LIV Golf Leaderboard At The Masters

Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau struggled

(Image credit: Getty Images)

LIV Golf representation at The Masters continues to diminish, with just 10 players from the circuit teeing it up in 2026, down two from a year ago.

Bryson DeChambeau went into the tournament off the back of two consecutive LIV Golf wins, while Jon Rahm has a title and three runner-up finishes to his name so far this season.

Neither of them was able to translate that form to the Major in the opening round, though, with DeChambeau suffering an erratic start that included some poor iron play. As a result, he headed back to the clubhouse a frustrated figure at four over.

Bryson DeChambeau at The Masters — Bryson DeChambeau was four over after the first round

Rahm, who won the Green Jacket three years ago, also found his best form desert him with a six-over 78, which included a double bogey at the par-5 13th.

With the two big guns failing to live up to expectations, it was 2017 champion Sergio Garcia who led the way for the LIV Golfers, finishing the day in T17 on even par, five back of co-leaders Rory McIlroy and Sam Burns.

Sergio Garcia at The Masters — Sergio Garcia is the only LIV Golfer not over par

Just one behind him is another former Masters winner, 2020 champion Dustin Johnson.

Rahm's Legion XIII teammate Tyrrell Hatton is on two over, as is Ripper GC captain Cameron Smith.

Tom McKibbin qualified for The Masters via one of its new open pathways, having cruised to a seven-shot victory at the Hong Kong Open to win his second professional title.

However, the first round of his maiden Masters experience was a struggle, leaving him on three over, a score shared by 2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel.

Further down the leaderboard, two-time winner Bubba Watson ended the day level with DeChambeau on four over.

The most disappointing round of the 10 LIV Golfers came from Torque GC's Carlos Ortiz, who is making his second Masters start, having qualified via his US Open finish.

He seems likely to make it no further than the second round after carding an eight over 80.

Jon Rahm at The Masters at Augusta National — Jon Rahm had a disappointing opening round

The largely disappointing opening round for players representing the league will do little to quell suggestions that LIV Golf has a Masters problem, with limited pathways and a lack of recent US-based action among the potential issues.

The good news is that, for the majority of its players, one good round on Friday should still be enough to see them beyond the halfway stage.

Here's how the LIV Golf leaderboard looks after the opening round of The Masters.

LIV Golf Leaderboard At The 2026 Masters

T17 E Sergio Garcia
T33 +1 Dustin Johnson
T40 +2 Cameron Smith
T40 +2 Tyrrell Hatton
T48 +3 Charl Schwartzel
T48 +3 Tom McKibbin
T56 +4 Bubba Watson
T56 +4 Bryson DeChambeau
T73 +6 Jon Rahm
T82 +8 Carlos Ortiz

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories.

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game.

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course.

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.

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