LIV Golf Promotions: Lee, Hellgren, Kim earn wild card spots for 2026

LECANTO, Fla. – A dominant performance for Canada’s Richard T. Lee. A clutch low round for Sweden’s Bjorn Hellgren. And an inspirational return for American Anthony Kim.

All three players had reason to celebrate Sunday afternoon at Black Diamond Ranch after earning the three wild card spots available through this week’s LIV Golf Promotions. They now join International Series qualifiers Scott Vincent and Yosuke Asaji as the five wild card players who will compete in the 13 regular season tournaments during the 2026 LIV Golf League season.

Their next starts on LIV Golf will be in the 2026 season opener in Riyadh on Feb. 4-7.

RELATED: Final leaderboard 

While Lee and Hellgren will be making their LIV Golf debuts in Saudi Arabia, Kim will be back for his third season as a wild card player. He returned from a 12-year retirement from professional golf to join LIV Golf in 2024 but was relegated after last season as he continued to shake off the rust and rebuild his game.

Earning a spot for the 2026 season is a reflection of the significant progress he’s made in recent months.

“There were definitely low moments throughout those two years,” Kim said. “But I believe in myself more than anybody else believes in me, and I think that’s all that matters. I felt like I would earn my spot back if I did get relegated, which I did. I felt like if I just kept my foot on the gas and just kept grinding that great things were going to happen.”

Lee, meanwhile, completed an impressive weeklong effort with a final-round 5-under 65, leaving him at 11 under for the 36-hole weekend shootout for a five-shot victory over Hellgren, his nearest competitor.

The 35-year-old becomes the first Canadian to earn a spot on LIV Golf and he did it in style, shooting rounds of 64, 66, 64 and 65 over the four days, including the first two 18-hole knockout rounds that whittled the initial field of 78 players down to the 22 competing this weekend.

“It’s not sunk in yet, to be honest,” said Lee, who suffered just two bogeys all week, one of those coming late on Sunday when he already had a spot wrapped up. “21 under on this course is absolutely amazing. I’m very pleased with my game right now.”

Hellgren shot an even-par 70 on Saturday, leaving him outside the top 10 starting Sunday. The 35-year-old, who won the Saudi Open presented by PIF last month, had to play aggressive to make up strokes. 

He opened with consecutive birdies and overcame a couple of bogeys midway through his round, finishing it off with four birdies in his final six holes to shoot a 6-under 64, matching the course record set by Lee earlier in the week.

“Starting the day, we knew what we had to do,” Hellgren said. “We had to shoot a low one today. We had to basically go all in.”

Kim was in better shape to start the day, in the primary chase pack after shooting a 66 on Saturday. Through 10 holes Sunday, he was even par for the day and in a three-way tie for the third and final spot with two Thailand golfers, Jazz Janewattananond and Sarit Suwannarut.

Kim then birdied the par-4 11th with a 20-foot putt to create separation, then battled hard to maintain it. The par-4 14th was a key moment, as he twice overcame tricky lies near bunkers that left him with awkward stances, eventually saving par with a 15-foot putt. By the time he reached the 18th hole, he was three shots clear of fourth place and could afford a final bogey.

“Felt like if I made that putt, it could really swing the momentum,” Kim said of the 14th. “I beared down and holed it.”

Lee and Hellgren are both looking forward to the step up in competition that LIV Golf offers with a field that includes major champions such as Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson , Phil Mickelson and others.

“Definitely have to hit it longer to keep up with those guys and maybe get my short game a little bit sharper,” Lee said.

“Obviously this is going to change our life, for my family,” Hellgren added. “But it’s still just a tournament, and I’m sure I’ll be going to Riyadh to try to win because I like the feeling of winning.”

Kim, meanwhile, is glad just to have another season on LIV Golf. Sunday’s outcome was arguably the biggest moment in his two years since his return to the sport.

“There’s a ton of satisfaction,” Kim said at the end of his press conference. “I’m sure I’ll understand that all that work has really shown this week, maybe later tonight when I’m drinking an iced tea. It means a lot to me because three years ago, doctors told me that I potentially had two weeks to live. So just to be here standing in front of you guys is a blessing.” 

PROMOTIONS TOP 3

A quick look at each of the three players who claimed full-time wild-card spots for the 2026 LIV Golf League:

RICHARD T. LEE
35 years old | Canada

Has six professional wins, most recently at the 2025 Woori Financial Group Championship on the Korean Tour … Played predominantly on the Asian Tour and Korean Tour in recent years … Asian Tour Rookie of the Year in 2013 … Played the 2007 U.S. Open at the age of 16, the second-youngest player in tournament history … Turned professional after the tournament … Has three Asian Tour wins, including the 2024 BNI Indonesian Masters, an International Series tournament.

BJORN HELLGREN
35 years old | Sweden

Has eight professional wins, most recently in December at the Saudi Open presented by PIF … Finished sixth on the 2025 Asian Tour Order of Merit … Topped the Swedish Golf Tour Order of Merit in 2015 … Has victories on the Swedish Golf Tour and Nordic Golf League … Former teammate of Brooks Koepka at Florida State University … Turned pro in 2013 after two years in college.

ANTHONY KIM
40 years old | USA

Spent last two seasons as a wild card player on LIV Golf after returning to competitive golf following a 12-year retirement … Turned pro in 2006 and quickly established himself as one of the sport’s most exciting young talents … Has won three PGA Tour events and played a key role on the victorious 2008 U.S. Ryder Cup team … Ranked as high as sixth in the world in 2008. 

