shot: Cameron Smith at 25/1
Smith is comfortable on these fast-scoring courses and has the creativity to be right at the top end of the field at the end of this event.
