LIV Golf: With Koepka Gone, Who Will Be The Next To Go?

Following last week’s historic U.S. Open, the golf world now returns to the competition conflict between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.

With the Travelers Championship up next for Jay Monahan and Co., we now know which golfers will not be attending.

Brooks Koepka and Abraham Ancer, the World No. 19 & 20 respectively, have decided to sign with LIV Golf in advance of their next event, later this month in Portland.

With Greg Norman’s field continuously getting stronger, many will wonder which PGA star will be the next to depart? Even with Monahan’s newest idea to incentivize its Tour, this may just be the tip of the iceberg.

Let’s examine which golfers may be the next to depart for LIV Golf:

Justin Rose

Many are surprised that Rose hasn’t made the switch yet. The Englishman has been a PGA member since 1998, and at 47 years old, is watching his career begin to wind down.

Once the World’s top golfer in 2018, Rose has now slipped down to 47th in the OWGR.  While Rose has 10 career victories, including the 2013 U.S. Open, his last victory came all the way back in 2019 at the Farmers Insurance Open.

With many International golfers around the same age already departing, including Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, and Louis Oosthuizen, it may only be a matter of time before Rose takes the opportunity of one last payday before his career concludes.

Xander Schauffele

This name might surprise some people, while others have predicted that it is only a matter of time for the American.

The World No. 15 has been very quiet about the issue, while many of the other top PGA players have been more vocal in their support of the Tour. When he was finally asked his opinion, Xander didn’t completely shut down the idea, leaving some to read between the lines:

"“I want to play against the best players in the world, and they’re on the PGA Tour. Nobody that has left has moved the needle for me”"

If Greg Norman is able to recruit a great majority of top golfers, does this mean that Schauffele will follow? I guess we will have to wait and see, but it’s certainly a possibility.

Tommy Fleetwood

I’m going a bit off the board for this one, but hear me out. The World No. 42 is quite the traveler, known for playing in multiple events across the World.

He typically rotates between the European Tour and PGA Tour throughout the year, and it seems that the Englishman is motivated by playing in different countries whenever possible.

Fleetwood has had a quiet PGA career, as he has yet to win a PGA Tour event. With only 3 top-10 finishes this season, don’t be surprised if Fleetwood is enticed by the guaranteed payday and the opportunity of playing in International events.

With the next LIV Golf event beginning on June 30th at the Pumpkin Ridge in Portland, it seems like their field is now set.

Following that, they head to Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey for the third event, a tournament that could have an even stronger field as more and more players make the jump.