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 just four events remaining in the LIV Golf individual season, many players at the lower end of the rankings are genuinely worried about the possibility of relegation.
The breakaway tour has not yet disclosed the details of its relegation plans for this season, but last year resulted in Jediah Morgan, James Piot, Chase Koepka, and Sihwan Kim losing their spots in the league.
Using the same criteria, the top 24 players in the standings at the end of the individual championship at Bolingbrook Golf Club in Illinois in September will secure a place in the Lock Zone. They will have the option to extend their contracts if they are due to expire, or they can opt to decline and become a free agent.
Players who finished between 25th and 44th will be in the Open Zone if their contracts are expiring, leaving their future with the tour uncertain. In 2023, five out of six players in this situation either re-signed with their teams or joined new ones, with Bernd Wiesberger being the only player who did not secure a deal. The Austrian has since returned 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.
Ian Poulter, Phil Mickelson, and Bubba Watson, who are team captains, are hovering near the Drop Zone, but they are secure from demotion regardless of their ultimate rankings. Nevertheless, several others do not have this safety cushion to rely on.
Anthony Kim, a once promising talent whose career was derailed by injuries, has made a surprising return this season after years of obscurity and is currently at the bottom with zero points, alongside fellow wildcard Hudson Swafford.
The Vincent brothers, Scott and Kieran, are currently in 53rd and 54th place, respectively, after a rough start to the season. Branden Grace from Stinger GC, who had a top 10 finish last season, is now struggling in 52nd place. Meanwhile, Kalle Samooja from Finland is in 51st place.
Moving higher up the leaderboard, some well-known names are facing tough positions. Pat Perez, Harold Varner III, Mito Pereira, and Danny Lee, who are all teammates of Dustin Johnson at 4Aces GC, are currently placed between 48th and 42nd. They will need to finish the season strongly in order to improve their chances of continuing their LIV Golf careers.
Get ready for the action to resume in Spain at the iconic Valderrama on July 12, then head over to the UK for LIV Golf at JCB Golf and Country Club on July 26. The solo season will conclude with two tournaments in the US at The Greenbrier and Bolingbrook, paving the way for the team championship in Dallas in September.
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