2 weeks Ago By Aaron Morris
The landscape of LIV Golf has changed slightly since its debut season in 2022, with several players being ousted from the lucrative new group. The initial line-up of 48 players for the first eight-tournament schedule was announced in March 2022, but this number dwindled after the inaugural Invitational Series Centurion event at St Albans in June. Big-name stars such as Bryson DeChambeau , Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed were recruited for LIV's second event in Portland, while many one-hit wonders parted ways with the organisation.
But what became of the stars who played at Centurion but didn't return for the second event? Express Sport breaks it down...
Oliver Bekker pocketed a handsome £642,000 ($800K) purse for his T6 finish at Centurion, but it was a case of one and done for the 40-year-old South African, reports The Mirror US . Along with numerous other players, Bekker found himself fined by the European Tour and suspended by the PGA Tour for three co-sanctioned events, making his comeback at the BMW International at the Golfclub Munchen Eichenried, where he failed to make the cut. Since dipping his toe into the waters of LIV, Bekker has returned to the European and Sunshine Tours, securing just one victory at the Challenge Tour's Dimension Data Pro-Am in February 2023 with a four-stroke lead over Adam Blomme.
Oliver Fisher, who hasn't won an event in nearly 14 years, has made a return to the DP World Tour after finishing T38 at Centurion. His last victory was at the 2011 Czech Open. In 2024, Fisher participated in eight European Tour events, with his best finish being a T62 at Fontanals Golf Club's Second Stage in November.
Meanwhile, Viraj Madappa secured a hefty £125K ($156K) cash prize after finishing T30 at the Centurion. He has since competed on the Professional Golf Tour of India, the Asian Tour, and the KPGA Tour. Ratchanon Chantananuwat, who became the youngest-ever winner of an Official World Golf Ranking event at just 15 years old by winning the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup in April 2022, was tipped for greatness.
Following his success, he was personally invited by Greg Norman to play at Centurion, where he finished a respectable T38. However, the now 17-year-old chose to remain an amateur, competing in the Amateur Championship the following week and again the next year at Hillside Golf Club - reaching the semi-finals before being defeated by Ronan Kleu. The Bangkok native has since embarked on a collegiate career with Stanford and is currently ranked 65th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
His most recent event was the 2024 PIF Saudi International, where he finished ninth. Andy Ogletree had a disappointing last-place finish at LIV's inaugural event, earning £96K ($120K) despite a 24-over-par score. He was promptly ousted from the set-up, but found success on the Asian Tour after winning the International Series Egypt.
Despite the setback, it wasn't his final appearance under the LIV banner. Thanks to an impressive 2023 season on the Asian Tour, Ogletree earned the International Series Order of Merit and secured a spot in the 2024 LIV Golf League. Playing for Phil Mickelson's HyFlyers GC, he finished 34th in the league standings for the 2024 season and will continue with the team into the 2025 season.
JC Ritchie, who finished T17 at Centurion, chose to return to the DP World Tour and also compete on the Challenge Tour. Despite boasting 12 professional wins, the South African hasn't tasted victory since the 2022 Jonsson Workwear Open, where he triumphed over Christopher Mivis by six strokes. Pablo Larrazabal had a modest T13 finish at Centurion before heading back to the European circuit to participate in the BMW International Open, where he finished T5.
However, his decision to play in the LIV event resulted in him being barred from the 2022 Scottish Open. Larrazabal has remained loyal to the DP World Tour, clinching his eighth European Tour title at the Korea Championship in April 2023 and following it up with a victory at the KLM Open the next month. Meanwhile, Blake Windred could only manage a T38 finish on the Centurion, pocketing £112K ($140K) before heading back to the Challenge Tour.
As of February 2025, he's making strides on both the European Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia, despite not having won an event since the Victorian PGA Championship in 2021. He currently sits at 1,590 in the OWGR rankings. Kevin Yuan also made it to the LIV event at Centurion thanks to the Asia Tour's International Series, finishing T33 at St Albans.
However, after missing the cut at the Korean Open, he returned to the Asian Tour. So far in 2025, he's played two events, finishing fourth at January's Smart Infinity Philippine open and eighth at the International Series India the following week. He is currently ranked 607th in the OWGR.
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