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As we enter the second half of the 2023 LIV Golf Series, the 48 players and 12 teams head to London after a thrilling weekend in Valderrama. The return to London marks a year since the tour first burst onto the scene at Centurion Club and all of those involved are looking forward to testing themselves once again on an iconic golf course.
Last year, Charl Schwartzel reigned supreme in London with a score of -7 over three rounds, and the South African will be there once again with his Stinger GC – A squad of four South Africans who are currently fourth in the team standings for 2023.
Ahead of arguably the most highly anticipated LIV event of the season, here are tips and predictions ahead of play getting underway tomorrow afternoon.
The best LIV Golf Invitational London Tips
Contents
Brooks Koepka to win – 17/2
There are several things going for Brooks Koepka this week which is why he is our number-one pick to win the tournament at Centurion Club. Firstly, it’s the last event that Koepka will play in before the Open Championship – the final major tournament of the year. Koepka has made it clear on several occasions that he only really has an interest in majors, meaning that he will be locked in for this one as he looks to build form ahead of the tournament.
This method worked nicely for the five-time major champion earlier this year when he won LIV Orlando a week before the Masters in April. The win in Orlando gave the 32-year-old the confidence he needed to strut his stuff around Augusta National and he came desperately close to winning his first green jacket. A month later, he went one step further and won the PGA Championship – the fifth major of his career.
Secondly, Koepka is the closest competitor to Talor Gooch in the overall individual LIV standings for 2023. Koepka is a phenomenal competitor and will see this as a great opportunity to close the gap on Gooch, especially when you consider how well he usually fares in British conditions.
Brooks with a solid round
Podium finish, 3rd overall at -9
London is calling 🇬🇧💂#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/gqt7i5GRS7
— BKT (@BKoepkaTracker) July 2, 2023
Cameron Smith to win – 9/1
While Koepka is our number-one pick for the win, we also believe that Cameron Smith is worth a look at 9/1. The Australian started the season slowly but has picked up form in recent months and has come very close to getting his first win of the season on a couple of occasions.
He lost in a playoff at LIV Tulsa in May and has been in contention at both LIV Washington and LIV Valderrama. All of this bodes well ahead of his looming major title defence at the Open Championship in two weeks’ time. Smith won his maiden major trophy last year at St Andrews and will be determined to defend his title competitively in Liverpool in a fortnight.
There will be no better way to prepare himself for that particular tournament by performing well at LIV London and considering his form, we can see him being right up there during the final round on Sunday.
Talor Gooch to finish in the top five
Despite being the best player in LIV golf this season, Talor Gooch failed to qualify for the US Open last month which sparked an outcry from those associated with the Saudi-backed tour. However, the month off seems to have only been a positive thing for Gooch who went on to win LIV Valderrama last week to extend his lead at the top of the individual standings.
Gooch has qualified for the final major of the year at least, and considering his form this season he may well be a threat there. For the time being, though, the 31-year-old’s focus will solely be on performing well at LIV London to consolidate his position – something he should do given his consistency this season.
Bryson DeChambeau to finish in the top ten
Last weekend in Spain, DeChambeau took a one-shot lead into the final round following an excellent second round of 63. Unfortunately, he was leapfrogged by Talor Gooch on day three which meant he came up just short in Andalucia.
Despite the disappointment of not winning, De Chambeau will likely have reflected on a positive weekend as it turned out to be his highest finish of the season. He is still pursuing his first win of the campaign and while that may not come this weekend, we expect him back up his performance last week with another solid showing in London.
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