Dustin Johnson’s LIV Golf team in crisis as players face relegation and uncertain futures.

Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces team could look very different next season with Pat Perez and Harold Varner III in danger of being relegated from the LIV Golf league.

Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces LIV Golf team could be in for a shake-up at the end of this season, with two players on the brink of relegation.

Pat Perez and Harold Varner III have had a disappointing season and are teetering dangerously close to the drop zone with only two individual events left. They need to finish the season strongly to secure their future with LIV Golf.

At the commencement of the penultimate individual event of the season at The Greenbrier, Perez and Varner found themselves positioned 47th and 48th, respectively. Players ranked 49th or lower in the 56-man league face the possibility of relegation in the upcoming year.

The pair is anxiously observing competitors such as Scott Vincent, Kalle Samooja, and Branden Grace, as the battle to evade relegation escalates during the final two weeks of the season. A top-10 finish by any player could potentially secure their place, given the closely contested standings.

Varner, who joined the 4Aces during the offseason, was acquired in a trade that sent Peter Uihlein to the RangeGoats. Nevertheless, the American has encountered difficulties in replicating his previous season’s performance, where he achieved a seventh-place finish in the standings and secured a victory in Washington D.C.

Perez, on the other hand, ended up in the Open Zone in 2023, securing the 28th spot. The top 24 bagged their spots on their teams and a contract extension with the league for the next season.

Perez was a free agent without any security, but team captain Johnson decided to keep him on for another year.

The risk taken by Johnson and the 4Aces hasn’t paid off. They clinched the team order of merit title last season, but have now plummeted to 10th in the rankings with just two events left before the season-ending Team Championship in Dallas next month.

Johnson’s performance has fallen below his typical high standards, as the two-time major champion currently ranks 13th in the standings. This follows his victory at LIV’s inaugural title in 2022 and a fifth-place finish last year. Patrick Reed, the fourth member of the team, has also experienced a mediocre season, placing 20th at present.

While Reed is poised to conclude the season within the Lock Zone, thereby securing his position on the 4Aces for the upcoming season, Perez and Varner do not share this advantage. They require a strong finish to the season to have any hope of competing in LIV next year.

Should they find themselves in the Open Zone, their prospects will depend on team captain Johnson, who, given the challenges faced this season, may be motivated to implement substantial changes.