LIV Riyadh betting tips: Selections and free bets for LIV season opener

The opening event of the 2026 LIV Golf season takes place this week with a field of 57 set to tee off in Riyadh.

LIV have introduced plenty of changes for the new season, with tournaments now moving to a 72-hole format instead of 54, while there has been an increase in field size from 54 players to 57, with five Wild Card positions now included.

Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood have both confirmed they will miss the first event, while Patrick Reed and Brooks Koepka have both left LIV.But there is still a star-studded field heading to Saudi Arabia where Adrian Meronk is looking to successfully defend the title he claimed in 2025.

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LIV Riyadh betting tips

• David Puig to win and each-way @ 9/1
• Tom McKibbin to win and each-way @ 20/1
• Marc Leishman to win and each-way @ 30/1

Puig could start the year with a bang

Spain’s David Puig is still waiting for his first win on the LIV Tour, but he could end that wait in the first event of the season.

The 24-year-old is one of the biggest hitters on tour and he finished in a share of sixth in Riyadh last season, bursting out of the blocks with a five-under-par 67 before rounds of 71 and 65.

He kept himself busy in the off-season, winning the BMW Australian PGA Championship, while he has since finished tied-third at the Dubai Invitational and tied-seventh at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

While some of his rivals this week may be a little rusty and jaded, Puig has kept himself fit and ready and has every chance of getting his hands on a first LIV win with the format now over 72 holes.

McKibbin can go close

Like Puig, Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin has stayed active over the winter and he finished T38 in Dubai and T19 at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

The 23-year-old has not finished outside the top 40 in his last five starts worldwide, while he finished T15 in Riyadh 12 months ago.

He recorded four top-10 finishes on the LIV Tour in 2025 and he is a model of consistency, so he should give punters a run for their money.

Experienced Leishman to learn from 2025 near miss

Marc Leishman finished tied-sixth in this event in 2025, despite scoring four-under par or better in each of his three rounds.

He will have learned plenty from that experience and the Australian showed he can compete with some of the big-hitting youngsters on tour when winning in Miami in April.

Leishman ended the 2025 LIV Tour by recording two top-15 finishes and kept that form going on the PGA Tour of Australasia towards the end of last year.

The 42-year-old finished tied-third at the BMW Australian PGA Championship and tied-18th at the Crown Australian Open before winning the Victorian PGA Championship in December.

Leishman will be full of confidence upon his return to Saudi Arabia and he looks good value to go all the way.

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