Just how good are pro golfers?

With the creation of LIV Golf and the dilution of the professional golf game the LIV fanboys are always shouting about how the golf rankings are not correct and how their players are amongst the best in the world. But how do you gauge their performance in “competitions” with no qualification?

The Masters in 2023 fields 18 LIV golfers with many past champions and major winners – how will they get on? Time will tell but here are a rankings now compared to when they joined.

The image above, from https://www.nationalclubgolfer.com/news/liv-golf-official-world-rankings-drop/, represents the top 10 ranked players at the beginning of their LIV career. With the exception of Cam Smith, Joaquin Niemann, and Abraham Ancer, these players were on a slide.

Dustin Johnson dominated the first season, and as I watch LIV Orlando this week, I see Chase Koepka performing very well. Charles Howell III has won and competed in the first two events and Danny Lee was a winner last time out. But how can you tell if these guys are still any good? (Relative to the USPGA or DP World Tour).

As you can probably tell I watch a lot of golf, on a lot of different channels with YouTube my favourite for non-professional games. There is, however, a crossover where the pros do appear on channels I watch. I already highlighted my top 3 videos with golf pros – is this a good way to measure a players ability?

I’ve linked this video before but after watching this I realised just what a great player Max Homa is.He took it seriously enough and his ability and shot making was incredible to watch: you just knew he was a baller!

Also linked on the Top 3 Golf YouTube Videos plus a bonus post is Keegan Bradley. Again he looked like a baller. Without knowing too much about him prior he looks as if he could play a bit 😀
Similarly, Beef Johnston, in his recent video with Good Good looks to have a magnificent swing and can play. Unfortunately he’s out injured again but hopefully he will be back again soon.

3 younger players that I noted were Taylor Montgomery, Austin Smotherman and Akshay Bhatia – look out for these guys in the very near future.

On the other end of the spectrum there are few very questionable professionals. I mean, they are still a different level compared to even the greatest amateurs but their game is not really elite. I am not going to name names, but I have listed one of them earlier in this page.

So is it fair to judge a player by their performance on YouTube? YouTube videos can provide highlights of a golfer’s best shots or moments, but they may not show the full range of their skills or consistency over a full round or tournament.

Additionally, golf is a sport where small details can make a big difference, such as course management, shot selection, and mental toughness, which may not be visible in a YouTube video.

However, much like playing at your local course with a random playing partner you can get some idea of whether they are decent or not – even without knowing their handicap prior.

I guess ultimately these players will be judged on how they perform in The Majors while they are still allowed to compete (or qualify for).

Interesting times ahead with 1/3 of the LIV roster playing in the masters – 20% of the field for the Masters. The odds on LIV players start at about 16 to 1 for Cam, but with one in five players coming from LIV (albeit that maybe 5 of them are competitive right now) there must a fair chance for a LIV winner. What do you think?