Team Power Rankings: ROSHN Group LIV Golf Riyadh

LIV Golf is set to kick off the 2026 season at Riyadh Golf Club to play ROSHN Group LIV Golf Riyadh. It is the first stop on the 14-event schedule, and the tournament will be played under the lights for a second consecutive season. Last year at Riyadh Golf Club, Adrian Meronk claimed his first LIV Golf individual victory and Legion XIII took the team title in dominant fashion. The course is a par 72 measuring 7 454-yards and will demand strong off the tee play and the ability to make birdies in bunches.

TEAM POWER RANKINGS

1 Legion XIII

Last season, Legion XIII won the team title in Riyadh by a comfortable margin of 11 shots. All four members of the team finished in the top 15 of the individual standings with Jon Rahm the best of bunch, finishing T2, two strokes behind Meronk. Not only does Legion XIII have two of the best players in the league in Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton but Caleb Surratt’s history at Riyadh Golf Club has been nothing short of phenomenal. The 21-year-old has played the course three times as part of LIV Golf and the International Series and boasts finishes of 11th, T2 and second.

2 Torque GC

Torque GC finished T9 at LIV Golf Riyadh last season but they are simply too strong on paper this year to rank any lower than second. The addition of Abraham Ancer to replace Mito Pereira, who struggled for much of 2025, makes them one of the favorites every week. Last year, Pereira finished T49 after posting a total score of even par while his teammate, Sebastian Munoz, finished T2. Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann also underperformed, finishing T33. I expect a better performance from Torque in Riyadh this season.

3 Ripper GC

Ripper GC captain Cameron Smith will be highly motivated to start the season and finished T2 at the 2024 PIF Saudi International at Riyadh Golf Club. The last time we saw Smith, he was in contention at the Crown Australian Open, ultimately finishing runner-up. Last season, Ripper finished second on the team leaderboard, led by a strong performance from Lucas Herbert (T4). An energized Smith to go along with a team that fits the course well and a new addition of Elvis Smylie should challenge for a spot on the podium this week.

4 4Aces GC

Despite losing Patrick Reed, I am high on the 4Aces chances this week in Riyadh. Both Belgians, Thomas Pieters and Thomas Detry, suit the course beautifully and should be in store for a big week. Captain Dustin Johnson has performed well in the Middle East throughout his career and is a candidate for a bounce-back season. This week, the 4Aces will tune out the outside noise and perform on the golf course.

5 Fireballs GC

Although the overall roster may be slightly less impressive on paper with the loss of Abraham Ancer, the expected growth of young stars David Puig and Josele Ballester could very well make up the difference of losing the Mexican. Last year, both Puig and Captain Sergio Garcia finished T6 at the event.

6 Crushers GC

While many teams made offseason changes, the Crushers stuck with the core they’ve gone with for the better part of four seasons. Bryson DeChambeau has had a quiet offseason and hasn’t made a professional start since the end of the LIV Golf season. This may seem like a low ranking for the Crushers, who are a perennial contender but I believe the leader of the team may need a week or so to shake off the rust.

7 RangeGoats GC

Last season, the RangeGoats finished T2 in Riyadh, which was their only podium finish of the season. The result was relatively predictable, given the strength of the team is driving distance rather than driving accuracy. The golf course suits long hitters and is forgiving of missed fairways, which benefits players such as Matthew Wolff and Peter Uihlein.

8 Southern Guards GC

Dean Burmester was briefly in contention at LIV Golf Riyadh last season, finishing T4 after firing a final-round 65 as he attempted to chase Meronk. He’s a big hitter who thrives in this type of setup with wider fairways. The rest of the team, however, isn’t quite as strong of a fit for the golf course. Last season, each of Burmester’s teammates finished T25 or worse on the individual leaderboards.

9 Smash GC

There is a growing sense that Smash GC is rallying around their new captain Talor Gooch and the team seems more motivated and connected than ever. Gooch is a contender at plenty of courses on the LIV Golf schedule, but Riyadh doesn’t quite feel like one of them. Last season, the 34-year-old finished T44. The best performers in the 2025 event on the Smash roster this week were both Graeme McDowell and Jason Kokrak who both finished T21.

10 Cleeks Golf Club

Meronk was the individual winner of the event last season but isn’t arriving in the type of form that indicates he will be a back-to-back winner at Riyadh Golf Club. The addition of Victor Perez will help the team long term but this event in particular won’t suit one of the shortest hitting teams in the league.

11 HyFlyers GC

Michael La Sasso is a fantastic addition for the HyFlyers and is certainly a strong fit for Riyadh Golf Club. However, the 2025 NCAA Champion may need some time to get adjusted as he is making his first professional start this week. Last year, the HyFlyers finished second-to-last on the team leaderboard, with only Cameron Tringale finishing in the top 20 individually (T18). With Phil Mickelson not making the trip to Riyadh, Ollie Schniederjans will tee it up in his place.

12 Korean Golf Club

The new look Korean Golf Club (formerly IronHeads GC), has a new captain, three new players and most importantly, new hope. Byeong Hun An should suit the course well as his driver is a weapon on a course that rewards big hitters. The rest of the team have question marks and will need some acclimation to the league, with the exception of Danny Lee who finished T33 here last season.

13 Majesticks Golf Club

The Majesticks struggled for just about the entire 2025 season. The addition of Laurie Canter, who is expected to be the team’s best performer on the course, will certainly help matter. However, with their legendary Co-Captains Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood another year older, the team will be in “prove it” mode until further notice. For the first two events of 2026, Ben Schmidt, who finished T16 at last week's Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship will fill in for Westwood.

