The second season of LIV Golf brings a rebranding, new players and an expanded schedule. It all gets underway this week in Mexico at El Camaleon Golf Course at Mayakoba. One thing that hasn’t changed is the resident at the top of the odds board. Though an injury prevented Dustin Johnson from competing in the Saudi International earlier this month, DJ is back as the co-favorite with Joaquin Niemann in the outright market. Several new players make their LIV Golf debut with Brendan Steele having the shortest odds of the group that also includes Mito Pereira, Thomas Pieters and Dean Burmester among others. The new season consists of 14 tournaments with El Camaleon familiar to many in the field. The course hosted a PGA Tour event. The tournament matchup between the co-favorites stood out to me because of the price attached to DJ. The big winner last season with upwards of $35 million added to his bank account, Johnson is a plus-odds dog. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete updated list of matchup betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
LIV Golf Mayakoba Matchup Odds
Dustin Johnson +119 vs. Joaquin Niemann -149
Cameron Smith +130 vs. Abraham Ancer -163
Paul Casey -146 vs. Thomas Pieters +116
Patrick Reed +116 vs. Mito Pereira -146
Talor Gooch -133 vs. Sergio Garcia +103
Matthew Wolff -109 vs. Brooks Koepka -121
Carlos Ortiz +120 vs. Louis Oosthuizen -151
Harold Varner III +102 vs. Anirban Lahiri -132
Branden Grace -138 vs. Dean Burmester +108
Bryson Dechambeau -115 vs. Peter Uihlein -112
Marc Leishman +127 vs. Jason Kokrak -160
Charles Howell III -185 vs. Bernd Wiesberger +146
Henrik Stenson -130 vs. Richard Bland +100
Brendan Steele -138 vs. Sebastian Munoz +108
Ian Poulter -153 vs. Lee Westwood +122
Eugenio Lopez Chacarra -127 vs. Charl Schwartzel -103
Danny Lee-184 vs. Sam Horsfield +146
Graeme McDowell -180 vs. Martin Kaymer +143
James Piot -189 vs. Sihwan Kim +148
Pat Perez -264 vs. Phil Mickelson +203
Need to Know
The tournament format remains the same with a no-cut field of 48 players competing over 54 holes of stroke play. There’s also the team concept with the field divided into 12 groups of four. And you can also wager on the team outcome. At just over 7,000 yards El Camaleon is short by pro standards. It is a resort course with few obstacles and forgiving fairways. The previous four winners here from the PGA side all scored 20-under or better, so expect some low numbers. A betting angle to consider is that Carlos Ortiz was runner-up in 2019 and 2021, and Pat Perez won the tournament at 21-under in 2016. The course length could be a detriment to big hitters like Bryson DeChambeau, who is in the middle of the pack on the outright odds board.
LIV Golf Mayakoba Matchup Picks
Dustin Johnson +119 vs. Joaquin Niemann
I think this is an obvious pick even if Johnson is recovering from an ailment that prevented him from playing in Saudi Arabia. DJ had a big first season finishing among the top eight in six of the seven individual events and also won the team title and individual championship. If anything, more than the one victory he secured last season in Boston is something to shoot for and I certainly don’t expect him to slow down. He’s the elite player in the league and catching him at this price is a bonus. Now let’s just hope his back holds up.
Thomas Pieters +116 vs. Paul Casey
A consistently solid performer on DP World Tour, Pieters brings his game to LIV Golf eyeing the big bucks. And I have to say he has a good chance of cashing in. Most recently Pieters logged a T6 in Dubai opening with a pair of 67s and he finished among the top-10 six times on the DP Tour last season. He’s known as a big hitter, which doesn’t translate well at El Camaleon, but he’s solid in all phases and he’s looking to make a successful debut. I was a bit surprised to see his price and immediately singled him out for this section.
Carlos Ortiz +120 vs. Louis Oosthuizen
I was looking to back Abraham Ancer but found no value in his matchups. So instead I’ll back another Mexican who has had success on this layout. As mentioned Ortiz finished second twice at El Camaleon and four of his eight starts on the layout resulted in top-10s. Ortiz started fast last season finishing second and fourth in the first two events before fading. I can see him getting back in a groove on a track that’s treated him well.
Bernd Wiesberger +146 vs. Charles Howell III
This might be a stretch but I backed Wiesberger a number of times on the DPWT and he delivered. However, that hasn’t been the case lately, which is why his price is where it is. I still feel Wiesberger has some game in him and resort course is what he needs to regain the stroke that led him to three DPWT titles a few years ago. And the price is outstanding.
Phil Mickelson +203 vs. Pat Perez
With a season of distractions behind him I’m looking for Mickelson to put things together and deliver the kind of play LIV Golf expected when making him the face of the league. Mickelson isn’t getting any younger and Father Time is undefeated, but Lefty worked hard during the offseason to give it another go. And with nearly 60 professional wins under his belt I can’t just write him off. Dropping some change on Lefty in this matchup could result in a decent payday and I’m betting Lefty has something to prove.
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