LIV Golf brings back two outcasts in head-scratching move

Posted by Admin January 9, 2025 Golf

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If LIV Golf is still trying to legitimize itself as a fair, competitive league that can go toe-to-toe with the PGA Tour, it’s not doing a good job.

This week, the rival golf tour reinstated two of the five players who were relegated last year. Bubba Watson will return to RangeGoats GC as the captain and Branden Grace will reunite with Stinger GC for the 2025 season.

This announcement didn’t go over well with golf fans around the world, and it’s easy to see why.

Watson and Grace finished in the LIV Golf “Drop Zone” last season, meaning they both finished worse than 48th on the points list in the 54-man league. Watson finished outside the top 20 in 12 of LIV’s 13 individual events last season, while Grace finished outside the top 30 nine times. Despite their poor performances on the course, both veterans were rewarded with full-time spots on LIV in 2025.

This is a bad look for the rival tour for various reasons. What’s the point of having a “Drop Zone” if teams are allowed to bring back relegated players they don’t want to lose? That’s not a true relegation system.

And how is it fair to the other players affected by these decisions? Kalle Samooja, Kieran Vincent and Scott Vincent also finished in the “Drop Zone” last season, but they didn’t have a chance to regain full-time status because they aren’t best buddies with their teammates and don’t have huge social media followings. There are other players affected by this, too.

What about Chieh-po Lee? The 30-year-old from Taiwan won the 36-hole LIV Golf Promotions event in December to guarantee a full-time spot on the tour in 2025. With the recent re-signings of Watson and Grace, though, Lee will likely have to play this season as a wild card. That means he’ll only be able to compete in the individual competitions and can’t benefit from the team prizes at each event.

Lee earned his spot on LIV Golf by besting a field of 92 players in the Promotions event, which was created to reward a newcomer for his on-course acumen. Grace lost to Lee in the tournament, while Watson didn’t even bother to compete because he knew the RangeGoats GC would bring him back.

LIV Golf has officially become a glorified popularity contest. It rewards big names for their poor play and shuns the little guys. The rival league is more interested in turning a profit than providing a fair opportunity for aspiring pro golfers to realize their dreams.

LIV Golf is a farce, and by its actions, it proudly admits to that reality.