Nine LIV Golf stars on brink of 2025 snub including rebel who scolded Tiger Woods
Several LIV Golf players are at risk of being dropped for the 2025 season, as significant changes loom for the breakaway tour. With only five events left in the 2024 season, the race to avoid relegation is intensifying alongside speculation about potential new signings. Last year, players finishing outside the top 44 in the individual…
Several LIV Golf players are at risk of being dropped for the 2025 season, as significant changes loom for the breakaway tour. With only five events left in the 2024 season, the race to avoid relegation is intensifying alongside speculation about potential new signings.
Last year, players finishing outside the top 44 in the individual LIV standings were relegated. Jediah Morgan, James Piot, Chase Koepka, and Sihwan Kim were among those who failed to avoid the drop, while Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood were exempt due to their roles as team captains.
The addition of Jon Rahm’s team, Legion XIII, has increased the field from 48 to 54 players for 2024. Consequently, players finishing 49th and below will lose their spot in the lucrative Saudi-backed series.
One player at risk is Pat Perez, who previously criticized Tiger Woods after celebrating success in the inaugural LIV campaign as part of Dustin Johnson’s team. Perez was frustrated by Woods’ comments questioning LIV stars’ desire to improve, given the financial guarantees.
“That’s the stupidest thing I have ever heard,” Perez said on the Son of a Butch podcast. “The incentive is that last place gets £120,000, and first place gets £4 million. You can’t win £4 million on the PGA Tour. Woods had a lot of guarantees and made significant money off the course. He found an incentive to go.”
Perez currently sits two places above the drop zone and needs to find form in the remaining events to avoid relegation. His teammate Harold Varner III, along with Branden Grace and Kieran Vincent, are also at risk.
Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson has fallen into the drop zone but is exempt from relegation as a team captain. Other players seriously at risk include Danny Lee, Jinichiro Kozuma, Laurie Canter, Kalle Samooja, and Scott Vincent.
Players finishing in the drop zone can keep their LIV places only through an LIV Golf Promotions Event at the end of the season. Those finishing between 25th and 48th must be re-signed or picked up by another team to retain their spots.
