Three of LIV Golf’s youngest names have landed real-world trophies away from the league this month — and each win came with a bigger message than the cheque.
In November, Tom McKibbin lit up Hong Kong. The Northern Irishman went wire-to-wire to win the Link Hong Kong Open with a tournament-record 27-under 253, earning spots in the 2026 Masters and The Open—a serious “I belong here” stamp for a player still early in his LIV chapter.
Two weeks later, Spain’s Josele Ballester added the loudest punctuation, winning the PIF Saudi International at 22-under 262—in just his 10th professional start—to take the US$5 million International Series season-finale spotlight in Riyadh.
And last week, 24-year-old another LIV youngster, David Puig won the BMW Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane, shooting 68-67-65-66 to finish 18-under 266 and win by two in his first start as a DP World Tour member.
The broader point: whatever you think of LIV’s format, the “sub-standard” label gets harder to defend when its youngest names keep cashing results on global tours that do not grade on a curve.
This matters because the “LIV fields are sub-standard” critique keeps running into the same wall: results. LIV players have already proven they can win the biggest prizes, too — Brooks Koepka became the first LIV golfer to win a major at the 2023 PGA Championship, and Bryson DeChambeau followed by winning the 2024 U.S. Open.
Other LIV-linked wins (recent crossover receipts)
| Player | LIV link | Event | When | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyrrell Hatton | Legion XIII | Hero Dubai Desert Classic | 2025 | Won in Dubai |
| Laurie Canter | (LIV-linked; later DPWT) | Bahrain Championship | 2025 | Won; later LIV return reported |
| Eugenio Chacarra | Relegated from LIV | Hero Indian Open | 2025 | Won after relegation |
| Joaquin Niemann | Torque GC | ISPS Handa Australian Open | Dec 2023 | Won in Australia |
| Joaquin Niemann | Torque GC | LIV Mayakoba; LIV Jeddah | 2024 | Two LIV wins |
| Joaquin Niemann | Torque GC | PIF Saudi International (Int’l Series) | 2024 | Won; topped series |
| Joaquin Niemann | Torque GC | LIV Adelaide, Singapore, Mexico City, Virginia, UK | 2025 | Five LIV wins |
| Louis Oosthuizen | Stinger GC | Alfred Dunhill Championship; Mauritius Open | 2024 | Back-to-back wins |
| Tyrrell Hatton | Legion XIII | Alfred Dunhill Links Championship | Oct 2024 | Won at St Andrews rotation |
