Move over Super Bowl, this week's LIV Golf Riyadh event marks the start of a fresh LIV Golf season.
This will be the first time LIV heads to Riyadh Golf Club in Saudi Arabia, and the odds board has a different name on top.
LIV Golf Riyadh odds
| Player |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyrrell Hatton | +600 | +725 |
| Jon Rahm | +650 | +725 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | +800 | +850 |
| Joaquin Niemann | +800 | +850 |
| Brooks Koepka | +1600 | +1650 |
| Cam Smith | +1600 | +1600 |
| Abraham Ancer | +2200 | +2300 |
| Sergio Garcia | +2500 | +2600 |
| Patrick Reed | +2500 | +2600 |
| Paul Casey | +2800 | +4100 |
| Louis Oosthuizen | +2800 | +2600 |
| David Puig | +2800 | +2300 |
| Talor Gooch | +3000 | +3400 |
Odds as of 2-3.
LIV Golf Riyadh picks and predictions
Pick to win: Joaquin Niemann (+800 at DraftKings)
Joaquin Niemann heads to Riyadh with three consecutive Top 5s since December 1, including winning the PIF Saudi International at this track and then following it up with a T3 finish last week in the International Series India event.
He won a pair of LIV events last season and piled up another five Top 5s and three more Top 10s across just 13 individual events, and his statistical profile checks out, too.
The Chilean paced the circuit in birdies while ranking second in greens-in-regulation percentage and driving distance. I also value that Niemann has remained busy and has played five worldwide events over the past three months.
Finishing position pick: Branden Grace Top 20 (+140 at DraftKings)
The 2024 LIV Golf season was a near writeoff for Branden Grace, and he only carded a pair of Top 20s across 13 individual events. Still, he posted four consecutive worldwide Top 20s this fall, including a T6 in the PIF Saudi International at Riyadh.
Riyadh was playing as a Par 71 for that event, and Grace played under par in all four rounds and went 63-65 on the weekend to finish -17. With so many LIV golfers taking an extended break, I like Grace’s chancing of building on his momentum and having another solid showing at this track.
Round 1 pick: David Puig Over 11.5 pars (-120 at bet365)
The emerging Spanard has followed up his missed cut in the PIF Saudi International with a solo third in the Ras Al Khaimah Championship and T4 in the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship on the DP World Tour, and I’m anticipating his solid play continue at Riyadh this week.
Puig has gained true strokes across the board over his past seven events to rank eighth in true strokes gained tee-to-green and sixth in true strokes gained putting in this field. I’m anticipating Puig navigating his way around the track much smoother this time around while piling up pars.
Riyadh Golf Club course notes
Riyadh Golf Club will host the opening LIV Golf event of this season this week, and the spotlight will literally be on the 13 teams and 54 golfers teeing it up with the event being played at night and under the lights.
The course will play as a 7,464-yard Par 72 with the traditional four Par 5s and four Par 3s, and the track was designed by Scottish architect Duncan Thompson and opened in 2005. Riyadh has also hosted the Saudi Open since 2015.
LIV Golf Riyadh field and favorites
After essentially an entire season of Jon Rahm being the No. 1 betting choice, Tyrrell Hatton is the one getting the nod to kick off the 2025 season in Riyadh.
Hatton's been on a heater since the end of the 2024 LIV season, winning twice (Alfred Dunhil Links, Dubai Desert Classic) and logging four more Top-10 finishes in six worldwide starts. That form has him atop this week's board as short as +600 and as long as +725.
Rahm did win two of three events to close the 2024 LIV season and logged three straight Top 7s on the DP World Tour since then, but he is coming off an ugly missed cut at the Dubai Desert Classic two weeks ago and his odds have taken a hit, listed between +650 and +725 after winning in Chicago as a +500 solo favorite.
Bryson DeChambeau rounds out the Top 3 after a runner-up finish at the International Series India event last week. He finished T6 in the Chicago event and last won at the U.S. Open in June.
LIV Golf recent winners and odds history
Here are the recent LIV Golf winners and their closing odds to win:
| Event | Golfer | Closing odds |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago (Sept. 2024) | Jon Rahm (2) | +500 |
| Greenbier (Aug. 2024) | Brooks Koepka (5) | +2,500 |
| United Kingdom (July 2024) | Jon Rahm | +600 |
| Andalucia (July 2024) | Sergio Garcia | +1,400 |
| Nashville (June 2024) | Tyrrell Hatton | +1,200 |
| Houston (June 2024) | Carlos Ortiz | +3,500 |
| Singapore (May 2024) | Brooks Koepka (4) | +2,000 |
| Adelaide (April 2024) | Brendan Steele | +8,000 |
| Miami (April 2024) | Dean Burmester | +3,000 |
| Hong Kong (March 2024) | Abraham Ancer | +3,500 |
| Jeddah (March 2024) | Joaquin Niemann (2) | +1,000 |
| Las Vegas (Feb. 2024) | Dustin Johnson (3) | +1,600 |
| Mayakoba (Feb. 2024) | Joaquin Niemann | +1,200 |
Odds courtesy of GolfOdds.
