The 4 LIV Golfers Currently In Line For Relegation – And The Scenarios To Look Out For This Week
It’s a pivotal week in Chicago as the Individual Standings are concluded – here are the four in most danger of relegation, and what they need to do to have a chance of reaching safety


With just one event remaining of the regular LIV Golf season, four players head to the Chicago tournament knowing they have plenty of work to do to give themselves a realistic chance of avoiding relegation from the big-money circuit.
In total, seven players taking part in the tournament currently occupy the Drop Zone. Of those, three – Bubba Watson, Anthony Kim and Hudson Swafford - are immune from relegation thanks to their status as either a team captain or a wildcard.
As for the remaining four, here’s what they need to do to avoid relying on the LIV Golf Promotions event as their final roll of the dice…
Scott Vincent - 49th
Scott Vincent needs to finish no worse that 20th at LIV Golf Chicago
Only the top 24 players in each tournament receive Individual Standings points. Currently, Iron Heads GC player Scott Vincent is at the top of the Drop Zone, in 49th, having collected just 5.9 points this season.
The player immediately above him in the relative safety of the Open Zone is Pat Perez, who has 7.76 points. That means Vincent will need at least two points from his remaining start at the Bolingbrook Golf Club event, with that number awarded to those finishing between 18th, 19th and 20th.
However, that would still leave Vincent’s fate out of his hands as he’d be relying on Perez finishing beneath 24th and collecting zero points.
Because of that, he’ll be hoping to finish high enough up the leaderboard that the likes of Mito Pereira, Jinichiro Kozuma and Harold Varner III, who are also hovering above the Drop Zone, could come into the relegation equation.
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
Branden Grace - 50th
Branden Grace needs to at least equal his best finish of the season
Stinger GC player Grace is currently two places inside the Drop Zone on 4.42 points. With more than a three-point gap to make up on Perez, that means the bare minimum he will require is 15th, which would give him four points and the possibility of leapfrogging the 4 Aces GC player.
The problem for Grace is that would equal his best finish of the year, which he achieved at LIV Golf Jeddah, meaning the South African will need something a little special to give himself a chance.
Kalle Samooja - 53rd
Kalle Samooja is in danger of losing his LIV Golf status a year after he was promoted
Finn Samooja is hoping to avoid needing to play in the LIV Golf Promotions event for the second successive season.
A year ago, he entered hoping to become one of three players promoted to the circuit, and he did it in style, finishing top to earn his contract. However, the Cleeks GC player has struggled this season, with T14 in Singapore his brightest moment.
Samooja has a mere 3.40 points, 4.46 behind Perez, meaning the minimum requirement is 14th this week. If Perez, Grace, and Scott Vincent all slip up, that may be enough to see him clamber into the Open Zone at the last moment.
Kieran Vincent - 54th
Kieran Vincent will be hoping to avoid needing to play in the LIV Golf Promotions event
Vincent is another who made it to LIV Golf via the Promotions event, and like brother Scott, he is facing a pivotal week in Chicago.
The Legion XIII player has 2.47 points, leaving him 5.29 adrift of Perez. A finish of 13th would give him six points to potentially overtake him, but it’s unclear whether even that would suffice.
Given Vincent’s best performance so far this season came with a T18 at Nashville, the odds are surely against him finishing in the Open Zone.
It could be a particularly bittersweet week for Vincent, given Legion XIII is right behind Crushers GC at the top of the team standings. Could he really be relegated at the same time he helps Legion XIII to the top of the standings ahead of the Team Championship?
At the other end of the table, Jon Rahm and Joaquin Niemann battle it out for the title and prize money of $18m. The player finishing second will earn $8m.
Five players can still finish third and claim a $4m bonus – Tyrrell Hatton, Sergio Garcia, Louis Oosthuizen, Cameron Smith and Brooks Koepka. A top-three finish in Chicago will hand the place to Hatton as long as Garcia doesn’t pick up his second win of the season.
Tyrrell Hatton is third in the Individual Standings
Regardless of what Hatton does, Garcia needs a minimum of 11th for the chance to finish third, Oosthuizen and Smith need to finish fifth or better to have a chance, while Koepka needs to finish at least fourth.
All players finishing between top and 24th are in the Lock Zone and guaranteed their places for next season, with those finishing between 25th and 47th in the Open Zone. That would leave those with expiring contracts becoming free agents and needing to either be re-signed by their existing teams or head to a new one.
Everyone in the Open Zone can still make it to the Lock Zone. David Puig is 25th, and a top-10 finish could be enough, with those beneath him needing to do better to stand a chance.
For players currently 39th and below, only a win will give them any hope of reaching the Lock Zone.

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories.
He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game.
Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course.
Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.
-
Shane Lowry Endures Embarrassing Rules Blunder At US Open
The Open champion produced a light moment of relief at the par 4 14th, where Lowry picked up his golf ball on the green without marking it
-
US Open Competitor George Duangmanee Just Shot 35-Over-Par… Here’s Why It’s Not As Bad As You Think
Duangmanee, who made his PGA Tour debut at the Myrtle Beach Classic in May, struggled around the brutal layout of Oakmont, with the 23-year-old finishing dead last
-
Brooks Koepka Is Still Not Wearing LIV Golf Logos Three Years After Switching To The PIF-Backed League - Here's Why...
The five-time Major winner is the only LIV player at the US Open not wearing any of the circuit's branded apparel - we explain why
-
LIV Golf Leaderboard At The 2025 US Open
A total of 14 LIV Golfers are present at Oakmont Country Club, with all enduring different levels of success over the first round at the US Open
-
NBC Sports Chief’s ‘Total Sideshow’ LIV Golf Comments Raise Two Key Questions - How Will Saudi-Backed Tour Respond?
After NBC Sports chief Sam Flood called it a "total sideshow" we look at how LIV Golf could respond, with another huge cash injection or a change in strategy
-
Bryson DeChambeau Gives Update On LIV Golf Contract
The Crushers GC captain's LIV Golf deal ends in 2026, and now he has given an update on his future with the circuit
-
‘My Game’s Been Really Close’ – Dustin Johnson Confident He Can Contend For Second US Open Title At Oakmont
The 2016 US Open champion is confident in his game ahead of the Major, despite some recent disappointments at the big events
-
We Tried To Work Out Joaquin Niemann’s Handicap In 2025. Here’s What The Data Says…
Joaquin Niemann has enjoyed an excellent 2025 on the LIV Golf League, with the Chilean producing some incredible rounds at a number of tough golf courses
-
Joaquin Niemann Leapfrogs Scottie Scheffler And Rory McIlroy As Golf's Top Earner In 2025 After LIV Golf Virginia Victory
The Chilean's fourth win of the year secured another $4 million and consequently catapulted Niemann to the top of the on-course earnings across all tours
-
Phil Mickelson Produces Shot Of The Year Candidate At LIV Golf Virginia
Phil the thrill showed off his short game expertise with an outrageous pitch shot during the final round at LIV Golf Virginia