Relegation drama peaks with one tournament remaining to earn points

WESTFIELD, Ind. – As LIV Golf Chicago came to a close with a playoff that resulted in Dean Burmester claiming the trophy, a quieter, more desperate struggle began to take shape. With only one event left in the 2025 LIV Golf Regular Season, the relegation battle on LIV Golf has reached its crescendo.

The individual standings tell a story of players fighting to remain on a LIV Golf roster. After all, a finish of 49th or below in the points would end players' chances to compete on the League in 2026. Entering LIV Golf Indianapolis, here are the players ranked 49th or below in the individual standings.

*LIV Golf reserves are not factored into standings for the drop zone

The players currently in the Drop Zone will need to earn points (a top-24 finish or better) in order to have any hope to climb into the Open Zone.

If any of the players currently in the Drop Zone make a move to earn points, the players below could find themselves slipping down the standings and in danger of relegation.

Last week at LIV Golf Chicago, Chieh-Po Lee, a wildcard who’s been dancing with danger all season, began to write one of the most compelling comeback stories. Starting the week at 49th in the standings, Lee battled to a T13 finish at Bolingbrook after shooting rounds of 74-67-69. The strong week earned him enough points to leap four spots to 45th with 9.16 points. His gritty performance leaves him clinging to the edge of the Open Zone entering LIV Golf Indianapolis.

Another big move was made by Torque GC’s Mito Pereira. Pereira was once one of the most promising prospects in golf and held the lead in a major championship as he stepped onto the tee box at the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills. Now, the Chilean finds himself fighting to remain on a LIV Golf roster at The Club at Chatham Hills. At Bolingbrook, Pereira made birdie on four of his last five holes of the tournament and surged up the leaderboard. He would finish T13 after shooting rounds of 69-72-69, earning his first points of the LIV Golf season. After the tournament, Pereira improved four spots in the individual standings from 53rd to 49th. Despite the strong move, he will still need to earn points this week if he’s to avoid relegation.

“It was obviously nice to get that finish," Pereira said. "Those four birdies on the last five holes, gives us a little bit of momentum, more confidence, and just confirms a little bit of the work that I've done and gives me more hope for this week. Very happy with that finish, and like I said, there's a couple things that I can control, and I'm trying to do that.”

Perhaps the most notable name who faces relegation entering LIV Golf Indianapolis is Ian Poulter, a Majesticks GC co-captain and Ryder Cup legend. Desperate for points at LIV Golf Chicago, Poulter came away empty with a T39 finish, leaving him with a mere 4.50-point total, and currently in 52nd.

Poulter’s teammate and fellow European golf legend Henrik Stenson finds himself in a precarious position as well. Stenson is currently in the Open Zone, but just barely. If one or more of the players currently in the Drop Zone earn points, and Stenson fails to, he’ll be bumped down into relegation territory. For the Majesticks, the possibility of losing multiple team captains to relegation is a legitimate threat.

Lee Westwood, the third Majesticks GC co-captain, has a strong chance of being safe from relegation, but he’s not completely safe just yet. If two or more players from the Drop Zone make a charge at Chatham Hills, Westwood could slide down into the Drop Zone.

HyFlyers GC’s Brendan Steele, currently 46th in the standings, has a strong likelihood of staying in the Open Zone, but he does not want to leave anything to chance. The veteran will certainly have his eye on earning points this week to ensure his place alongside his captain and good friend Phil Mickelson for the 2026 season.

Andy Ogletree, also of HyFlyers GC, who once clawed his way into LIV Golf through sheer grit, continues to fight for his roster spot. Last week in Chicago, Ogletree battled through a sore wrist but failed to earn any points, finishing T34. The former U.S. Amateur champion is now perched precariously at 50th in the standings with 4.93 points. He’ll need to overcome the odds once again to earn points this week.

After earning a few important points at LIV Golf UK by JCB, where he finished T21, Iron Heads GC’s Yubin Jang sank deeper into trouble at LIV Golf Chicago. His disappointing T39 finish failed to move the needle, leaving him at 53rd with 1.28 points. With only one top-24 finish this season, Jang is in desperation mode this week.

Frederik Kjettrup of Cleeks Golf Club has had an extremely difficult season, failing to secure a point all year. Kjetterup’s best performance was a T33 finish at the opening event in Riyadh. Since then, he has struggled to find his footing, sitting pointless at 55th in the individual standings. His Achilles’ heel has been his driving, hemorrhaging an average of -2.13 strokes Off The Tee per round, ranking dead last at 54th in the field. For Kjettrup, the time to figure out his driving inconsistencies has just about run out.

“I’m going to go out and play as if its another event," Kjetterup said. "It doesn’t really help trying to put additional pressure on. I’m about a year out of college and playing against some of the best players in the world, multiple major champions. It’s already a lot of pressure.”

Anthony Kim, the wildcard whose comeback has tugged at heartstrings, showed flashes of brilliance at LIV Golf Chicago despite physical setbacks. After an opening 11-over 82 marred by neck spasms, Kim battled back with two incredible rounds of 68 and 66. Sunday's 66 was one shot shy of Harold Varner III’s low round of the day. Although Kim’s performance didn’t get him points for the week, the LIV Golf wildcard displayed tremendous resilience.

“I didn’t do anything special and left three or four shots out there," said Kim, who needs to pick up 6.5 or more points. "But I'm definitely feeling better about my game as long as I’m healthy. It will come together soon. Maybe this week.”