Why LIV Golfers Will Continue To Shine In The Majors

Professional golfer Brooks Koepka recently won his fifth major title at the PGA Championship. It was an excellent win for Koepka as an individual and for the much-maligned LIV Tour, where he currently plays most of his competitive golf. Between 2017 and 2019, Koepka was the hottest and seemingly the most unbeatable golfer on the planet, winning four major titles during the span. But once he started struggling with injuries, many thought his best days were behind him. In 2022 Koepka committed to join the LIV Golf League and was summarily ostracized by the golf media and much of the golfing public and written off as a washed-up player who could not compete with the world’s best anymore.

The LIV Golf League and its players, many of them multiple major championship winners, have been vilified, excommunicated, and dismissed by traditional golf tours, such as the PGA Tour. The golfers who chose to play on LIV are not only banned from playing on the PGA Tour, but their performances on LIV have also stopped counting for world ranking points. As a result, fewer LIV players have enough points to qualify for golf’s most significant events, The Majors.

And while traditional golf continues to vilify LIV golfers for a variety of reasons, the science of exceptional performance dictates that these very actions are making the LIV golfers stronger, more resilient, and more motivated to perform well in the Majors, where the best golfers, regardless of their tour affiliation, compete. The actions of writers and fans looking to diminish the LIV Golf League have primarily been responsible for firing up the LIV golfers and prompting them to deliver exceptional performances.

Research on elite athletes has shown that overlooked or written-off professional athletes tend to carry a chip on their shoulders and become more motivated to win. They want to prove their doubters wrong and are willing to try harder. We can already see this with LIV, as the results speak for themselves.

LIV golfers have punched way above their weight in the first two major tournaments this year. At The Masters in April, LIV had three golfers in the top five, including 52-year-old Phil Mickelson, who finished tied for second place, a remarkable achievement. And at this week’s PGA Championship, where only 16 of the 156 players were from LIV, three LIV golfers finished in the top 10, including the winner Koepka.

The world’s best athletes, including Kobe Bryant, Usain Bolt, Tom Brady, and LeBron James, look to find a reason to carry a chip on their shoulders as this motivates them and gives them an edge. LIV golfers don’t have to look for one as they face enough criticism, with players labeled “washed up” and their league dubbed “exhibition golf.” These criticisms fire up the LIV players to raise their level of performance the few times they get to compete against their former peers.

Separating The Good From The Great

A team of British researchers has performed in-depth research to understand the differences between elite and super-elite athletes. They studied 32 world-class athletes, of which 16 were elite athletes, those who reached the highest levels in their sport and represented their country at the Olympics or other major international events. The other 16 participants were the super-elite; individuals who not only competed at the highest level but had won at least two medals (including one gold) at the Olympics or the World Championships. The researchers uncovered some interesting insights into the factors that drive extreme excellence. This research translates well to professional golf, where most golfers who play on the PGA Tour and LIV are “elite,” and the rare set of multiple major winners are “super-elite.”

The research shows that the elite and the super elite are similar in many ways. Both groups are talented and exhibit conscientiousness, dedication, and commitment to their sport and training. But some critical differences exist between the high-performers (the elite) and the ultra-high performers (the super-elite). Unlike the “elites,” the “super-elites” have gone through a significant adverse event that gave them a chip on their shoulder and an extra motivation to excel. The super-elites have also experienced a critical, pivotal moment in their sport that has prompted them to become more determined to shine. This crucial moment has fueled their desire to work harder.

The harsh and abrupt negative backlash towards LIV and its players was the pivotal moment that resulted in an elevated desire to excel and a need to succeed among LIV players. For them, winning majors changed from a desire to a need to win, and this shift in mindset has resulted in higher performance and better-than-expected outcomes. In every sport, increased motivation and drive, or a “need to win,” are among the most critical areas that separate the elites from the super-elites. LIV golfers have that extra motivation, and their results reflect this.

In this regard, professional athletes are no different from the rest of us. When you truly want something, you are willing to work hard to achieve it. And if everyone writes you off or doubts you, you will go out of your way to prove them wrong. The very critics of LIV are creating a hardened set of golfers who will use the adversity they face to become stronger.