FINAL LEADERBOARD

The top three players after Sunday’s final round of the 36-hole weekend shootout at Black Diamond Ranch claimed the three available LIV Golf wild-card spots for 2026. The top 10 players and ties earned exemption into The International Series on the Asian Tour. 

1. Richard T. Lee, Canada – 64-65 (129/-11)
2. Bjorn Hellegren, Sweden – 70-64 (134/-6)
3. Anthony Kim, USA – 66-69 (135/-5)
T4. Lucas Bjerregaard, Denmark – 67-70 (137/-3)
T4. Sarit Suwannarut, Thailand – 69-68 (137/-3)
T4. Kieran Vincent, Zimbabwe – 70-67 (137/-3)
T4. Jeunghun Wang, South Korea – 69-68 (137/-3)
T8. Oliver Bekker, South Africa – 66-72 (138/-2)
T8. Cory Crawford, Australia – 71-67 (138/-2)
T8. Jazz Janewattananond, Thailand – 66-72 (138/-2)
T8. Matt Jones, Australia – 70-68 (138/-2)
T8. Takanori Konishi, Japan – 69-69 (138/-2)
T8. Christopher Wood, Australia – 71-67 (138/-2)
14. Rattanon Wannasrichan, Thailand – 70-69 (139/-1)
15. Joe Pagdin, England – 69-71 (140/E)
T16. Sadom Kaewkanjana, Thailand – 73-69 (142/+2)
T16. Julian Perico, Peru – 70-72 (142/+2)
T16. Travis Smyth, Australia – 71-71 (142/+2)
T16. Miguel Tabuena, Philippines – 72-70 (142/+2)
20. Jose Islas, Mexico – 72-72 (144/+4)
21. Max Kennedy, Ireland – 69-76 (145/+5)
22. Danthai Boonma, Thailand – 76-77 (153/+13) 

ROUND 4 NOTES

INTERNATIONAL SERIES: Along with the three LIV Golf wild-card spots going to the top three finishers, all players finishing inside the top 10 receive exemptions to the 2026 International Series on the Asian Tour. 

Five of those players previously did not have International Series status: Denmark’s Lucas Bjerregaard, South Africa’s Oliver Bekker, Japan’s Takanori Konishi, and Australians Christopher Wood and Cory Crawford.

“Finishing top 10 is always great, but to be rewarded with starts on The International Series is a big bonus,” Wood said. “It’s probably the next best thing to getting one of the LIV spots. I’ve never played The International Series before, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

14TH HOLE DRAMA: The par save by Anthony Kim at the 14th hole was one of the memorable moments on Sunday. His tee shot finished just on the edge of a fairway bunker, the ball above his feet as he stood in the sand, 128 yards from the pin. After debating on club selection a few times, he opted to choke up on an 8-iron.

“My initial thought was to chip a 5-wood because I wasn’t going to be able to get much speed out of there,” Kim explained. “I told myself quit thinking about it so much, just be athletic, figure it out. Grabbed 8-iron and I was good to go …

“I don’t know if it was stupid or courageous to hit an 8-iron from that position, and I felt like if I didn’t whiff it and I hit the ball solidly, I could get it into that [greenside] bunker. … I just let my natural instincts take over. There’s no way to practice that shot. If you’re practicing that shot, you need to quit.”

His shot would have indeed landed in the bunker had it not hit a rake. Instead, his ball was again left on the edge, leaving him with a side-saddle stance to the green. He managed to get up and down from there, thanks to a 15-foot par save.

LEE’S LATE ENTRY: Promotions winner Richard T. Lee could’ve avoided playing the first 18 holes of this week’s tournament, but he didn’t decide to enter until Jan. 1. It was too late at that point to get the exemption, so he played the first round, shot a field-leading 64 and never slowed down the rest of the week.

“I had things to take care of back in Korea with family stuff, so I didn’t think I would have got it all done before LIV Promotions,” Lee explained. “I decided not to play. Then last minute, I got everything done and asked for the invite, and here I am.”

HELLGREN’S LIV GOLF INTEREST: Bjorn Hellgren is good friends with former Florida State teammate Brooks Koepka and fellow Swede Henrik Stenson. When both were playing in LIV Golf, Hellgren would ask if he could ever be a reserve at one of the tournaments.

“They’re like, you’ve got to win first,” Hellgren said.

In December, Hellgren won the Saudi Open presented by PIF, a huge confidence booster that he carried over into this week. Later in the month, he spent his first Christmas with son Ted, who was born last February.

“It changed a lot for me confidence-wise,” Hellgren said of the win. “I just became a father, too, and I think that helped a lot. 2025 was a year to remember, and I’m sure this year will be, too.” 

ROUND 4 STATS LEADERS 

Driving distance – Rattanon Wannasrichan, 310.5-yard average

Longest drive – Max Kennedy, 351.0 yards (9th hole)

Driving accuracy – Bjorn Hellgren, Joe Pagdin, Jeunghun Wang, 85.71% (12 of 14)

Greens in regulation – Jazz Janewattananond, 83.33% (15 of 18)

Scrambling – Kieran Vincent (6 of 6), Takanori Konishi (6 of 6), 100%

Fewest putts – Bjorn Hellgren, 24

Bogey-free rounds – Kieran Vincent (67)