Sports
20 Greatest Players Named and Ranked by AI
The LIV Golf league has dominated golfing headlines this week after reports suggested that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is preparing to pull its funding for the breakaway golf league.
Since its inception in 2022, the PIF has supported the new golf format with over $5bn in funding, as a way of enticing the best players to make the switch from the PGA Tour to LIV.
While some of the household names, like Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, have stayed loyal to the traditional format, LIV did manage to poach some of the biggest stars from the PGA Tour, with a roster including Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Tyrrell Hatton. However, the recent news would suggest that big-name signings alone don’t necessarily translate to a great influx in revenue.
Given the uncertainty surrounding the future of LIV Golf, and its participants for that matter, we tasked AI with ranking the top 20 LIV golfers.
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20 greatest LIV Golf players (20-11) |
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|---|---|
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Position |
Player |
|
20. |
Sergio Garcia |
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19. |
Carlos Ortiz |
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18. |
Dean Burmester |
|
17. |
Branden Grace |
|
16. |
Paul Casey |
|
15. |
Peter Uihlein |
|
14. |
Thomas Pieters |
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13. |
Thomas Detry |
|
12. |
Elvis Smylie |
|
11. |
Anthony Kim |
10
Abraham Ancer
The American-Mexican takes the first spot in the top 10 of our AI list. Ancer turned professional in 2013, although his inconsistency in his rookie year meant that his highest finish was a T-18 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic. His one and only PGA Tour win came at the 2021 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, taking out Sam Burns and Hideki Matsuyama on the second hole of the playoff.
Having made the switch to LIV in June 2022, Ancer has managed just one individual win on the tour, the 2024 LIV Golf Hong Kong, having also claimed a win in the team trophy in Bangkok.
When we asked why Ancer made it into the top 10, AI attributed his position to his consistency, frequently making the top 10 in competitions.
9
Talor Gooch
Born in Midwest City, Oklahoma, Gooch began his professional golf journey on the PGA Tour Canada in 2015 and 2016, his best finish being as runner-up at the 2015 Syncrude Boreal Open. Having secured his Tour card in 2017, the American had to wait four years for a taste of success, winning the RSM Classic in November 2021.
After making the switch to LIV, Gooch experienced major success in 2023, winning the Adelaide, Singapore, and Andalucia competitions, setting him up to win both the individual points list and the money list. Just two years later, Gooch reclaimed his crown at Valderama, winning LIV Golf Andalucia for a second time.
AI stated that the fact that he is one of LIV’s most consistent performers is why he takes ninth on the list.
8
Patrick Reed
The first Major winner in the top 10, Patrick Reed, takes eighth on our list. Turning professional aged 20, Reed has accumulated nine victories on the PGA Tour, including a record-breaking display at the 2014 Humana Challenge. The American scored rounds of 63-63-63, resulting in a PGA Tour record of 27-under-par. Reed’s triple-63 was also the first time in Tour history that a player opened a tournament with three rounds of 63 or better.
His one and only Major win came at the 2018 iteration of The Masters, beating Rickie Fowler by a single stroke. Similarly, he has only managed one win on the LIV circuit, a four-way playoff shootout against Paul Casey, Jinichiro Kozuma, and Louis Oosthuizen at LIV Golf Dallas. But his reliability and ability to deal with tough situations is what made AI award him eighth on the list.
7
Dustin Johnson
Level with the legendary Gary Player for PGA Tour wins, with 24, Johnson is a worthy admission to this list. The American has won two Majors across his 19 years as a professional, his first coming in the form of the 2016 US Open, with the second coming via his 2020 Masters triumph.
Despite only one of his three LIV Golf victories coming in 2022, that being his victory at the LIV Golf Invitational in Boston, Johnson did manage to top both the individual points and the money lists that year.
AI reckons that, although he may not be as strong as he once was, his track record suggests he still has the potential to be dangerous.
6
Brooks Koepka
The only former LIV golfer on this list, Koepka made the switch back to the PGA Tour in 2026, citing the need to “prioritise the needs of his family and staying closer to home” as his reasoning for abandoning the rebel league.
Koepka holds five Major championships to his name, three at the PGA Championship and two, back-to-back, US Open’s, his 2017 win matching Rory McIlroy’s 2011 record for the lowest score at the competition at 16-under. His dominance in Majors, and his victory at the 2018 CJ Cup, saw Koepka move to the number one spot in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Across his three-and-a-half year stint with LIV, the American managed five wins, two of which came at LIV Golf Jeddah. According to AI, his spot at sixth is justified by his ability to perform in big moments, as evidenced by his successes as Majors.
5
Tyrrell Hatton
Hatton is one of only two names in the top 10 who are not also in the top 10 for LIV Golf earnings, sat all the way down in 22nd as of the event in South Africa, with Abraham Ancer in 15th.
Hatton has 13 professional wins to his name, with his only PGA Tour victory coming at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March 2020. Similarly, Hatton has only managed one win during his time at LIV, his success at the 2024 Nashville event being his first victory in over three years.
Although he hasn’t had as much luck as he would’ve hoped for over recent years, AI cites his performance in this year’s installment of The Masters as the reason for his spot in fifth, having finished as the highest placed LIV golfer at the event in T3.
