After the Relegation, What Is Next for LIV Golf? All You Need to Know About Ultimate Team Line-Up Process for 2024

The 2023 LIV Golf season was the first season of the league, with 13 sanctioned events. This season also saw the official relegation of players who stood out of the Top 44. The season ended by crowning Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC as the Team Championship winner. While Talor Gooch, the latest addition to Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats GC, clinched the individual title.

Now, as the newest season waits to begin, LIV Golf has announced three phases that will impact the future of all its golfers. Read ahead to know what the LIV Golf 2024 season has in store!

Three phases before LIV Golf new season begins

After the conclusion of LIV Golf Miami, the year-end season leaderboard revealed the rankings of 50 golfers. As per LIV’s rules, players are divided into three zones: 1) Lock Zone, 2) Open Zone, and 3) Drop Zone. Players ranked 1-24 will be in the Lock Zone and secure spots for 2024. Those ranked 25-44 will be in the Open Zone and released or traded by their teams. Players 45 and below will be relegated to the LIV Golf Promotions tour, except the captains.

Four players were relegated from LIV Golf in 2023. They are Jediah Morgan, James Piot, Chase Koepka, and Sihwan Kim. These players will have a chance to get their cards back at the LIV Golf Promotions in early December 2023. However, amidst the qualifying event, the league will go through Phase Two.

The PIF-backed league announced the three phases before the 2024 season commences. In Phase One, the Top 24 golfers will become free agents. This means they will not extend their team contract or are out of contract. Phase Two begins when these free agents join the free zone group.

All the free agents will be available to buy out by the same or different teams. In Phase Three, the teams must fill their empty spots until four spots are vacant for the three LIV Golf Promotions winners and the winner of The International Series Order of Merit 2023, Andy Ogletree. As the Phase One has concluded, the league is entering Phase Two.

Eight players have passed the first phase. Now, the teams have one or more empty spots. The players without contracts are up for negotiation with different teams, or are re-signing their past roster. The teams after Phase One are as follows:

LIV Golf teams after the conclusion of Phase One 

Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces GC has left with one vacant spot after Pat Perez left the squad. Perez finished 28th on the leaderboard and was in the free zone. He may be re-signed or not. The three secured players of the 4Aces are Johnson, Peter Uihlein, and Patrick Reed. Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyer’s GC had one player relegated. James Piot finished 47th and the roster now has Mickelson, Brendan Steele, and Cameron Tringale.

Read More: Weeks After Failing to Claim $18M LIV Golf Prize, When Is Brooks Koepka Expected to Play Next?

Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats finished runner-up in the LIV Golf Miami 2023 event. The captain has decided to stay with his four-man roster for the 2024 season – Talor Gooch, Thomas Pieters, Bubba Watson and Harold Varner III. Brooks Koepka’s team Smash GC surprisingly has only one empty seat. Also, Matthew Wolff remains in Smash, but it is Brooks’ brother Chase Koepka who is out of the team.

Chase was one of the relegated golfers, as he finished 48th. Koepka, Wolff, and Jason Korak are the three members of Smash GC. Torque GC, led by Joaquin Niemann had outed one golfer. David Puig was in the free zone and had been released by his team. The South African squad, Stinger GC of Louis Oosthuizen is compact with its four golfers. Bryson DeChambeau’s entire roster of Crushers GC has been kept intact.

Moreover, Australian Cameron Smith’s team Ripper GC has two spots open for golfers. Jediah Morgan was relegated after 47th rank and Matt Jones found himself in the free zone with 31st rank. Another team that has its 2023 rosters intact is the Majesticks GC, co-captained by Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson, and Lee Westwood, while Sam Horsfield completes the squad.

Martin Kaymer of Cleeks GC was in the drop zone but was exempted, being a captain. The team has two vacant spots, as Graeme McDowell and Bernd Wiesberger finished at 42nd and 41st in the season-ending leaderboard. Richard Bland and Kaymer now await golfers either by drafts or re-signation.

Sergio Garcia’s FireBall GC did not have an epic 2023. The team has one spot empty, as Carlos Ortiz left the team and did not extend his contract. Similarly, Kevin Na heading the Iron Heads GC has one idle spot. Sihwan Kim was relegated and will be expected to play at the LIV Golf Promotions. The teams will be filled before the qualifying event ends and only four spots are left.

As the PGA Tour has now allowed its players to participate in the new league, are fans excited to witness new faces in the LIV Golf 2024 season?

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