Meanwhile, LIV Golf has released a statement on OWGR's decision.

The stated mission of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) is to “administer and publish a transparent, credible and accurate ranking based on the relative performances of players participating in male Eligible Golf Tours worldwide.”

We acknowledge this long‑overdue moment of recognition, which affirms the fundamental principle that performance on the course should matter, regardless of where the competition takes place.

However, this outcome is unprecedented. Under these rules, a player finishing 11th in a LIV Golf event is treated the same as a player finishing 57th. Limiting points to only the top 10 finishers disproportionately harms players who consistently perform at a high level but finish just outside that threshold, as well as emerging talent working to establish themselves on the world stage - precisely the players a fair and meritocratic ranking system is designed to recognize.

No other competitive tour or league in OWGR history has been subjected to such a restriction. We expect this is merely a first step toward a structure that fully and fairly serves the players, the fans and the future of the sport.

We entered this process in good faith and will continue to advocate for a ranking system that reflects performance over affiliation. The game deserves transparency. The fans deserve credibility. And the players deserve a system that treats them equally.

Southern Guards GC enters the 2026 season with a new look, name and logo but brings back the same roster that finished third in the LIV Golf Team Championship.

2026 ROSTER

Louis Oosthuizen (captain), 47, South Africa. LIV Golf starts (46); Best result (T2)

Dean Burmester, 39, South Africa. LIV Golf starts (41); Best result (First)

Charl Schwartzel, 41, South Africa. LIV Golf starts (46); Best result (First)

Branden Grace, 37, South Africa. LIV Golf starts (45); Best result (First)

OFFSEASON NEWS

Although the South African team left their roster intact, the team made a transformational change from their original name of Stinger GC to one that encompasses the culture of the region in Southern Guards GC. The overhaul comes at a crucial point for the team, who are set to host the first LIV Golf event in South Africa in March.

2026 OBJECTIVES

• Win LIV Golf South Africa.

• Make a second consecutive LIV Golf Team Championship.

• Louis Oosthuizen to win his first LIV Golf individual event, joining his three teammates who’ve all previously done so.

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PLAYER SPOTLIGHTS

• Louis Oosthuizen: Oosthuizen is coming off the worst season of his LIV Golf career but should be rejuvenated by the Southern Guards rebranding this season. He is one of the most talented players yet to earn a LIV Golf individual victory but for Oosthuizen, team success has always appeared to be more important than individual success.

• Dean Burmester: Burmester continues to be one of the most underrated players in the world. The issue for the 36-year-old is that he isn’t currently in the field for any major championship and chances to qualify are few and far between. Burmester is the type of talent who can challenge for a spot in the top 5 of the individual standings. While Oosthuizen is the team leader off the course, it’s Burmester who sets the tone inside the ropes.

• Charl Schwartzel: Schwartzel will never challenge Bryson DeChambeau in a long drive competition but as the league’s best putter in 2025, he can grind as well as most players in the league. Schwartzel’s value is at its peak when he’s playing alongside a teammate in the team competition but as a player in his early 40s, he’ll need to remain sharp and earn points individually if he’s to nab a precious Lock Zone spot at the end of the year.

• Branden Grace: Grace knows all too well how difficult it is to play with the pressure of avoiding the Drop Zone for a large portion of the season. Two years ago, he finished in the Drop Zone but what was brought back to the team. Last year, that was no longer an option and Grace had to scratch and claw for every available point before getting hot towards the end of the season and finishing in the Open Zone. In 2026, Grace will want to get off to a fast start to sidestep that unwanted stress for a third consecutive year.

WHAT THE STATS SUGGEST

In 2025, the Southern Guards displayed an elite short game. They ranked fourth in the league in scrambling and second in putting. They were in the middle of the pack in both greens in regulation (sixth) and birdies made (sixth).

WHERE CAN THEY IMPROVE?

The Southern Guards’ most glaring area of weakness is off the tee. They are neither long (eighth) nor accurate (seventh) with the driver and tend to rely on their short game to score.

KEY QUOTES

• Louis Oosthuizen on the rebrand to Southern Guards GC: "Yeah, look, it's a new chapter for us. Felt like we have our own identity now. We've built such a nice brand with Stinger GC but this is the way forward for us, get the South African spirit in there, get the rhino in there and we're very excited about what we can do going forward.”

• Louis Oosthuizen on LIV Golf South Africa: "South Africa was obviously a massive thing for us to get the tournament. We had some great help from LIV and from other sportsmen to get it in the country and I can tell you the fans are ready for it. Everyone is very excited.”

• Louis Oosthuizen on the symbolism of the Rhino in the new logo: “I think rhinos are pretty close to everyone’s heart in South Africa and then we have Dean’s (Burmester) charity, which is Birdies for Rhinos. We just think it’s a really good symbol for our team.”

BOTTOM LINE

The Southern Guards may not be the flashiest team on LIV Golf, but they are extremely deep. The South Africans are connected on and off the golf course and they bring the best out of each other, embodying their “ubuntu” mantra. They’ll once again be an extremely competitive group and are always one of the toughest outs in the Team Championship.

THREE BOLD PREDICTIONS

• Dean Burmester will finish top 10 in a major championship after qualifying.

• Louis Oosthuizen will finish in the Lock Zone after finishing 30th last season.

• They will win at least one team event.