LIV Golf data analysts currently project the point total needed to reach the Lock Zone at 58.5. Players receive 40 points for a win, trickling down to just 1 point for 21st through 24th. For those on the bubble, the line between security and vulnerability is razor-thin.<\/p>\n
Last week in Chicago, two 4Aces GC<\/a> players made significant moves towards securing a spot in the Lock Zone. Thomas Pieters<\/a> earned11.50 points after shooting a final-round 67 after shooting 72-69 in rounds one and two. The T20 finish moved the former Ryder Cupper seven spots from 27th to 20th. Earning points this week in Indianapolis would all but secure Pieters\u2019 spot in the Lock Zone.<\/p>\n Pieters\u2019 teammate Harold Varner III<\/a> made the biggest move of any player at LIV Golf Chicago. Varner III had the best putting week of his season (+2.33 per round) and finished T5, tied for his best 2025 finish. The big week improved his standing from 26th to 18th, making him extremely likely to stay inside the top 24.<\/p>\n HyFlyers GC<\/a>\u2019s Cameron Tringale<\/a> finds himself just outside the Lock Zone, sitting at 27th with 49.19 points. \u201cAs always, I\u2019m trying to move up the ladder and play good for my team,\u201d Tringale said. \u201cFor me individually, to get up there would be huge. It\u2019s just something I can do, trying to go as far as I can in my position. I can\u2019t control the other guys or what happens, so I\u2019m putting a lot of effort into focusing on the things I can control \u2013 my game, my attitude, all those things.\u201d<\/p>\n This week, Tringale needs approximately 8 points to secure his 2026 future. His season has been consistent, with nine top-20 finishes, driven by a stellar short game. Ranking 7th in Strokes Gained: Putting (+0.53 strokes per round) and 2nd in scrambling, Tringale attributes his success to creativity. \u201cReally being athletic in chipping,\u201d he said. \u201cI try to see the shot and hit the shot. I work on my technique, but when I get on the golf course, I\u2019m really trying to be an artist and play the shot that looks and feels right, not necessarily the technical one. Just trying to paint out there.\u201d<\/p>\n Cleeks Golf Club<\/a>\u2019s Richard Bland<\/a>, the league\u2019s eldest non-captain at 52 years of age, sits on the outside of the Lock Zone at 26th in the standings with 51.03 points. Bland has had a stellar resurgence late in his career and won back-to-back senior major championships in 2024. His decision to skip his U.S. Senior Open title defense this year to compete at LIV Golf Dallas, where he finished T18, affirms his commitment to securing a top 24 finish and earning a place on the LIV Golf roster in 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, I had a good week last week (T10 at LIV Golf Chicago), so it’s given me every opportunity. So then I need a good week this week. Probably a top 10,\u201d Bland said. \u201cI just got to try and take last week into this week. If I can play well, hopefully that will take care of it. Obviously, I’d like to be secured so you don’t have to worry about that.\u201d<\/p>\n This season, Bland\u2019s stellar iron play, where he ranks 7th in the league in Strokes Gained: Approach (+0.67 strokes per round), has helped him overcome his 49th-ranked driving distance, positioning him for a potential top-10 finish this week<\/p>\n Crushers GC<\/a>\u2019s Charles Howell III<\/a>, on the Lock Zone bubble at 24th with 54.03 points, emphasized his desire to secure his place. \u201c You want to play your best every week,\u201d he said. \u201cI think one element of LIV may be underrated or understated is how competitive it is. You look at a leaderboard every week on LIV, and my gosh, look at not only the scores that guys are shooting but who they are and the names compared to other tours out there, our leaderboards have recognizable names from the top to the bottom, and really, really, really good players playing good on tough golf courses. Yeah, you always want to do the best you can. No matter where you are, you want to move up. Obviously this is the last week to do it, and it\u2019s a big week to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Howell\u2019s experience and consistency make him a contender to hold his position, but he\u2019ll need a strong performance to fend off those just below. Teammate Anirban Lahiri, sitting one spot above Howell at 23rd with 54.33 points, faces similar pressure. Reflecting on his season, Lahiri said, \u201cThis is probably the worst I\u2019ve found myself going into the last week and I take pride in how I play and how I hold myself up to my own standards, and I haven\u2019t really lived up to those. So I have one more week to kind of just do what I need to do for myself first, and that\u2019s going to translate into everything else, how the team does, where I finish in the top 24. I\u2019m just trying to stay focused on what I need to do and let the results take care of itself.\u201d<\/p>\n Jinichiro Kozuma<\/a> has been a standout for Iron Heads GC<\/a> in the 2025 LIV Golf season, emerging as the team\u2019s most consistent performer despite missing the first five events. Sitting at 31st in the individual standings with 43.35 points, Kozuma\u2019s strong play has kept him in the Open Zone, but he remains far from the Lock Zone\u2019s safety. Kozuma had an outstanding stretch of the season where he finished in the top 10 in three of four LIV Golf starts, but he\u2019s regressed over his past two events, finishing T50 at LIV Golf UK by JCB and T47 at LIV Golf Chicago.<\/p>\n There are also a number of players who\u2019ve secured their place in the Lock Zone for the 2026 season. According to LIV Golf data analysts, the top 17 players in the standings have a 100% chance to stay there<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LIV Golf data analysts currently project the point total needed to reach the Lock Zone at 58.5. 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