2023 LIV Golf Oklahoma Preview, Picks & Analysis

Talor Gooch will this week attempt to win his third successive LIV Golf event at Cedar Ridge Country Club in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. And he has an additional incentive for doing so as he is from this part of the world.

The American won in Adelaide after opening with two rounds of 62 and added a second title in Singapore seven days later, pocketing more than $8m in individual prize money in the process.

Both tournaments attracted big crowds, with almost 80,000 people in attendance at Adelaide. 

To say he is enthusiastic about playing in his native Oklahoma is something of an understatement  He said: "I have such a love for Oklahoma. It's my people, I feel like. I'm just excited for them to actually see it up close and in person. It's going to be such an exciting week. I keep hearing about the support has been really good for ticket sales and just the local community. We love our sports in Oklahoma, and it's going to be fun to see the turnout.

"I'm here because of Oklahoma. If it wasn't for where I grew up and how I grew up and the people who supported me along the way, I wouldn't be where I am today. 

"I want to be a part of helping continue to grow the game always in Oklahoma and be someone that kids can aspire to be. When I was growing up, it was Bob Tway and Scott Verplank and Willie Wood and guys like that that kind of carried the torch for Oklahoma. It's just part of my duty as a guy from Oklahoma to continue to push it forward for all of golf, whether it's junior golf or whether it's a local muni that needs better funding and support. I want to be able to be someone that can help make golf a priority in our state." 

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

The 48-man field have won 24 majors between them and can boast 125 combined appearances in the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, 533 tournament victories worldwide and four world No1s.

Among those in action this week are four-time major winner Brooks Koepka, reigning Open Champion Cameron Smith, World Golf Hall of Famer Phil Mickelson, two-time major winner Dustin Johnson, 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia and 2020 US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau. 

The field also includes former Oklahoma University star Abraham Ancer and five players who competed at Oklahoma State University: Eugenio Chacarra, Gooch, Charles Howell III, Peter Uihlein and Matthew Wolff. 

Players are in pursuit of the 2023 LIV Golf Individual Championship and 2023 Team Championship, and after five events, each of the top three players in the individual standings are former OSU Cowboys: Gooch (first), Uihlein (second) and Howell (third). 

The team standings, which decide seeding for the season-ending Team Championship, are currently led by 4Aces GC, captained by Johnson and featuring Uihlein, Pat Perez and former Masters champion Patrick Reed.

This is the first official season of the LIV Golf League, with a 14-tournament schedule being hosted in seven different countries at some of the sport’s top courses. 

Form Guide

After successive victories, Talor Gooch is clearly the man to beat, especially on home soil and playing a course he knows. Sergio Garcia will have been encouraged by his recent return to form.

The Course

Cedar Ridge is a magnificent tree-lined course. A par 71 measuring 7,018 yards, it staged the US Women’s Open in 1983. In 2016, renowned course architect Tripp Davis was employed to oversee a renovation project that saw a radical overhaul of the bunkers. 

To Win: 

Talor Gooch. On the crest of a wave

Each Way:

Sergio Garcia. Showing some form again

Each Way:

Peter Uihlein. Has been a consistent performer

Five to Follow:

Talor Gooch. Aiming to do it for the home fans

Sergio Garcia. Has a point to prove

Peter Uihlein. Underrated

Dustin Johnson. Has struggled of late but it surely can’t last

Brooks Koepka. Looking to tune up for the PGA