Build Your Dream Team for LIV Golf Fantasy in Nashville

After a U.S. Open for the ages, LIV Golf is back and headed to The Grove of Nashville for LIV’s first-ever Tennessee tournament!

With the return of LIV Golf comes the return of LIV Fantasy! Let’s take a peek at who makes the cut for your team!

Picks for Captain

Bryson DeChambeau – DeChambeau is the world’s hottest golfer after earning his second U.S. Open Trophy on a Pinehurst No. 2 course that demolished the vast majority of the field. DeChambeau showed that he is routinely capable of scoring, or making par after missing the fairway, getting stuck in tall grass or roots, or needing to go fifty yards out of the bunker. For any normal golfer, these situations would spell disaster, but not for Bryson. You pick DeChambeau as your captain and don’t think twice about this decision.

Sergio Garcia – But if you absolutely have to pick someone else, why not Sergio Garcia? Sergio had the second-best finish of all the LIV Golfers at the U.S. Open posting a final score of 1-over. He also had the best finish for a captain in Houston with a final score of 11-under. With David Puig and Abraham Ancer playing well, I like the extra motivation that Sergio has to win Nashville for the Fireballs.

Brooks Koepka – Koepka finished ninth overall in Houston, posting the best score of anyone with a 7-under on Sunday. Koepka is also the only player besides Jon Rahm to have three consecutive top-ten finishes: Adelaide, Singapore, and Houston.

Tyrell Hatton – With Jon Rahm’s status in question, Hatton is now the man for Legion XIII. Hatton has never had a bad weekend since he joined LIV and there’s no reason to suspect he will disappoint in Nashville. It’s easy to forget that he was in the mix for the U.S. Open for three days before a forgettable championship Sunday. His high-level play at such a difficult course should translate well to LIV’s next venue. Along with Talor Gooch, Hatton is one of my two must-play fantasy golfers.

Talor Gooch – Gooch hasn’t had a poor outing all season, even when he finishes outside the top fifteen, he still scores a decent amount. There are some players that just seem due for a win: Jon Rahm, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed, and Talor Gooch.

Adrian Meronk – Meronk has finished in the top fifteen in the past two LIV tournaments, including a very close second-place finish in Houston with a 14-under. The Cleeks are red hot right now and the biggest part of their success is Meronk. Do not let his lacklustre play at Pinehurst be a deterrent, as that course swallowed up most of the field due to its mountainous greens and seemingly endless native grass areas.

Patrick Reed – After a successful outing at Houston and having an extra week’s rest after not getting the invite to North Carolina, Reed seems to be back in form and motivated to win. Reed has been consistently better his last three matches: (T22 Adelaide, T14 Singapore, T3 Houston).

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tennessee Golf (@vol_golf)

Caleb Surratt – Some LIV golfers seem to reap the benefits of a home-field advantage. We saw it with Bubba Watson in Miami, Patrick Reed in Houston, and of course, the entire Ripper GC crew in Australia. LIV’s youngest member was playing for The University of Tennessee Volunteers last season, capped with winning the 2023 SEC Championship individual title. Surratt’s finishes in the 2024 LIV Season have been respectable, but not amazing. Indeed, if there’s any truth to golfers having another gear when playing in front of their hometown crowds, then Surratt is worth the gamble.

Legion XIII – This pick depends entirely on Jon Rahm’s health, but as you saw with my non-captain picks, I’m recommending Tyrrell Hatton and Caleb Surratt. Both can keep Legion XIII extremely competitive on their own as evidenced by a seventh-place finish without the assistance of their captain and best player.

Ripper GC – Looking at the Team Standings alone, one would be fooled into thinking Ripper GC had a poor outing in Houston. This wasn’t the case for the majority of the tournament as Ripper was right in the mix until a Sunday meltdown by Cam Smith spelled doom for the Australians’ would-be third victory in a row.

Cleeks GC – Houston’s winners take the third spot here. I think it’s a toss-up between Cleeks and Ripper to take the number one spot if we receive word that Jon Rahm will be unready to go this Friday. The Cleeks are firing on all cylinders. Nobody is worrying about the current of form of Martin Kaymer, Adrian Meronk, or Richard Bland. Nashville would be an excellent venue for Kalle Samooja to move himself up in the standings and leave the drop zone in the rear-view mirror.

Remember to set your fantasy roster before Friday afternoon when LIV returns to action in Nashville!