Rating The 13 LIV Golfers Playing In The US Open

Of the 156 players teeing it up at the 124th US Open at Pinehurst, there's just the 13 representing LIV Golf this time - that's the lowest number since the team golf league was introduced.

Nine players will line-up on the famous Pinehurst No.2 course next week courtesy of exemptions, with seven of them coming from being recent Major champions and two from performances on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour last season.

They are joined by just three LIV players who qualified out of the 35 who attempted to make it through the touch sectional qualifying schedule and Sergio Garcia, who got one of the final places as an alternate.

The big guns have proved it's quality not quantity of late though, with Brooks Koepka winning last year's PGA Championship and Bryson DeChambeau going close in this year's same event at Valhalla last month.

And with a LIV golfer winning six of the last 10 US Open titles, maybe one of these 13 could continue that theme by claiming the third Major of the season, so let's take a look at their chances.

LIV Golfers playing in the US Open

EXEMPT

• Jon Rahm
• Bryson DeChambeau
• Brooks Koepka
• Dustin Johnson
• Martin Kaymer
• Cameron Smith
• Phil Mickelson
• Tyrrell Hatton
• Adrian Meronk

QUALIFIERS

• Eugenio Chacarra
• David Puig
• Dean Burmester
• Sergio Garcia (in as an alternate)

(Best odds via Oddschecker)

Bryson DeChambeau - 18/1

The undisputed favourite from this LIV group has to be Bryson DeChambeau after two fine Major performances, finishing T6 at The Masters after leading before pushing Xander Schauffele all the way at the PGA Championship.

The 2020 US Open champion bullied his way to glory at Winged Foot, but there's more finesse about his game these days - he still topped the driving distances at Valhalla but also topped the scrambling stats and was 100% on six sand saves.

And along with his short game he's a more than solid putter under pressure, so despite some so-so LIV results this year his Major game is in full working order, and he could well challenge again in Pinehurst.

Brooks Koepka - 25/1

A disastrous third round at Valhalla cost him any chance of retaining his PGA Championship title, which we thought he could well do after winning a LIV event in Singapore just beforehand.

But that's now three really poor Major finishes in a row and four straight without a top 10 - which remarkably is the joint-most he's ever gone so expect him to be back up there at Pinehurst.

Koepka's just a beast in the Majors, and although he made plenty of unusually poor mistakes for him, he's usually much better when the going gets tough, and Pinehurst will be nothing like as low scoring as a softened Valhalla was.

Jon Rahm - 25/1

Jon Rahm's run of finishing in the top 10 in every LIV event ended in Houston as he was forced to withdraw through injury - casting a huge doubt over his US Open chances.

A cut between the toes of his left foot got infected, according to LIV Golf, so we'll have to see what shape he's in when he lines up at Pinehurst - or even IF he can line up at Pinehurst.

Even if Rahm makes the tee, it's another negative for the Spaniard, who missed the cut at the PGA Championship at Valhalla after also disappointing in his Masters defence.

The only shred of hope for Rahm is he loves the US Open. In the last five he's won one and finished T3, T23, T12 and T10 either side of that victory - so if that foot doesn't cause him too many problems, don't write him off completely.

Cameron Smith - 40/1

You've got to respect someone who won The Open only a couple of years ago, and he's still one of the best putters you'll see - but there is always the worry that the US Open will be too long and too tough a test for the Australian.

He defied that logic somewhat by finishing fourth last year, by far his best result in this Major, but perhaps the fact both Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler shot record 62s and Wyndham Clark won on 10 under showed it was not the toughest test at Los Angeles Country Club.

Pinehurst will be tougher so if Smith can shine here then maybe he has figured out how to play this brute of a tournament after all.

Tyrrell Hatton - 60/1

Rahm's Legion Xi teammate Tyrrell Hatton has been steady enough on LIV, but after his best Major finish in five years at The Masters (T9) he took a step back with a T63 at Valhalla.

He's got a great all-round game but really needs to be challenging more in the Majors now - he's too good to have just one top 5 as his best result from 36 Majors - it's his time to step up and maybe Pinehurst can be the place.

Dean Burmester - 100/1

Dean Burmester has been on a heck of a run and that continued at Valhalla where he shot a second-round 65 to jump into contention before eventually finishing T12.

That's some effort and shows those two DP World Tour wins late last year and his LIV Golf success in Miami has seen him take his game to another level - and it's a game that could thrive at the US Open.

As the South African hits it a mile, coming second in driving distances at the PGA Championship behind only DeChambeau, and that's crucial in the US Open so don't be surprised if he's up there again.

Dustin Johnson - 80/1

The 2016 US Open winner Dustin Johnson looks a shadow of his former self in the last couple of Majors, but he did get a T10 in LA last year so maybe the US Open can spark something in him?

And he did finish T4 at Pinehurst in the 2014 US Open so a return to a course he knows he can do well on might be just the spark he needs.

Sergio Garcia - 125/1

Only lost in a playoff in qualifying but Sergio Garcia got in as an alternate and it's hard to quite know what to expect - you wouldn't be surprised if he challenged or missed the cut.

He was always there or thereabouts before finally winning The Masters in 2017, but since slipping on that Green Jacket he's not even managed a single top 10 in Majors let alone challenged.

Garcia's best finish since his Augusta win is T19 and he's missed 14 cuts from his 24 Major starts including this year's Masters so it's really hard to make a case for him here - even if his best US Open finish is a T3 at Pinehurst in 2005.

Phil Mickelson - 300/1

It might be clutching at straws a bit but remember Phil Mickelson's record-breaking victory at Kiawah Island was only back in 2021 - and it gets him into this year's US Open.

He still needs his beloved US Open to compete the Grand Slam - but it seems he'll finish with just those six agonising runner-up finishes as he starts to wind down his career. 

One of those second places came right here at Pinehurst when Payne Stewart drained a 15-footer on the last hole to beat playing partner Mickelson by a single shot in 1999.

He's previously said if he ever won the US Open, he would call it a day, but the odds are stacked against him.

Martin Kaymer - 200/1

Martin Kaymer was a dominant winner here in 2014, almost lapping the field in a commanding victory - but he's not won a single tournament since.

It's just a bizarre slump in form that even the German former World No.1 can't work out - as he's just got one top 10 in the Majors since winning here a decade ago.

Again, it's a huge push but he insists his game is heading in the right direction and he had a decent display in Houston at the weekend where he had a brilliant first round and his Cleeks outfit won the team prize. 

So he's in as good as form as he's been for a while, but you suspect he'd be happy enough to make the weekend, seeing as he's missed the cut in seven of his last 10 Majors.

David Puig - 400/1

The talented young Spaniard cut short his college career to join LIV but has been average at best in the individual results, with a T3 in the most recent event in Houston his best by far. He finished T39 at the US Open last year in his Major debut but missed the cut at Valhalla.

Adrian Meronk - 250/1

He made the move to LIV after just missing out on a Ryder Cup spot, but the big Pole hadn't managed any notable results until finishing second in Houston at the weekend - so he'll head to Pinehurst in good spirits.

His Major form is poor though, and he missed the cut at both The Masters and PGA Championship this year.

Eugenio Chacarra - 500/1

The Spaniard managed to qualify for the US Open and will make his Major debut at Pinehurst - which looks like it could see him being thrown in at the deep end.