There are some eye-catching names among LIV Golf’s new arrivals, not least Masters champion Jon Rahm and his Legion XIII teammate Tyrrell Hatton. However, one player who doesn’t feel the circuit’s recent recruitment has lived up to expectations is PGA Tour star Justin Thomas.
The two-time Major winner is in the 80-player field for the second signature event of the season, the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Speaking to the media ahead of that tournament, he said: “At least from what, you know, what Greg [Norman] said, they haven't gotten anything close to what he's kind of said. It sounded like they were going to sign 10 or 15 people this however many months and haven't.”
Following Rahm’s signature, the LIV Golf CEO said: “It will create a domino effect” and claimed his phone had been “blowing up” before adding “we probably have eight to 12 players who are very, very keen to sit down and talk to us about coming on board.”
While LIV Golf hasn’t got close to recruiting that many players, some significant moves still appear imminent before the season opener on 2 February. It's been reported that Adrian Meronk is joining the circuit with a spot at Martin Kaymer’s Cleeks GC on the cards. Elsewhere, Lucas Herbert is expected to be announced as a Ripper GC player in the coming days.
Regardless, though, Thomas wondered if the high-profile players with LIV Golf may have their priorities elsewhere, with their performances at the Majors likely to have a bigger impact than their form in the League.
He continued: “I think at the end of the day the guys that are out there that are still, if you want to call it kind of in their prime, or can still play their best golf, I would say that their priorities are still set on the Majors versus their season out there.”
“I think that the storylines in my opinion will continue to be if those guys play well in Major championships and win Major championships. I think that's more of a storyline I would think than they could create on that tour.”
While LIV Golf undoubtedly has some impressive names in the prime of their careers, including Rahm, 2020 US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, 2022 Open winner Cameron Smith and current PGA Champion Brooks Koepka, a look at the field for the event Thomas will compete in this week demonstrates the continued strength of the PGA Tour, with nine of the world’s top 10 teeing it up in California.
Even with that formidable line-up, though, Thomas feels his game is in a good place to compete after a disappointing 2023. He said: “Yeah, I feel great. I'm excited to get going, I'm excited for this year. I've been working really, really hard and I feel like I'm in a great space mentally and physically.”
There have certainly been signs Thomas is returning to his best, with three top-10 finishes in a row either side of his Ryder Cup appearance to round off last year before returning to action with a T3 at The American Express.
On that most recent outing, he said: “I didn't play as well as I would have liked on Sunday in Palm Springs, but it was still a huge step in the right direction and I do feel like some wins are coming here soon. Just got to keep my head down and just keep pushing.”
