What Happens to Relegated LIV Players Like Bubba Watson?

Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson is among a group of players who did not make the relegation cut this year on LIV Golf.

One of the footnotes for LIV is that a small number of members are given the boot each season. If you do not finish in the top 48—there are only 54 full-time contestants on the circuit—you are in “the drop zone,” meaning you are relegated.

It’s an interesting dynamic, right? Most players on LIV hoover up massive paychecks while getting to play less golf (and less stressful golf). But if you play poorly, there are consequences.

Even as someone who isn’t very invested in LIV, I do find it a little interesting to follow what happens to these players. Where do they go when this golden ticket is taken away from them?

In the 2023 season, Chase Koepka (brother of Brooks), James Piot, Sihwan Kim and Jediah Morgan lost their spots.

In the 2024 season, Watson, Branden Grace, Kieran Vincent, Scott Vincent and Kalle Samooja were in the relegation zone. Reserve players like Laurie Canter and Ben Campbell also didn’t make the top 48.

Watson in particular is a big name. He is a captain of the RangeGoats team and one of the most popular players on LIV. He is among the most recognizable players of the 21st Century.

Does relegation actually mean he doesn’t get to play anymore? Would he come back to the PGA Tour? Would he be on some other tour?

I honestly wasn’t sure of the answer so I did some research to clarify.

Relegation comes with some caveats

When LIV says they relegate players, it doesn’t mean everyone who finishes 49th or worse gets kicked out.

For instance, there are “wildcard players” like Anthony Kim and Hudson Swafford who are exempt. Basically, they signed contracts that allowed them to avoid being relegated. Neither of them were on teams and both are expected to return next year.

Kim finished 56th out of 57 players (this includes reserves in the case of injury). It doesn’t matter, though, because he gets a free pass. So does Swafford, who finished 55th.

They both won around $1 million and barely beat anyone the entire year. Must be nice.

It was believed the captains of LIV teams were also exempt from relegation but that ended up not being the case as LIV clarified late in the season. Captains such as Watson could, in fact, be relegated.

However, Watson can be brought back next year if his RangeGoats team board (which consists of two LIV Golf executives) is convinced that there is a “business reason” for him to be on the team.

There is, obviously, given Watson’s popularity. I remember seeing a lot of RangeGoats hats when I attended the LIV Nashville event. He’s definitely still a draw.

That means the 12-time PGA Tour winner is virtually assured of coming back to LIV in 2025.

“It’s been a tough year,” Watson said. “But I think my teammates want me back and I’d like to be back. I know some discussions need to take place and there’s some business considerations. We have one of the most popular teams. Am I part of that? I think I am and I’m committed to playing better.”

Watson also gets equity in his team franchise so he will still maintain a role with the team to secure sponsorships even if there comes a time when he doesn’t play.

Watson is about to turn 46 years old and hasn’t been a competitive factor in professional golf for a few years. His last Tour win came six years ago. He hasn’t finished in the top 10 of a major since April 2018.

Despite his middling golf, Watson has made about $8 million on-course since switching to LIV. That does not include the guaranteed money (likely a substantial amount) from his initial contract.

Once again—it must be nice.

The relegation element really loses its sting when certain players don’t have to worry about it. If the players being cut are no-name pro golfers most of us barely know, then it doesn’t carry the same weight.

What happens to the other relegated players?

So Watson, Kim and Swafford aren’t likely to leave despite being in the drop zone.

What happens to everyone else?

Those other players will be entered into a LIV Golf Promotions event in December. The tournament serves as a qualifier to reach LIV. The top three finishers earn a spot on LIV.

If those players don’t finish in the top three, they will still have status on the Asian Tour. The PIF bankrolls the Asian Tour, providing meaningful purses and opportunity to get back to LIV.

The winner of the Asian Tour’s International Series gets a spot on LIV the following year. There are still a handful of International Series events this year if players want to try their hand at winning the order of merit in 2024.

The group of relegated players can’t go to the PGA Tour or Korn Ferry Tour due to suspensions. The DP World Tour is an option although the players would need to qualify to earn their cards unless they receive sponsor exemptions.

Other non-PGA Tour affiliated tours are also on the table. Smaller tours in Asia, Australia, South Africa and other areas of the world could be in play, especially if its a sponsor exemption.

Why does LIV have relegation in the first place?

My understanding is that LIV initially introduced the relegation/promotion system mainly as a path to get Official World Golf Ranking points. One of the OWGR criteria states that tours must have a qualification system. There can’t be a closed loop system of invitations—there must be equal access for all players.

LIV fell short for a variety of other criteria and eventually gave up their OWGR pursuit. However, having promotion/relegation still provides a way to freshen up some of the lower tier. It’s also something to talk about during the final events.

I know most golf fans won’t care about this too much—I could never blame you for that—but as a journalist, I’m interested to see whether some of these relegated players maintain respectable pro golf careers or wither away in the shadows.

A guy like Branden Grace is an interesting study. He was the first player to ever break 63 in a major. He came dangerously close to winning the 2015 U.S. Open. At only 36 years old, you would figure he still has a number of competitive years left. Grace was a top 100 player in the world not long ago.

Right now, he doesn’t have a spot on LIV for next year.

Will he fight his way back to LIV? Will he toil on obscure tours? Will he call it a career and do something else entirely?

That will be a question facing a lot of these relegated players.

Top Photo Caption: Bubba Watson struggled in 2024, finishing in the relegation zone for LIV Golf. (GETTY IMAGES/Isaiah Vazquez)