‘I’d love to join LIV’ says DP World Tour winner

As far as auditions for a place on LIV Golf go, we might have already seen a leading contender.

The Saudi-backed circuit has just completed the ninth stop of its worldwide tour in 2024.

LIV’s inaugural Nashville event welcomed 40,000 fans to the Grove, as US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau led the way.

But fans could be ready to see one of his teammates a bit more often next season, if his hopes are fulfilled, that is.

John Catlin – a three-time DP World Tour – first stepped up to the Crushers GC plate to replace the injured Charles Howell III in Houston and has taken full advantage of the opportunity.

The American was called up by captain DeChambeau on the back of his impressive results on the Asian Tour, where Catlin has recorded back-to-back wins this season.

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Now, the 33-year-old has his eyes on a permanent place in Greg Norman’s startup.

“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t creep in there, but again, I don’t really have any control over that,” he said, when asked if it was on his mind. “That’s up to the captains. That’s up to managers. That’s up to the team organisation.

“If I just keep doing what I’m doing, things are going to work out, and I’m going to keep putting in the work, and I hope I get more opportunities to showcase what I can do.

“I can tell you that right now; I would love to be out here.”

Catlin walked away from his LIV Golf debut in Houston with $182,500 before his T7 finish in Nashville earned a double payout.

He banked $562,500 for the individual effort and another $375,000 after Crushers GC finished second in the team standings.

In comparison, his 121 starts on the DP World Tour have combined for just over $2 million in earnings.

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He currently leads the Asian Tour Order of Merit and maintaining that lead through until the end of the season would culminate in a LIV Golf berth for 2025.

After his second round in Nashville, Catlin reflected on the different format and playing with familiar faces.

“I’m loving it, I’ve always liked playing golf with music. Whenever I’m at home playing golf with my friends we always have music, so it kind of feels like that again.

“The team part is really awesome. Nowhere else do we have that. We kind of have a lot of team chemistry, team camaraderie, and I feel like that’s helped make the transition easier.

“I’ve been a pro for 11 years. I’ve played on pretty much every tour in the world. I’ve had a chance to meet all these guys before, and coming back, it just kind of felt like, hey, I haven’t seen you in a while.”

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.