Why these 4 tough LIV stars are safe from the drop

The PGA Tour FedEx Cup Playoffs are complete, but at the end LIFE Golfthings are starting to get serious with two events left. Two stars are fighting for the individual title during the season, but a host of other players are facing an abrupt exit from the starting league via relegation.

Starting last year, LIV Golf adopted relegation, a familiar aspect of English Premier League football, to create turnover in its playing ranks. What does this mean?

At the end of this week’s LIV Golf Chicago event, the last individual event before the season-ending team championship, players ranked below 48th in the individual rankings will enter the “Drop Zone” and drop or are excluded from LIV for the 2025 season. These players will compete in a 72-hole promotional event for a chance to return to the league.

Players ranked 25-48 at the end of their contracts will end up in the “Open Zone,” becoming free agents with no guarantee of earning a new contract through 2025.

However, there are many loopholes that provide relegation exemptions, and some star players, including three major champions, may need to use these exemptions to keep their place in LIV.

First, all 15 team captains are exempt from relegation. This is crucial for some big names who have struggled on the course this year.

Six times major champion Phil Mickelson is ranked 44th heading into Chicago, but is safe from relegation as HyFlyers captain. (Like Majesticks co-captain Lee Westwood and Cleeks captain Martin Kaymer were sacked the year before.)

Henrik Stensonthe 2016 Open champion and Majesticks co-captain won’t have to sweat his ranking (41st).

Two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson it is banking with the same exception. His captaincy of the RangeGoats protects him from relegation even if he fails to improve on his current rank of 52nd in Chicago.

Another star player, at least in terms of attention, will rely on another exception to avoid the drop. Anthony Kim (ranked 56th out of 57 LIV players) joined the league as a wild card this season, and wild cards are also exempt from boots. That means two other wild cards — Hudson Swafford (55) and Laurie Canter (51) — are also safe despite their poor play. (Although these players will escape automatic relegation, LIV can, of course, choose not to renew any expiring contracts.)

The other current residents of the Drop Zone – Scott Vincent, Branden Grace, Kalle Samooja and Kieran Vincent – enjoy no such exemptions and will be relegated unless they can jump into the top 48 with a strong showing at LIV Golf Chicago.

Kevin Cunningham

Editor of Golf.com

As managing producer for GOLF.com, Cunningham edits, writes and publishes stories on GOLF.com and manages the brand’s e-newsletters, which reach more than 1.4 million subscribers each month. A two-time former intern, he also helps make GOLF.com sound outside of the stories and service content provided by our reporters and writers, and works with the technology team on developing new products and innovative ways to deliver engaging engagement. site for our audience.