4
Cameron Smith
Having turned professional in 2013, Smith had to wait until 2017 for his first PGA Tour win, coming at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans, while partnered with Jonas Blixt, a feat he repeated in 2021 while partnered with fellow countryman Marc Leishman. He went on to win four other PGA Tour events, including The Players Championship in March 2022, and The Open Championship just four months later.
After leaving the PGA Tour for LIV in August 2022, Smith has won three LIV events, although it could’ve been more, with the Australian losing out in both of the playoffs that he has reached.
AI reasoned by saying that, while he may be slightly inconsistent, he is undoubtedly a world-class player, as evidenced by his Major victory at The Open.
3
Joaquin Niemann
Niemann made a name for himself during his time as an amateur, holding the number one spot in the World Amateur Golf Ranking for 44 weeks from May 2017 until April 2018, when he turned professional. Having been awarded the 2017 Mark H. McCormack Medal for being the top-ranked amateur, the Mexican received entry to the 2018 editions of The Open Championship and the US Open, with his victory at the 2018 Latin America Amateur Championship providing him an invitation to the 2018 Masters.
Niemann has finished runner-up in the LIV Golf points list twice, firstly in 2024 and then again in the following year. Despite winning four more events than any other player in 2025, and eventual winner Jon Rahm not winning a single tournament, Niemann’s low finishes in the other LIV events meant he missed out on top spot.
According to AI, though, his frequent wins show that he is a consistent contender, with his elite ball-striking ability edging him into the top three on this list.
2
Bryson DeChambeau
Perhaps the most polarising golfer in recent history, whether you love him or you hate him, Bryson was always going to be near the top of this list.
Given his huge social media presence, driven mainly by his impressive YouTube following (which surpasses the PGA Tour’s subscriber count), DeChambeau has often been regarded as the poster-boy of LIV Golf. His unique, scientific approach to the game, and the monstrous drives he has put on display time-after-time, have been major factors in drawing eyes onto the LIV Golf league.
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His 16 professional victories include two US Open’s and five wins on the LIV circuit, two of which have come during his impressive start to the 2026 LIV season, with victories in Singapore and South Africa.
AI has stated that the multiple recent wins, alongside his huge ceiling, are what puts him in second position.
1
Jon Rahm
A two-time Major winner, it’s no surprise to see that AI has selected Jon Rahm for top spot.
Having been awarded an eye-watering $18,000,000 for topping the points list in 2024, he repeated his achievement in 2025 and received the same award as the year prior. Ironically, Rahm repeatedly stated that he was not a fan of the structure of the league before making the switch, appearing on the Golf Sin Etiquetas podcast in August 2023 and claiming: “I laugh when people rumour me with LIV Golf. I never liked the format.”
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The Spaniard has spoken about the uncertain future of LIV Golf.
Although, we’re fairly sure that he has since changed his mind on the Saudi-backed project, given the success he has experienced.
Given that he has topped both the points and money list twice, AI claimed that Rahm is the ‘clear number one’ on this list.
During the first of their two pre-World Cup friendly matches, England faced New Zealand on Saturday. It was a match of little incident as Thomas Tuchel gave 22 players game time to help his squad acclimate to the US weather and pitch conditions.
In the end, a single goal from Harry Kane, who headed in a winner moments before half-time, was enough to settle things. As it was more of a training exercise than a real match, Tuchel seemed mostly happy that his players had come through the 90 minutes unscathed.
However, fans watching at home could not help but notice the lively cameo from Liverpool youngster Rio Ngumoha. He isn’t in the Three Lions squad for the World Cup, and will not feature even if injuries force Tuchel into making a change from his original 26-man team.
Rio Ngumoha Among Four Youngsters In England Supplementary Group
It’s not uncommon for a handful of players to travel to a World Cup despite not being in the actual playing squad. This is to help make up the numbers during training and is particularly useful for Tuchel right now as Arsenal contingent Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke, and Eberechi Eze have arrived at the camp later than the rest of the team due to their participation in the Champions League final.
Goalkeeper Dean Henderson will also join them, delayed after winning the Conference League with Crystal Palace. With those men absent, Ngumoha is among a small group – along with Alex Scott, Josh King and Ethan Nwaneri – who have travelled as supplementary members of the England squad.
Against New Zealand, Ngumoha, aged 17 years and 281 days, became the fifth-youngest player to debut for the England men’s team. On what was a pretty drab affair, he was arguably the brightest player on the pitch during the second half. He was even named as the Man of the Match.
As such, some fans were pleading with Tuchel to call him into the senior squad as a late addition ahead of the World Cup. However, this is not a possibility, and so the Liverpool starlet will fly home with the other youngsters after the final warm-up match against Costa Rica on 10 June.
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Why Ngumoha Won’t Be in England’s World Cup Team
Of course, it would be very harsh to suddenly drop a player in favour of Ngumoha. But many may hope for an injury to open up the door for a teenager. Even if this were the case, Tuchel would still have to look elsewhere for a replacement. This is because he was not called into the provisional 55-man squad submitted to FIFA by England. As per the Mirror, the strict FIFA eligibility rule explain:
“Under World Cup regulations, teams can call up a late injury replacement up to 24 hours before their opening match. However, the player must come from the provisional 55-man squad submitted to FIFA.”
