LIV Golf relegates five players, but will Bubba Watson keep his spot?

One of LIV Golf’s biggest draws is at risk of losing not just his captaincy but spot in the league.

Bubba Watson tied for 42nd Sunday at LIV Chicago, the final individual event on the tour’s calendar, to finish 53rd out of 57 players in the season-long points race. As a result, Watson is set to be relegated along with four other players who ended up in LIV’s drop zone.

There is, however, one lifeline for the RangeGoats captain.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Bob Harig, Watson, as a captain, can avoid relegation if his team’s board decides to resign him – and, as Harig reports, the team’s general manager says Watson’s teammates “have confidence that he will return to form,” indicating the 45-year-old Watson, who posted just one top-20 this season, will be returning next year.

“It’s been a tough year,” Watson told SI after a final-round 65 at Bolingbrook Golf Club. “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.”

As for Kalle Samooja (Cleeks), Scott Vincent (Iron Heads), Branden Grace (Stingers) and Kieran Vincent (Legion XIII), who all finished in the drop zone, they will need to regain their LIV cards via this year’s Promotions event or by winning the International Series Order of Merit, currently topped by John Catlin with six events left. Grace won the second tournament of LIV’s inaugural season in 2022, a year in which he was runner-up in the season-long rankings.

Wild-card players Hudson Swafford and Anthony Kim also finished in the drop zone, though they were not subject to relegation this year. Pat Perez narrowly avoided relegation, tying for 47th in the individual finale to end up No. 48 in points, just behind Mito Pereira and Phil Mickelson.