LIV Expands Scale, Increasing Number of Tournaments and Prize Money, Introducing Relegation System

Bottom 4 Relegated to International Series... Transfer Market Open Between Teams
Tournaments Increased from 8 to 14, Prize Money from $225 Million to $405 Million

Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Taylor Gooch, and Pat Perez, winners of the LIV Golf season finale Team Championship.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Taewon] The LIV Golf Invitational Series, which concluded its inaugural season, has announced major operational changes starting next year, including player transfers between teams and a relegation system.

Atul Kosla, LIV Golf Chief Operating Officer (COO), recently attended the Team Championship held in Miami, Florida, USA, where he revealed plans for LIV Golf's operational direction. The key plans announced include ▲transition to a 'league system' ▲introduction of a transfer system similar to the English Premier League (EPL) ▲expansion of each team to 5 players ▲relegation system ▲and the introduction of qualifying tournaments.

'Team Size Expansion', Introduction of 'Transfer Market' and 'Relegation System'

First, the number of participants in the tournament will increase to 60. Each team will be able to recruit one substitute player to prepare for unexpected situations such as injuries. Teams will be composed of a captain group selected by the LIV board, two players from the top 24 of the first season, one wildcard chosen by the captain, and one substitute player. It is reported that some players will newly join teams before the new season starts at the end of February next year.

Plans to introduce a transfer market similar to the EPL are also under discussion. Each team will only be able to acquire or trade players when the transfer market is open. In the EPL, the transfer market is limited to 60 days. LIV Golf aims to implement this system starting from the next season.

The introduction of a competitive system through relegation also draws attention. Regarding this, the organizers explained that as of July next year, the bottom four players in the points ranking will be relegated to the International Series of the Asia Tour, which is jointly approved by LIV Golf.

Three of the vacant spots will be filled through qualifying tournaments called 'promotions.' The remaining one spot will go to the player ranked first in the International Series prize money rankings.

Increasing the Number of Tournaments and Prize Money

LIV plans to expand the number of events and prize money, as well as recruit more top-ranked players.

The number of tournaments, which was 8 this year, will be significantly increased to 14 next year. The total prize money for the 14 tournaments will be $405 million (approximately 576.1 billion KRW), doubling this year's $225 million.

The number of host countries is also expected to expand. LIV Golf previously announced plans to expand next year to North America, Latin America, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and across Europe. Nine tournaments will be held in the United States, and five tournaments will be held in other countries. This year’s 8 tournaments included 5 in the United States, and one each in the United Kingdom, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia.

There are also plans to recruit additional top-ranked players. Kosla stated on this day, "There will be announcements regarding additional player recruitment in the new year." Subsequently, the BBC reported, citing LIV Golf officials, that "at least 2 and up to 4 players ranked within the top 15 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) could transfer to the LIV Series."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.