The 2025 LIV Golf League campaign is fast approaching its conclusion, with only one individual event and the Team Championship left before each player's position in the standings determines where they will be playing next season.
All those inside 'The Lock Zone' (spots 1-24) can relax during the off-season, knowing their immediate futures with the PIF-backed circuit are signed, sealed and delivered.
Meanwhile, anyone who ends between 25th and 48th in the standings - otherwise known as 'The Open Zone' - faces a nervous wait regarding next term as they can either be traded or released by their respective teams.
There is no such uncertainty for players from 49th downwards, however, as they will be relegated from the LIV Golf League and only have a couple of tough routes back for the following year.
Per the LIV website: "Players finishing 49th or lower in the points standings after LIV Golf Indianapolis will be relegated from the league and could return only by playing their way back into the league via winning The International Series crown (Asian Tour) or through LIV Golf Promotions."
After debuting relegation in 2023, the rules were tweaked during the 2024 season, with LIV confirming that team captains were not exempt from dropping out of the league.
However, skippers would remain in the 54-hole circuit if they could make an argument their absence would negatively affect their brands from a business perspective. That is no longer understood to be the case, though, with a hard cut expected to be enforced at the end of the campaign, no matter a player's title, experience or name.
Someone who is at significant risk of seeing their LIV Golf career end in the coming days is Ian Poulter as the Majesticks co-captain sits below the dotted line following LIV Golf Chicago.
Poulter has only picked up 4.5 points all season and is just over a point below safety, with a top-20 finish at LIV Golf Indianapolis the bare minimum required to retain his place in 2026.
Pat Perez was the last man in during 2024 with 7.76 points while Laurie Canter retained his position in 2023 via 12 points as relegation debuted in the LIV Golf League. Canter's mini-success saw him end 44th when the circuit was marginally smaller, with Perez the first player to survive in the expanded tour.
Other pros who currently find themselves in 'The Drop Zone' include 13-time pro winner Mito Pereira, LIV rookies Yubin Jang and Fredrik Kjettrup, plus wildcard Anthony Kim.
However, based on last year's evidence, Kim would be exempt from relegation as a wildcard who does not also play for a team.
Two players who used LIV Golf Chicago as an opportunity to improve their respective outlooks were 2024 LIV Golf Promotions winner, Chieh-Po Lee and former Arizona State University star, Josele Ballester.
Lee produced a highly encouraging week in Illinois to end T13th and bump himself up to 45th spot on 9.16 points. Meanwhile, Ballester guaranteed his future on the circuit after falling to Dean Burmester in a playoff with Jon Rahm. A share of second added on to his impressive T7th result at JCB Golf and Country Club the tournament prior.
Ballester replaced Luis Masaveu halfway through the season, signing a 'multi-year contract' with Sergio Garcia's Fireballs, and has leapfrogged his compatriot in the standings despite having played in five fewer tournaments.
Masaveau was dropped as a full-time player ahead of LIV Golf Virginia but has returned as a stand-in on Bubba Watson's RangeGoats roster twice since, though he has failed to score a point.
Below are the current LIV Golf League standings following LIV Golf Chicago and with only one individual event remaining.
LIV Golf Relegation Zone 2025
Position |
Player |
Points |
Events |
|---|---|---|---|
OPEN ZONE |
OPEN ZONE |
OPEN ZONE |
OPEN ZONE |
45th |
Chieh-Po Lee |
9.16 |
12 |
46th |
Brendan Steele |
7.36 |
12 |
47th |
Lee Westwood |
7.20 |
12 |
48th |
Henrik Stenson |
5.52 |
12 |
DROP ZONE |
DROP ZONE |
DROP ZONE |
DROP ZONE |
49th |
Mito Pereira |
5.10 |
12 |
50th |
Andy Ogletree |
4.93 |
12 |
51st |
Luis Masaveu |
4.59 |
9 |
52nd |
Ian Poulter |
4.50 |
12 |
53rd |
Yubin Jang |
1.28 |
12 |
54th |
Young-han Song |
0.33 |
1 |
55th |
Anthony Kim |
0 |
12 |
56th |
Wade Ormsby |
0 |
2 |
57th |
Fredrik Kjettrup |
0 |
11 |
58th |
Ollie Schniederjans |
0 |
4 |
59th |
Max Rottluff |
0 |
1 |
60th |
John Catlin |
0 |
3 |
61st |
Minkyu Kim |
0 |
1 |
LIV GOLF POINTS DISTRIBUTION
Place |
Points |
1st |
40 |
2nd |
30 |
3rd |
24 |
4th |
18 |
5th |
16 |
6th |
14 |
7th |
13 |
8th |
12 |
9th |
11 |
10th |
10 |
11th |
8 |
12th |
7 |
13th |
6 |
14th |
5 |
15th |
4 |
16th |
3 |
17th |
3 |
18th |
2 |
19th |
2 |
20th |
2 |
21st |
1 |
22nd |
1 |
23rd |
1 |
24th |
1 |
LIV GOLF REMAINING SCHEDULE 2025
Date |
Event |
|---|---|
August 15-17 |
LIV Golf Indianapolis |
