The 2025 LIV Golf Season has officially commenced and a first-time individual champion has been crowned to pair with a resounding victory for a juggernaut team!
LIV Riyadh brought compelling action for a new season with Adrian Meronk going wire-to-wire for his first LIV individual victory.
Meronk, the surprise champion, fought off a Day Three rubber match with Torque’s Sebastian Munoz and a late surge from Jon Rahm. Meanwhile on team play, Legion XIII dominated the competition from start to finish.
LIV Adelaide, which many consider to be the crown jewel of the LIV Tour, promises more high scoring and excitement.
Last season the hometown Ripper squad brought home the team championship after a legendary team playoff with Louis Oosthuizen’s Stinger.
If you have not played LIV Fantasy before the rules are simple, but have changed for the 2025 season.
There are now four different “groupings” instead of choosing one captain and four non-captains.
For instance, Tyrrell Hatton is in Group 1 along with Joaquin Niemann and Bryson DeChambeau.
Group 4 consists mostly of new players and underperformers, but includes several captains.
Group 5 contains one flex player who is selectable from Groups 3 and 4. We provide you a look into who we think the top fantasy players are for LIV Adelaide!
Picks by Group
- Jon Rahm – Rahm’s late push at Riyadh earned him a T2 finish and led Legion XIII to open the season with a team victory. Last season, Rahm finished LIV Adelaide 16-under par good for a T3 finish. His current form, paired with his knowledge and past success in Australia makes him the most compelling choice to take home the individual trophy in Adelaide.
- Marc Leishman – This is by far the most difficult choice for LIV Fantasy Adelaide. Players have their choice pick of multiple captains including DJ and Louis Oosthuizen, Talor Gooch, recent LIV Riyadh winner Adrian Meronk, and the Ripper duo of Lucas Herbert and Marc Leishman. Both Herbert and Leishman finished T14 in Adelaide last season and Herbert has been in better form the last two tournaments in Dallas and Riyadh. You can’t go wrong with either teammate for Group 2, I just have a gut feeling that Leishman is due for a podium finish.
- Caleb Surratt – Surratt continues to impress as LIV’s youngest golfer seems to get better and better every week. Surratt is an easy pick here as he is no longer a detriment to the team score like he was in 2024 and it has become quite clear that LIV hit a homerun signing the former NCAA star based on his potential. It will not be uncommon to see at least two Legion XIII golfers take multiple grouping spots throughout the course of the season.
- Bubba Watson – Watson’s masterful performance in Riyadh has him as the frontrunner for Comeback Player of the Year. His 11-under par in the desert was good for a T12 finish. Over the course of the three-day tournament, Watson had exactly one bogie. The RangeGoats captain was absolutely dialled in all weekend.
- Brendan Steele – You can’t go wrong with taking reigning LIV Adelaide winner Brendan Steele in the flex spot. While I don’t love his current form, Steele didn’t have a bad tournament last weekend, just an underwhelming performance for a relatively easy course. Adelaide is considered one of the easier courses on tour this season, so competition will be ultra stiff, for that reason, I’m not expecting a repeat champion, but do expect Steele to stay in competition.
Picks for Team
- Legion XIII – Rahm’s Legion XIII didn’t just win LIV Riyadh, they obliterated the competition from start to finish. While the rubber match between Meronk and Munoz for the individual trophy was captivating, Legion XIII’s runaway scoring fest gave little doubt as to what team would win after Thursday night. Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton are threats to win every single tournament and the superb play of LIV’s two youngest golfers in McKibbin and Surratt means Legion XIII will be the favourite to win for most of the season. Picking Legion XIII over the hometown Ripper squad is an unpopular choice, but it is the correct one.
- Ripper – Every member of Ripper placed T14 or better at the conclusion of last year’s tournament in Adelaide, leading to their eventual victory in front of their hometown crowd. In order for Ripper to beat Legion XIII and claim back-to-back titles in Adelaide, at least two members of the all-Aussie squad are going to need to contend for the individual championship. Lucas Herbert and Marc Leishman, who finished Riyadh T4 and T6, respectively, are going to need to be eclipsed in performance by Cam Smith playing hero ball.
Remember to set your fantasy roster before Thursday night. Day One of LIV Adelaide starts at 11 PM ET.
The entirety of the tournament will be hosted on the Fox Sports app, FS1, or FS2 for U.S. viewers and ITV for UK viewers
