Threat of relegation looming with two regular-season events to play

BOLINGBROOK, Ill. – As LIV Golf Chicago unfolds this week at Bolingbrook Golf Club, relegation looms with the 2025 season’s Individual Championship approaching next week in Indianapolis. With only two events left to earn points, every shot could make or break a player’s spot on the 2026 LIV Golf roster. At Bolingbrook, the tension is palpable for players on the relegation bubble, each swing carrying the weight of their future.

RELATED: Individual Standings

Most of LIV Golf’s biggest names are safe for 2026, but there are team captains, veterans of various experience levels, and rising talents who face the threat of relegation with a finish of 49th or lower in the final points standings.

At LIV Golf UK by JCB, RangeGoats GC Captain Bubba Watson, who is securely in the Lock Zone and having a fantastic season, spoke about the atmosphere on LIV Golf with relegation quickly approaching.

“There's a lot more stress, 100%,” Watson said. “... There's a lot of having to step up and hit great golf shots because they know what's on the line to be in an elite league like this. They want a contract. They want to be able to play here next year, so there's a lot of stress out there for sure.”

Ian Poulter, whose individual Ryder Cup record of 15-8-2 makes him a European golf legend, is one of the biggest names on the relegation bubble. The Majesticks GC co-captain is currently 51st in the standings with just 4.5 points from a single top 24 finish, a T13 at LIV Golf Korea.

Entering LIV Golf Chicago, Poulter finds himself in the Drop Zone, where even team captains are not spared. The 49-year-old will need a strong showing this week or next in order to avoid relegation. Entering the week, he ranks outside the top 40 in strokes gained off the tee, approach, around the green, and putting.

But there is hope. Poulter finished 5th at Bolingbrook last year and shared that his “confidence is high” as he walked off the driving range after an extended practice session early in the week.

Poulter’s fellow Majesticks co-captain Henrik Stenson is currently safe from relegation but just barely. Stenson currently has 5.52 points and sits 47th in the standings, putting him dangerously close to the bubble. The former Open champion’s best finish this season was a T12 finish at LIV Golf Adelaide, but he has not had a finish better than T20 in any event since.

For the Majesticks, the potential irony is that if Poulter earns enough points to escape relegation, he might push Stenson into it. While this scenario is possible, Stenson still has a higher probability of keeping his spot in the league for another season.

Andy Ogletree of HyFlyers GC lacks the pedigree of Poulter or Stenson but has overcome adversity in the past to secure his LIV Golf spot, only to now find himself on the relegation bubble.

The 26-year-old first stepped into the LIV spotlight at the 2022 London event and played three more times as a reserve in 2023. His breakthrough came with a dominant 2023 Asian Tour season, winning both the International Series Qatar and England, earning a full-time spot with HyFlyers GC in 2024.

A persistent wrist injury derailed his debut season, requiring surgery in October 2024 to remove a calcified bone spur. Now, Ogletree ranks 48th in the standings, wearing the target for all those below him in the standings. Ogletree showed some grit in England, finishing T18 and earning his first points since LIV Golf Korea in early May. A high finish this week would go a long way in staying inside the bubble.

“I need points, plain and simple,” Ogletree said. “I have to go play well and get in contention and get a lot of points. So that's what we're trying to do.” Drawing on early pro advice, he aims to chase the lead rather than just survive, saying, “I’m trying to win a golf tournament and let the rest take care of itself.”

His T18 at JCB, earning two points, created some momentum, though he noted a slightly higher finish would have made a major difference in terms of points. “One shot better could’ve meant a lot more points; you need that top 15 to really move up,” he said.

Still battling the effects of his 2024 wrist surgery, Ogletree admitted, “I think anytime you come off a major surgery and then keep your job the next year, it's a hard thing to do. I don't think people realize the mental stress and all the hours with the physio and all that goes into dealing with coming back from an injury. I've struggled with it all year and to be honest with you, I still don't feel 100%, but I've got to grind it out and do my best.”

With every shot in Chicago this week critical, Ogletree must overcome adversity once again to earn his place next season.

Torque GC’s Mito Pereira, who was once one swing away from becoming a major champion at the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills, is another player who needs a good performance to earn a spot on LIV Golf next year. Torque captain Joaquin Niemann, who’s good friends with Pereira, commented on the potential fate of his teammate.

“Yeah, obviously it's part of the game,” Niemann said, “I feel like everybody is going through ups and downs. It's just another moment for Mito. I feel like he's going to be fine. He's a great player, a great human being. He’s going to be fine.”