As Ngumoha was not included on that initial 55-man list, he cannot be added to the tournament squad under any circumstances. The same goes for Fulham and Arsenal duo King and Nwaneri. In fact, there is only one player from the group of four youngsters who could make it in at this late stage: Bournemouth star Alex Scott. He was named in the preliminary 55-man party, making him eligible for a late promotion should injury occur.
England have until 24 hours before their opening match against Croatia to make any changes should injury or illness befall anyone in the 26-man squad. After the tournament begins, FIFA rules state that only goalkeepers can be replaced in the event of an emergency.
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England manager Thomas Tuchel has made one major mistake with his 2026 World Cup squad selection, according to fans, following Saturday’s narrow 1-0 win over New Zealand.
Tuchel made several controversial calls while naming his 26-man squad last month, leaving out global stars including Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The German tactical, who was appointed as Sir Gareth Southgate’s successor in October 2024, believes he’s assembled a squad who are all “100% committed”, “ready to buy into their role on and off the pitch” and “who are ready and committed to the idea of team spirit and being unselfish”.
Tuchel named two different XIs either side of half-time at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, where the ‘shameful’ prices being charged for drinks left fans dismayed.
Harry Kane, a leading contender for the 2026 Ballon d’Or award, scored the only goal of the match shortly before the interval as the testing temperatures and poor playing surface affected England’s game.
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England World Cup Quiz
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Fans Fear Tuchel Has Made Squad Selection Error
Aside from another goal for Kane, plus the clean sheet, the biggest positive for England was the eye-catching performance of Rio Ngumoha who, aged 17 years and 281 days, became the fifth-youngest player to debut for the England men’s team.
The Liverpool starlet posed a constant threat down the right flank with his pace, skill and directness. A fearless performance, Ngumoha deservedly received the Player of the Match award on his England debut. Watch his highlights below:
However, the teenager is not part of England’s 26-man World Cup squad. The gifted winger is one of several youngsters who are gaining experience before flying back home before the tournament begins.
Fulham’s Josh King, Marseille’s Ethan Nwaneri and Bournemouth’s Alex Scott will also leave the England camp after the final warm-up match against Costa Rica on June 10.
Fans believe Tuchel has made a big mistake by not including Ngumoha in the final World Cup squad based on the evidence presented during Saturday’s warm-up win over New Zealand.
“It’s an absolute travesty that Noni Madueke is on that plane ahead of him,” one fan commented on X (Twitter), while another said:
“Rio Ngumoha looks like he’s been playing for England for years. Definitely missed a trick not taking him! Bringing someone like him on to run at a tired defence with 20 minutes to go would have been a great option to have.”
A third fan commented: “Thomas Tuchel not adding Rio Ngumoha in the World Cup squad is absolutely not brilliant, you just cannot afford not to add that kind of quality player,” while a fourth added: “Rio Ngumoha was unbelievable tonight, best player on the pitch. Just a shame Tuchel would rather have Madueke in the squad. Hugely disappointing.”
While a fifth supporter posted: “Rio on his England debut, what a baller. Tuchel, you are making a mistake, he’s better than all the wingers in England’s squad.”
Ngumoha made 19 appearances for Liverpool in the Premier League last season, scoring two goals and providing one assist. He also made four appearances in both the Champions League and FA Cup, plus two more in the EFL Cup.
Tottenham are set to complete another summer signing after securing the signature of Andy Robertson, according to Fabrizio Romano.
It’s been a strong start to the summer transfer window for Spurs, which is no surprise after such a disappointing season.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side needed to invest in their squad, and they’ve wasted no time in trying to bring new additions to the club.
If Tottenham want to head him back in the right direction, they need to bring in reinforcements this summer. It looks as though they’ve already got two deals over the line.
Robertson was recently confirmed as their first summer signing, joining the club on a free transfer after leaving Liverpool.
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Tottenham Close to Second Summer Transfer
According to Romano, Tottenham are now set to secure another signing after it was confirmed that Robertson would be joining the club.
The respected journalist has confirmed that Tottenham have now completed a double free transfer signing, bringing in Robertson and Marcos Senesi, who joins the club on a four-year deal.
Despite various rumours, Romano confirms that there is no chance for anyone to hijack a deal for Senesi after he said yes to Spurs weeks ago and completed a medical on Saturday.
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England World Cup Quiz
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Strong Start to Window for Tottenham
Bringing in both Senesi and Robertson ahead of the summer transfer window is a strong start for Tottenham for multiple reasons.
Both players have been playing at a high level in the Premier League and will instantly improve their squad, if not their starting XI.
They also have plenty of experience, both in general and in the Premier League, which is what Tottenham need after a disappointing few years.
Spurs have signed a host of young talent from around the world over the last few years, so adding a bit of experience will be beneficial.
Whether the duo will start every week remains to be seen, but there’s a strong chance they will be crucial signings for Tottenham.
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