The 2024 LIV Golf season is entering the home straight with just four events remaining – and the threat of relegation is looming for a number of established players
With only four events left in the LIV Golf individual season, the threat of relegation is a real concern for several players at the bottom of the rankings.
The breakaway tour has not revealed the details of its relegation plans for this season, but in the previous year, Jediah Morgan, James Piot, Chase Koepka, and Sihwan Kim were removed from the league.
If the same system is utilized, the top 24 players in the rankings at the end of the personal championship at Bolingbrook Golf Club in Illinois in September will be in the Lock Zone. Those players will have the option to accept contract renewals if their current agreement with the league is nearing its end, or they can opt to reject the offer and become a free agent.
Those who finish between 25th and 44th place may end up in the Open Zone if their contracts are expiring, creating uncertainty about their future on the tour. In 2023, five of the six players in this position either renewed their contracts with their current teams or moved to new ones, except for Bernd Wiesberger who was unable to secure a deal.
As a result, Wiesberger has now made a comeback to the DP World Tour.
Players who ended up in 45th place or lower were in the Drop Zone and faced the threat of relegation unless they held the position of team captains. Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood managed to dodge relegation due to this rule, but Morgan, Piot, Koepka and Kim had no choice but to participate in the LIV Golf Promotions qualifying event in Abu Dhabi in December to secure their spots. All four were knocked out and won’t be eligible to play on LIV in 2024.
Team captains Ian Poulter, Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson are teetering around the Drop Zone, but they’re safe from relegation regardless of their final standings. However, several others don’t have this safety net to fall back on.
Anthony Kim, once a promising talent before injuries forced him out of the game for over a decade, made an unexpected comeback this season after years of obscurity and is currently at the bottom with zero points, along with fellow wildcard Hudson Swafford.
Brothers Scott and Kieran Vincent are in 53rd and 54th places respectively, following disappointing starts to the season. Stinger GC’s Branden Grace, who finished in the top 10 last season, is now struggling in 52nd place. Finland’s Kalle Samooja is in 51st.
Higher on the standings, renowned players are in unstable positions.
The likes of Pat Perez, who is Dustin Johnson’s teammate at 4Aces GC, along with Harold Varner III, Mito Pereira, and Danny Lee, are currently ranked between 48th and 42nd place. They will have to finish the season strongly in order to increase their likelihood of continuing their LIV Golf careers.
The golf season will resume in Spain at Valderrama on July 12, then continue in the UK at JCB Golf and Country Club on July 26 for LIV Golf. The season will conclude with two events in the US at The Greenbrier and Bolingbrook before the team championship in Dallas in September.
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