LIV Golf returns from a mid-season hiatus for the 8th event in this year’s 14-event league schedule: LIV Golf Virginia. This will actually be the 2nd LIV Golf event hosted in Virginia, with Harold Varner III claiming the LIV Golf DC title back in 2023 (which took place at Trump National Golf Club).
2025 LIV Golf Series
LIV Golf Virginia
Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, Gainesville, Virginia
6th-8th June
LIV Golf returns from a mid-season hiatus for the 8th event in this year’s 14-event league schedule: LIV Golf Virginia. This will actually be the 2nd LIV Golf event hosted in Virginia, with Harold Varner III claiming the LIV Golf DC title back in 2023 (which took place at Trump National Golf Club). It will also be the 2nd of six events hosted in the United States this year. Bryson DeChambeau won in South Korea and will be looking for a little pick-me-up ahead of his US Open title defence at Oakmont next week. The twelve players scheduled to compete at Oakmont will look to play themselves into a bit of form this week. Joaquin Niemann sits pretty atop the individual points table and will look to fend off the advances of Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm. This week’s event will be hosted at the beautiful Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.
Famed golf architect Robert Trent Jones Jr designed this stunner, which officially opened back in 1991. This course has a fair degree of pedigree, hosting the inaugural President’s Cup back in 1994 (it would host the biennial event a further three times). It hosted the Solheim Cup last season and previously hosted the Quicken Loans National (now simply known as the National). Trent Jones Jr labelled this course as his masterpiece and it’s easy to see why. Located on the banks of Lake Manassas just outside of Washington, this par-72, 7,354-yard beauty puts an onus on strategic course management. Water only comes into play on a few holes (most notably the par-3 11th). The rough is juicy and there are plenty of awkwardly placed bunkers waiting to gobble up errant shots. I think approach-play and scrambling could be key metrics this week.
Bryson DeChambeau is an understandable favourite after that victory in Korea. He seems to be in contention for every Major Championship and will be looking to play some solid golf ahead of his US Open title defence. It will be interesting to see how Jon Rahm approaches his first outing since that Quail Hollow collapse. I think Rahm needs to start winning tournaments. His LIV top-ten streak is a wonderful testament to his consistency. However, his collapse at Quail Hollow typified a man who just isn’t getting over the line consistently enough. I think the Rahm of three years ago would have pushed Scottie Scheffler to the very end. Joaquin Niemann has won three LIV titles this year and will be keen to preserve his lead in the individual standings. Patrick Reed has been extremely consistent of late and could be in line to claim a maiden LIV Golf title. Also, former Open champ Cameron Smith appears to have rediscovered some form, finishing in the top ten in his last three LIV appearances.
Past Winners
n/a
Betting Favourites (To Win): Bryson DeChambeau (9/2), Jon Rahm (11/2), Joaquin Niemann (13/2), Tyrell Hatton (11/1), Patrick Reed (16/1)
Value Bet
Carlos Ortiz- To Win (20/1)
Mexican Carlos Ortiz could be one to watch this week. He had a weird start to this year’s LIV Golf campaign, with several negligible results surrounding a T2 finish in Adelaide. But he has become more consistent as the season has gone along, winning at the International Series in Macau before placing 4th in Miami, 16th in Mexico City and T7 in South Korea. Ortiz statistically stacks up well for this test, ranking inside the top 15 for GIR and the top 10 for Scrambling.
The Man to Beat- Joaquin Niemann- To Win (13/2)
A three-time champion this season, Niemann looks like solid value at 13/2. Also, I think this course just lines up perfectly for his talents. The Chilean currently sits 2nd for birdies made and 8th in Scrambling. Crucially, Niemann has gained over half a stroke in the field on approach in seven of his last nine appearance (Majors included). His ability to find greens and scramble effectively should make him an ideal candidate for success at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.
