All bets are off at halfway stage of LIV Golf League season

No individual player or team has emerged as a clear favourite for the season’s honours at the halfway mark of LIV Golf League 2023 with the newly-named Andalucia leg up next later in the week.

With seven legs of 14 completed in LIV Golf League’s first official full season, the other aspect that is beginning to take shape is the individual relegation for those players finishing at the bottom of the points table.

As it stands, RangeGoats GC’s two-time winner Talor Gooch heads the individual standings on 96 points with his back-to-back victories in Adelaide and Singapore. Not far behind the American are South African Branden Grace of Stinger GC and Smash captain and 2023 PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka respectively on on 86 and 85 points.

The Open 2022 champion Cameron Smith of the Rippers has steadily been climbing up the points tally and has 83 points in the kitty while India’s Anirban Lahiri (Crushers GC) is placed 19th on 38 points having missed the third leg at Orlando with a bereavement in the family.

In the team race, the Dustin Johnson-led 2022 winners 4Aces GC, leads the way on 124 points, followed by the Stingers on 108 points and Torque GC on 97 points. In fact, Torque, captained by Chilean star Joaquin Niemann, took home the team trophy at LIV Golf DC to back up their Orlando victory and become 2023’s first two-time team winners.

“The incredible performances this season in Mexico, Australia, Singapore and throughout the US. have matched the fan energy and global excitement for the league’s launch,” said LIV Golf commissioner and chief executive Greg Norman.

“As we hit the season’s homestretch, the pursuit for championships will continue to showcase the world-class competition on display amongst many of the best players on the planet, and I’m eager for our fans to enjoy the high-stakes race set to unfold.

With points earned for both individual and team competitions as announced at the start of the season, LIV Golf will have a two-stage closing, the individual race ending at the 13th leg in Miami, and the team champions being decided at the season-ender in Jeddah where the top four teams receive a first-round bye in the multiple-day event.

In the individual race, the player with the most points after the 13th leg in Miami emerges as the league’s individual champion, Dustin Johnson having won top honours in 2022. The individual standings are broken down into three categories, with positions determining a player’s final status in the league:

These three categories are the Lock Zone that has the top 24, who are assured of a place in the 2024 season, the Open Zone for those finishing between 25th and 44th place who could be released or traded by their respective teams, and the Drop Zone where those finishing 45th and below are relegated out of the league but automatically qualify for a promotion tournament for the chance to earn their spot back for the next season.

But there are exceptions to the Drop Zone with team captains being exempt from relegation in 2023, and also players from the season’s initial 48-player roster who, due to injury, are unable to compete in a minimum of four regular season events.

As things stand, only three golfers are in danger of going out, they being Chase Koepka, James Piot and Sihwan Kim, all of the United States.