6 days ago
LIV Exit System To Be Tested Once Again With Three Legends On Verge Of Relegation
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
The penultimate event of the 2025 LIV Golf season ended with a victory for Dean Burmester, but what's happening in the season's individual standings is just as interesting, if not more so. With just one individual event left, LIV Golf's relegation rules are heading for a new test, with three legendary players on the verge of being relegated for the next season.
Adding to the tension, the three players are co-captains of the same team: Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, and Henrik Stenson, three-quarters of the Majesticks GC team.
Poulter is in the worst position, ranking 52nd in the standings. Westwood and Stenson are still outside the so-called Drop Zone, although their situation is very difficult. Both are ranked 47th and 48th, respectively, closing out the so-called Open Zone, and less than three points ahead of the two best-placed players currently in the relegation zone.
Team Captain Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson and Ian Poulter of Majesticks GC are seen in the locker room during day three of the LIV Golf Invitational - Bedminster at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on...
Team Captain Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson and Ian Poulter of Majesticks GC are seen in the locker room during day three of the LIV Golf Invitational - Bedminster at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on July 31, 2022 in Bedminster, New Jersey. More
Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
At the end of the individual season, players ranked 49th and below will be relegated from LIV Golf. Westwood and Stenson will have to look for a result in Indianapolis that will allow them to consolidate or improve their current status, while for Poulter, everything seems to be already decided, based on his results this season.
However, it remains to be seen how the league will react to the eventual loss of such prominent names, especially considering that relegation hasn't been a particularly strict process in the past.
All 3 Majesticks GC co-captains are in danger of getting relegated next week as the LIV Golf League start to take relegation seriously. ALL players finishing 49th and below are demoted, which currently includes Ian Poulter in 52nd, Henrik Stenson in 49th and Lee Westwood just… — Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) August 8, 2025
In 2023, Martin Kaymer finished the season in the relegation zone, but dodged the bullet by being a captain. In 2024, the rule that captains couldn't be relegated was scrapped, but it didn't have much practical effect. Bubba Watson was relegated, but re-signed himself, exercising his powers as captain of the RangeGoats GC team.
Watson's wasn't the only case. Branden Grace was also relegated and was later re-signed by his team, Stinger GC.
Poulter, Stenson, and Westwood were among the first players to sign with LIV Golf in 2022. Between them, they have 83 professional wins, including a major championship, and marked the first two decades of the 21st century on the European Ryder Cup team, a period in which Europe won the event seven times in nine editions.
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