After Sunday's thrilling finish at the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, the golfing action continues this week with LIV Golf UK at the JCB Golf and Country Club in Rocester.
This is the 10th event of the 2026 LIV Golf League and the third year in a row this tournament has been staged at the Uttoxeter layout which is a par 71 boasting 11 par-fours, three par-fives and four par-threes.
Joaquin Niemann claimed a three-shot win last year, holding off the challenge of Bubba Watson, while Jon Rahm lifted the trophy at this venue back in 2024.
LIV Golf UK Tips Summary
Best Bet - Joaquin Niemann to win @ 17/2
Alternative Bet - Branden Grace to win and each-way @ 33/1
Alternative Bet - Scott Vincent to win and each-way @ 33/1
LIV Golf UK Prediction
Best Bet: Joaquin Niemann to win @ 17/2
Niemann will have been disappointed to have missed the cut at last week's Open Championship, where he was unable to recover from an opening round of 76 at Royal Birkdale, but he has the mental fortitude to move on swiftly from that showing in Southport.
The Chilean won his eighth LIV title in Korea in May - the most of any player on the breakaway tour - and he has fond memories of the JCB Golf and Country Club, having finished second in 2024 before going one better the following year.
Niemann shot -17 for his three rounds when lifting the trophy in Rocester - a tournament record score - and a huge reason for his impressive performances at this course is his accurate approach play.
Given the undulating fairways and elevation changes, distance control and accuracy with the irons is essential and Niemann is ninth in greens in regulation on the LIV circuit this year.
Alternative Bet: Branden Grace to win and each-way @ 33/1
Another player worth keeping on side this week is Branden Grace, who has been consistent over the past five months and has form figures of T3-T5-T21-T12-T11 in his last five LIV outings.
The South African was tied-14th at the International Series Morocco in June before withdrawing after three rounds of the Italian Open later that month, although that WD shouldn't be a concern as he was off the pace and needed a good result to qualify for The Open Championship.
Grace will be refreshed and ready to go for this UK event and he put in a decent performance at this course last year, taking a share of 21st place.
The 38-year-old has been sharp on approach this season, ranking fifth in greens in regulation, while his position of first in scrambling highlights his ability to get up-and-down when he fails to find the dancefloor.
Alternative Bet: Scott Vincent to win and each-way @ 33/1
Scott Vincent also endured a disappointing trip to Royal Birkdale, failing to make the weekend after rounds of 75 and 73, but his game is not suited to links golf and this week's parkland challenge could be right up his street.
The Zimbabwean has been in excellent form over the last six LIV events, posting finishes of tied 17th, 11th, fourth, tied eighth, fifth and 15th, while he shared 10th place at the International Series Morocco before The Open Championship trip.
Vincent played LIV UK in 2024 at the JCB Golf and Country Club, ending up tied 16th, and his performances this season suggest he can improve on that result.
The 34-year-old is 12th in greens in regulation and fifth in scrambling, while his ranking of 19th in putting average shows the flat stick has been behaving.
Key Tournament Stats
This will be the third year in a row LIV Golf UK has been staged at the JCB Golf and Country Club
Spaniard Jon Rahm clinched a one-shot victory in 2024, edging out Tyrrell Hatton, Joaquin Niemann & Cameron Smith
Niemann went one better next year when lifting the trophy, finishing three strokes clear of Bubba Watson
The two winning scores at this course have been -13 and -17
Legion XII have been the winning team at LIV Golf UK in the last two editions
Hatton won the most recent LIV event in Andalucia last month, holding off Rahm by two shots
Read more golf betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
