The Open Championship is the final sanctioned event 2024 that will see the PGA Tour compete against LIV Golf. There is still the Olympics, but their tour affiliation does not matter as it does in a major.
The PGA Tour won the first two majors in 2024, while LIV Golf claimed the most recent at the U.S. Open.
That brings the question: Who would you take—the PGA Tour or LIV Golf—for this final major?
Specifically, we paired Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler on the PGA Tour’s side, with Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Kopeka representing LIV Golf.
Let’s look at both sides’ performances this year to see which side is better to root for.
The PGA Tour side: Scheffler and McIlroy
One of the biggest storylines of 2024 is Scheffler himself. The world’s No. 1 player has been nearly unstoppable all year.
Scheffler has six wins, including winning the Masters in April and four of the eight Signature Events. He also won the Players in March.
Not to mention, he has two runner-up finishes, 13 top 10s and 14 Top 25s. Scheffler has not missed a cut in the 15 events he played, either.
Scheffler’s worst finish came at the U.S. Open with a T41, which also marked the only time he did not finish inside the Top 25 at least.
The former Texas Longhorn’s last start came at the Travelers Championship when he won for the sixth time before July 1, so he has not played in three weeks.
Regardless of that break, Scheffler comes in with a lot of hype surrounding him.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25535779/2148327079.jpg)
Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images
As for his partner, McIlroy has also had a successful season. He is currently the No. 3 player in the world and has two victories in 2024. McIlroy and Shane Lowry won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Then, the Northern Irishman took home his fourth Wells Fargo Championship the following week to earn his 26th career win.
Leading up to the Open, McIlroy finished solo second at the U.S. Open, but it happened in heartbreaking fashion. He missed two short putts down the stretch, which caused him to fall to DeChambeau.
After a break, McIlroy returned last week at the Genesis Scottish Open and contended. He finished T4 and shot four rounds in the 60s.
McIlroy won the Claret Jug in 2014. Scheffler’s best finish in the oldest major was a T8 in his debut in 2021.
The PGA Tour has a strong argument with the amount of success they have had in 2024.
Before we decide, though, let’s look at the LIV Golf team.
The LIV Golf side: DeChambeau and Kopeka
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25535780/1256611507.jpg)
Photo by Scott Taetsch/PGA of America via Getty Images
Coming into the Open, DeChambeau’s last test against the PGA Tour saw him win his second U.S. Open. He also finished T6 at the Masters and solo second at the PGA Championship.
In LIV Golf events, the Crusher GC captain’s best finish came at LIV Nashville when he was third. Overall, he has six top 10s in 10 starts. DeChambeau is still on the hunt for his first victory of 2024 on LIV.
Koepka has not had as much success in the majors as he did in 2023. He finished T45 in Augusta, T26 at the PGA Championship and T26 at the U.S. Open.
In LIV Golf events, Koepka won the Singapore event and has four top-10s. While he did win on the Saudi-backed Tour in 2024, it has not been the best year.
In previous Open Championships, DeChambeau’s best finish came in 2022 with a T8, while Koepka’s came in 2019 with a T4. He also has a couple of T6’s in 2021 and 2017.
These two are super competitive, so while they do not have as many victories in 2024 as the PGA tour does, they are still a formidable choice.
It is a hard decision because all four players are incredibly talented and could win any week.
For the sake of this Open week, we are going with the PGA Tour, but either side is a good pick. One of these four can get hot and take over the tournament any week.
Which side would you choose?
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @golf_girl_sl.
