31 January 2024 , 18:27
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LIV Golf's third campaign tees off on Friday and the rosters have been confirmed ahead of the season opener in Mayakoba, Mexico.
The Saudi Arabia-funded breakaway league has had an eventful off-season, headlined by the stunning acquisition of two-time major champion and Ryder Cup star Jon Rahm in a deal worth in the region of £450million. Tyrrell Hatton and Adrian Meronk are among the other players to join the invitational tour.
Charles Howell III is the reigning champion after winning by four strokes at El Camaleon Golf Course 12 months ago, but it is Rahm who is the oddsmakers' favourite to lift the trophy and bank the $4million (£3.1m) prize money.
Hatton, Joaquin Niemann, Cameron Smith and Bryson DeChambeau are also among the favourites for the season opener. Here is everything you need to know about the players and teams taking part...
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The teams in full
- Aces - Dustin Johnson (c), Pat Perez, Patrick Reed, Harold Varner III.
- Cleeks - Martin Kaymer (c), Richard Bland, Kalle Samooja, Adrian Meronk.
- Crushers - Bryson DeChambeau (c), Anirban Lahiri, Paul Casey, Charles Howell III.
- Fireballs - Sergio Garcia (c), Abraham Ancer, Eugenio Chacarra, David Puig.
- HyFlyers - Phil Mickelson (c), Brendan Steele, Cameron Tringale, Andy Ogletree.
- Iron Heads - Kevin Na (c), Scott Vincent, Danny Lee, Jinichiro Kozuma.
- Legion XIII - Jon Rahm (c), Tyrrell Hatton, Kieran Vincent, Caleb Surratt.
- Majesticks - Ian Poulter (c), Lee Westwood (c), Henrik Stenson (c), Sam Horsfield.
- RangeGoats - Bubba Watson (c), Thomas Pieters, Matthew Wolff, Peter Uihlein.
- Ripper - Cameron Smith (c), Matt Jones, Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert.
- Smash - Brooks Koepka (c), Talor Gooch, Jason Kokrak, Graeme McDowell.
- Stinger - Louis Oosthuizen (c), Dean Burmester, Branden Grace, Charl Schwartzel.
- Torque - Joaquin Niemann (c), Sebastian Munoz, Mito Pereira, Carlos Ortiz.
Jon Rahm will captain Legion XIII when LIV Golf's third season starts on Friday. (LegionXIIIgc/Twitter)New signings
Rahm, Hatton and Meronk are LIV's headline additions over the off-season, but several other players have also joined the breakaway tour. Rahm and Hatton's Legion XIII teammates are American amateur sensation Caleb Surratt, who was ranked 10th in the world before turning pro, and Zimbabwe's Kieran Vincent, who finished in the top three in the LIV Promotions event in Abu Dhabi in December to earn a LIV Tour card.
Jinichiro Kozuma will play for the Iron Heads after also finishing in the top three in the event. Finland's Kalle Samooja was the winner of the tournament and he will play for the Cleeks.
Former US Amateur champion Andy Ogletree has returned to LIV after getting the boot before the start of last season due to poor performance. He regained his spot by grinding away on the Asian Tour, winning the Order of Merit.
One-time PGA Tour winner Lucas Herbert has joined the Australian Ripper team after a disappointing season on the PGA Tour.
Mayakoba odds
Singles
- Jon Rahm - 4/1
- Tyrrell Hatton - 14/1
- Joaquin Niemann - 14/1
- Cameron Smith - 14/1
- Bryson DeChambeau - 14/1
- Talor Gooch - 18/1
- Brooks Koepka - 20/1
- Dustin Johnson - 20/1
- Abraham Ancer - 22/1
- Adrian Meronk - 22/1
Team
- Crushers - 5/1
- Torque - 5/1
- 4 Aces - 6/1
- Legion XIII - 13/2
- Smash - 13/2
- Fireballs - 7/1
- Stinger - 8/1
- Ripper - 9/1
- HyFlyers - 14/1
- RangeGoats - 14/1
- Majesticks - 28/1
- Cleeks - 80/1
- Iron Heads - 100/1