Former US Open champion among 3 golfers who could lose LIV Golf spot
LIV Golf is moving towards its third season in 2024. After the successful conclusion of the Jeddah Invitational, three players were relegated to the breakaway series. Alongside those relegated players, a few more players who ended up in the open zone (25th to 44th ranked players in individual rankings) may be released from their respective teams.
The players ranked 45th or below are already in the Drop Zone and would be required to earn a spot through the promotions event in Abu Dhabi.
Recently, LIV Golf introduced their transfer window concept, which would have three phases for the players to get a spot in the 2024 season.
The first phase of the off-season player movement would see the top 24 players in the individual rankings, also called the Lock Zone, earn a guaranteed contract with the breakaway series.
Later on, the second phase, which is also coined as 'free agency', sees players from 25th to 44th rank, also called the Open Zone, be free to talk with any of the 12 teams and earn a contract extension. However, the teams are free to decide whether they want to retain those players.
Finally, after the 'free agency' phase, the final four spots will be filled by the players such as the International Series' Order of Merit winner and the top three players from the LIV Golf promotions event in Abu Dhabi. If the players in the 'free agency' could not negotiate with any of the 12 teams, they would lose their spots for the upcoming 2024 season.
The speculations suggest shocking names such as the former US Open Champion, Graeme McDowell, the former Ryder Cup member Bernd Wiesberger, young Spanish golfer David Puig, and a few more stars could lose their spot in the breakaway series.
Who are the top three golfers speculated to lose their contract in the LIV Golf?
Matt Wolff could be a big name who might not get a contract extension with the Smash GC due to his conflicts with the captain Brooks Keopka. However, with his being decently well, he could earn a contract with any of the other 11 teams.
But that might not be the case with the below three players on this list:
#3 Pat Perez
The 47-year-old American golfer had been an integral part of Dustin Johnson's 4 Aces GC in the first two seasons of the LIV Golf.
However, despite his team collectively performing well in the breakaway series, Pat Perez could be released due to his performances so far in the League.
#2 Matt Jones
The member of the all-Australian Ripper GC, Matt Jones, finished 37th on the season standings. Back in 2022, he joined the breakaway series and had a few decent performances.
While his teammate Jed Morgan has already been relegated from the LIV Golf, it could be certain that the 43-year-old Jones could also see the same fate and not be offered any new contract with the team.
#1 Graeme McDowell
The 2010 US Open Champion has a seemingly forgettable 2023 season on the LIV Golf. He could not record a single top-10 finish and ended up 42nd in the season-long individual rankings.
With Graeme McDowell already being in the Open Zone, he would require the Cleeks GC, or any other team in the League to negotiate a contract. But, if he fails to do so, he could lose his spot in the upcoming 2024 season.