Martin Kaymer Joins Phil Mickelson And Lee Westwood As Latest Withdrawal From LIV Golf Adelaide

The Cleeks GC captain won't be present in Adelaide due to a minor injury on his left elbow, with Kaymer becoming the third player to withdraw from the tournament

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Martin Kaymer walks down the fairway
(Image credit: Getty Images)

LIV Golf Adelaide gets underway February 12-15th but, on the eve of the event, it has been revealed that one side will be without their captain.

Martin Kaymer, who leads the Cleeks GC franchise, has become the third withdrawal from the tournament in Australia, as the two-time Major winner revealed he is dealing with a "minor injury to his left elbow."

In a statement posted to his and Cleeks GC's social media channels, it read: "I won’t be playing in Adelaide this week due to a minor injury on my left elbow. Sitting out is never an easy call, especially for an event as special as LIV Golf Adelaide.

"The positive is that recovery is going well and I’m feeling strong. This is just a short pause with the focus firmly on the long season ahead, and I look forward to returning to competition in Hong Kong.

"I’ll be cheering for the guys this week and back in Cleeks colors soon. I appreciate all the support."

Martin Kaymer of Germany plays his tee shot on the 11th hole during the second round of the 2024 U.S. Open on The No.2 Course at The Pinehurst Resort on June 14, 2024 in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

Kaymer finished 37th in the 2025 LIV Golf League individual standings, registering a best finish of T8th in Virginia

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Finishing T51st at the season opening event in Riyadh, Kaymer will be replaced by reserve player, John Catlin, who played five LIV Golf League tournaments in 2024 and three in 2025.

Registering a best finish of T7th at LIV Golf Nashville in 2024, Catlin came close to securing a LIV Golf card that year, finishing fourth in the International Series Rankings thanks to a victory at the International Series Macau tournament.

Returning to the circuit for 2026, Catlin will be the third reserve player in the field at The Grange GC, with both Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood forced to withdraw from both last week and this week's events.

Phil Mickelson at LIV Golf Michigan

Mickelson hasn't featured in a competitive event since last year's LIV Golf Team Championship in August

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Mickelson, who is dealing with family matters, was replaced by Ollie Schniederjans in Riyadh, with the American finishing 56th. For this week in Adelaide, the HyFlyers captain will be replaced by five-time Asian Tour winner Wade Ormsby.

Westwood, meanwhile, is currently dealing with a wrist injury and was also not present in Riyadh and Adelaide. The Englishman was replaced by Ben Schmidt, who finished T41st, with it appearing that the 23-year-old will be back for this week.

Matt Cradock
Matt Cradock
Staff Writer

Matt joined Golf Monthly in February 2021 covering weekend news, before also transitioning to equipment and testing. After freelancing for Golf Monthly and The PGA for 18 months, he was offered a full-time position at the company in October 2022 and continues to cover news and social media.

Taking up the game when he was just seven years of age, Matt made it into his county squad just a year later and continues to play the game at a high standard, with a handicap of around 2-4. To date, his best round is a six-under-par 66 having been seven-under through nine.

Matt’s current What’s In The Bag?

Driver: Honma TW747, 8.75°

Fairway Wood: Ping G430 LST 15°, 19°

Irons: TaylorMade P7CB

Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Tour Satin, 50°, 56°, 60°

Putter: Cleveland TFI 2135 Satin Cero

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

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