{"id":424265,"date":"2026-01-23T04:05:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T04:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/424265\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T04:05:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T04:05:07","slug":"how-liv-golfs-roster-of-players-for-2026-changed-beyond-just-relegation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/424265\/","title":{"rendered":"How LIV Golf\u2019s Roster of Players for 2026 Changed Beyond Just Relegation"},"content":{"rendered":"

The LIV Golf League\u2019s promotion and relegation system has been the subject of considerable conjecture since launching in 2022, in particular as it relates to earning accreditation with the Official World Golf Ranking.<\/p>\n

But another aspect to the league\u2019s format has caused a bit of angst, too. Players who are not relegated but finish outside of the \u201clock zone\u201d\u2014currently the top 24\u2014are subject to being kicked out if their team decides it no longer wants them.<\/p>\n

That happened to four players this past season, three of them who played on LIV Golf teams and were not retained for 2026. A fourth was a wildcard player who despite finishing 47th\u2014the \u201cdrop zone\u201d was 48th\u00a0and lower\u2014was not retained by the league.<\/p>\n

Japan\u2019s Jinichiro Kozuma was caught up in the drama and only learned officially last week that he was not coming back to the Iron Heads team that was captained by Kevin Na\u2014who also was dropped.<\/p>\n

The team has been rebranded to an all-Korean squad with Ben An as the new captain of Korean Golf Club.<\/p>\n

In an email exchange with Sports Illustrated translated by his manager, Moto Sudo, Kozuma said he was not made aware of the change until he saw it on social media.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were definitely a few parts of the process that surprised me,\u201d said Kozuma, who earned his way onto the league via the Promotions event that preceded the 2024 season. \u201cFor example, I only found out recently that Kevin Na would no longer be the captain, so that was unexpected for me as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlso, since last year, I personally didn\u2019t receive any direct communication from the Iron Heads organization. Because of that, there was a period where it was difficult to fully understand what the situation was.\u00a0So overall, the way things unfolded was a bit unexpected, and I was simply trying to stay patient and figure out the best next steps.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cToward the end of last year, I heard that there was a possibility the Iron Heads might transition into a Korean-based team. At the same time, I was also told that if that happened, there was a chance I wouldn\u2019t be able to remain with the team.\u00a0After that, however, there were a lot of rumors and the situation seemed to change from time to time. So for a while, I wasn\u2019t completely sure what the final decision would be.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe moment I clearly understood that I wouldn\u2019t be playing for the Iron Heads moving forward was when I saw the official Instagram post announcing the Korean team [which came on Jan. 12]. That was when everything became clear for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019m looking forward to seeing if they\u2019re a better player than I am<\/p>\n

\u2014 jini kozuma (@jinkozuma) January 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Kozuma, 31, a three-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour, missed the first five events of last season due to injury, but still performed well enough in the remaining eight individual events to finish 32nd in the player points standings. He finished ahead of players such as Graeme McDowell, Martin Kaymer, Peter Uihlein, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter. His best finish was a tie for second at the Dallas event. He had two other top 10s.<\/p>\n

Matt Jones finished 40th\u00a0but was dropped for another Aussie, Elvis Smylie, on the all-Australian Ripper team. Na, who captained the Iron Heads since the 2022 inception, has been replaced by long-time PGA Tour player An despite finishing 44th\u00a0in the standings. Na was a non-equity captain and so far has not commented. A reserve player, Young-han Song, has rounded out the all-Korean team along with Minkyu Kim. Wild card player Max Lee, despite finishing 47th, was also bumped as LIV is adding three players via its Promotions event and two via the International Series.<\/p>\n

In LIV Golf you can be relegated\u2014or not retained<\/p>\n

LIV Golf has leaned into its team concept from the beginning, and one of the tenants of the program was the ability to add and drop players\u2014like any team would. The stipulation was that if you finished among the top 24 individuals you were safe.<\/p>\n

But the problem, of course, is this is unlike anything else in golf. These players were not relegated\u2014they were simply not retained. It would be like the 90th\u00a0player on the PGA Tour FedEx Cup points list\u2014otherwise fully exempt for the following year\u2014being dropped because someone decided the spot should go to someone else.<\/p>\n

\u201cRather than receiving a clear, official explanation like \u2018this is the specific reason we are not renewing your contract,\u2019\u00a0I felt that team restructuring and overall direction played a major role in the decision,\u201d Kozuma said. \u201cTo better understand what the options might be for next season, I reached out directly to several general managers to see whether there could be an opportunity for me to join their teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I found was that teams seemed to be building their rosters not only based on results but also based on team identity and the type of player profile they were looking for. In that sense, I think it was simply difficult to find the right fit for me within the available team openings at that time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kozuma said his plan this year is now to compete on the Japan Golf Tour as well as the Asian Tour. He sees Japan as a possible path to the DP World Tour and eventually the PGA Tour. And if he performs well on the Asian Tour, that is a potential path back to LIV Golf.<\/p>\n

Despite the disappointing end, Kozuma said the two-year experience with LIV was good for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy time playing on LIV Golf was a truly valuable experience for me,\u201d he said. \u201cCompeting overseas allowed me to learn a lot, not only about how to prepare for tournaments, but also about how top players approach competition and carry themselves, even in their daily routines and lifestyle. Being able to observe that up close was something I\u2019ll always appreciate.<\/p>\n

\u201cActually playing in that environment also helped raise my level as a golfer. I genuinely feel that it made me better, and I\u2019m very grateful for the opportunity to have been part of LIV.\u00a0This year, my goal is to keep improving, take my game to the next level, and work toward earning the chance to return to LIV again.\u201d<\/p>\n

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