The team aspect is regularly cited as a major plus point for players on LIV Golf, but like any team sport it can be brutal when players are cut.
It's certainly the case according to Jinichiro Kozuma, who says he only found out he was not on the Iron Heads team for 2026 via social media.
Kozuma says communication with LIV Golf was virtually non existent during the offseason, and he only discovered that his captain Kevin Na was leaving and his team was rebranding less than a month before the start of the 2026 campaign.
Na was dropped as Ben An joined LIV Golf to captain a rebranded Korean Golf Club - all of which came as a surprise to Kozuma, who finished as the top Iron Head in 32nd in the standings despite missing five tournaments with injury.
Although being the best in his team and avoiding relegation, not finishing in the top 24 'lock zone' left Kozuma at risk of being dropped by his team - but the manner of how things transpired were disappointing, as he explained.
Kozuma spoke with Sports Illustrated about how events transpired - via his manager Moto Sudo in an email conversation.
“There were definitely a few parts of the process that surprised me,” said Kozuma. “For example, I only found out recently that Kevin Na would no longer be the captain, so that was unexpected for me as well.
“Also, since last year, I personally didn’t receive any direct communication from the Iron Heads organization. Because of that, there was a period where it was difficult to fully understand what the situation was.
“The moment I clearly understood that I wouldn’t be playing for the Iron Heads moving forward was when I saw the official Instagram post announcing the Korean team. That was when everything became clear for me.”
Kozuma says the biggest disappointment was not receiving "a clear, official explanation like ‘this is the specific reason we are not renewing your contract’" and instead finding out most of his information online.
Golf Monthly has contacted LIV Golf for a response.
Kozuma hopes for LIV Golf return
Kozuma failed to find another LIV team to join as he says they are now "building their rosters not only based on results but also based on team identity and the type of player profile they were looking for" which left him without any available options.
There does seem to be a change towards more teams based soley on nationality, with the Korean outfit joining teams from Australia (Ripper), South Africa (Southern Guards), Spain (Fireballs) and the UK (Majesticks).
It also shows a more brutal aspect of LIV Golf, with a player finishing above the relegation zone but still being dropped from the league due to other factors - and that may be something the OWGR will look at when considering the awarding of ranking points.
As while the relegation element is expanding, there's a question over how valid it is competitively if players can be dropped due to their personality or nationality and not their performances.
Overall, though, Kozuma loved his time on LIV Golf, and will play on the Japan Tour and Asian Tour this year hoping to play his way back.
“My time playing on LIV Golf was a truly valuable experience for me,” he added. “Actually playing in that environment also helped raise my level as a golfer.
"I genuinely feel that it made me better, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to have been part of LIV. This year, my goal is to keep improving, take my game to the next level, and work toward earning the chance to return to LIV again.”
