LIV Golf's relegation system has come under criticism after Bubba Watson and Branden Grace have both been kept on for 2025 despite finishing last year's campaign in the 'Drop Zone.'
Captains like Watson were originally exempt from relegation until it was revealed that they could be cut from the league and only brought back if a business case was made and accepted. That has clearly happened with the two-time Masters champion and RangeGoats GC leader, who still carries a big name with a strong record and a large following across his social media channels.
Grace looked to be out of the league after missing out at the Promotions event before Louis Oosthuizen re-signed him to the Stinger GC team. Oosthuizen told Golf Monthly that he didn't think of bringing anyone else in "for one second" and that Grace was always going to return.
LIV's other relegated players, Scott and Kieran Vincent, will not be returning for 2025.
So, with just 50% of the relegated players actually being relegated, should LIV Golf just do away with the system? Our writers have their say...
Should LIV Golf do away with relegation?
No, because relegation is fundamentally a good idea. LIV just needs to make sure that it follows through with penalties on players who finish in the drop zone.
Even if they're only banned from being a permanent member of a team for one season (golfers could still fill in for injured players if necessary), there has to be some kind of punishment for a poor season.
Enforcing relegation for everyone inside the drop zone would also allow for a natural turnover in the roster. As a result, that would give the product greater meaning and ensure fans are far more likely to remain engaged because they know the rules won't be changed at the drop of a hat to suit certain players.
Relegation is a good idea, but it has to be utlized properly and that is not currently the case with LIV.
It doesn't bother me in the slightest if LIV Golf does away with relegation or not.
I have no interest in watching the breakaway league, even though I have to admit I was impressed with the quality of the broadcast when I tuned in for research at the end of last year.
It seems fairly obvious that relegation and promotion was only important in the quest for world ranking points, a ship that has now sailed.
Bubba Watson was 'relegated' but he's now been re-instated because, I'm assuming, he has a big social media following. Meanwhile, Branden Grace is back on a team with his South African mates while the winner of the Promotions event Lee Chieh-po will potentially have to compete as a wildcard in 2025 (he isn't on a team yet). The whole thing is farcical.
This is a tricky one and the answer depends on what LIV wants to be, as they’re at a bit of a crossroads here between being an invitational entertainment show and a true competitive sporting competition.
Promotion and relegation gives that competitive element LIV hoped would legitimize the league in order to get world ranking points and access to Majors, but both are now so watered down that why bother when players who get relegated end up re-signing for the league anyway?
If LIV wants to pick and choose who plays then that’s just fine and sponsors and fans will know where they stand and it’s no bad thing – but if it’s to be a serious competition then some sort of jeopardy just has to be involved, and that means a proper relegation procedure.
I actually think that LIV should do away with relegation based on this year's result where two of the four relegated players are back for 2025.
If they're going to have relegation, it needs to be done properly otherwise they're just opening themselves up for criticism.
Relegation and promotion was introduced to help the league's quest for world ranking points, and now that has been abandoned there is no real benefit to it as you could potentially lose some big names. The promotion system, which has been reduced from three spots at the 2023 LIV Golf Promotions vs just one in 2024, is also a risk for a commercial product as executives have little control as to who will be joining the circuit the following year.
A better and more commercial way of running the league might be to just operate every player on contracts, which in fairness they are already doing, and then let the lower performing players go once their contracts run out. Lesser names will receive one-year deals and then can be renewed or let go based on how they get on.
