South African Oliver Bekker’s bid to secure a wildcard place on the 2026 LIV Golf League ended in disappointment on Sunday.

A closing-round 72 saw him finish outside the top three at LIV Golf Promotions in Florida.

Bekker, who began the final round firmly in contention after carding a 66 on Saturday, slipped back during the decisive 18 holes at Black Diamond Ranch to finish in a tie for eighth at two under par. Only the top three finishers earned guaranteed wildcard status for the 2026 season.

Canada’s Richard T Lee delivered a dominant performance to claim top honours, firing a closing five-under 65 to finish five shots clear on 11 under. Sweden’s Bjorn Hellgren surged with a final-round 64 to take second place, while American Anthony Kim held on to secure the third and final wildcard spot.

Bekker, part of LIV Golf’s inaugural field in London in 2022, remained in the mix deep into the final day but was unable to match the pace set by those ahead of him. A tougher final round ultimately proved costly as the field battled for career-changing opportunities.

Lee’s victory marked a historic moment, with the 35-year-old becoming the first Canadian to earn a place on LIV Golf. Hellgren’s late charge capped an impressive run of form following his recent Saudi Open victory, while Kim completed an inspirational comeback by earning a third season as a LIV Golf wildcard player.

Despite missing out on a place in the 2026 LIV Golf League, Bekker’s tie-eighth finish did secure him exemption into the Asian Tour’s International Series, offering further competitive opportunities in the coming season.

The final result underlined the fine margins at play in the promotions shootout, with Bekker left to reflect on what might have been after putting himself in contention over the first three days.

Final leaderboard
The top three players after Sunday’s final round of the 36-hole weekend shootout at Black Diamond Ranch claimed the three available LIV Golf wild-card spots for 2026. The top 10 players and ties earned exemption into The International Series on the Asian Tour.

1. Richard T Lee, Canada – 64-65 (129/-11)
2. Bjorn Hellegren, Sweden – 70-64 (134/-6)
3. Anthony Kim, USA – 66-69 (135/-5)
T4. Lucas Bjerregaard, Denmark – 67-70 (137/-3)
T4. Sarit Suwannarut, Thailand – 69-68 (137/-3)
T4. Kieran Vincent, Zimbabwe – 70-67 (137/-3)
T4. Jeunghun Wang, South Korea – 69-68 (137/-3)
T8. Oliver Bekker, South Africa – 66-72 (138/-2)
T8. Cory Crawford, Australia – 71-67 (138/-2)
T8. Jazz Janewattananond, Thailand – 66-72 (138/-2)
T8. Matt Jones, Australia – 70-68 (138/-2)
T8. Takanori Konishi, Japan – 69-69 (138/-2)
T8. Christopher Wood, Australia – 71-67 (138/-2)
14. Rattanon Wannasrichan, Thailand – 70-69 (139/-1)
15. Joe Pagdin, England – 69-71 (140/E)
T16. Sadom Kaewkanjana, Thailand – 73-69 (142/+2)
T16. Julian Perico, Peru – 70-72 (142/+2)
T16. Travis Smyth, Australia – 71-71 (142/+2)
T16. Miguel Tabuena, Philippines – 72-70 (142/+2)
20. Jose Islas, Mexico – 72-72 (144/+4)
21. Max Kennedy, Ireland – 69-76 (145/+5)
22. Danthai Boonma, Thailand – 76-77 (153/+13)

Photo: Mike Stobe/LIV Golf