LIV Golf hopeful misses out on ‘dream’ transfer

John Catlin has revealed he will be remain a reserve on LIV Golf again next season after agonisingly missing out on a permanent move to the lucrative league.

The American, who was the runaway Asian Tour order of merit winner in 2024, dreamed of a LIV move after two victories in 2024 and six stand-in appearances on the Saudi-backed circuit.

But after failing to win the Asian Tour’s International Series that he had led for so long throughout the season, Catlin’s future was out of his hands.

With the points heavily skewed towards the Saudi PIF International finale in Riyadh last month, LIV’s Joaquin Niemann claimed the title and also scooped the season-long crown.

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It meant that Catlin could only rely on the LIV Promotions event a week later to guarantee himself a spot in the 2025 roster, but he came up short behind winner Max Lee in the Saudi capital.

Catlin has since been in talks with several teams over a switch, but confirmed on social media on Tuesday evening that he would instead be spending another season attempting to claim a spot on the league.

“I will be a reserve on the @livgolf_league again for 2025,” he wrote. “Excited to compete on the@asiantourgolf and @intseriesgolf to earn my spot on LIV Golf for 2026.”

That Catlin wasn’t picked up by a LIV team was certainly a surprise to some fans given his Asian Tour rival and fellow reserve Ben Campbell was offered a late lifeline to join the league in 2025.

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bunkered.co.uk revealed that Campbell, the 33-year-old from New Zealand who finished second behind Catlin in the order of merit, has joined Bubba Watson’s Range Goats team on a one-year deal.

Crucially, perhaps, Campbell outscored Catlin in the International Series and was the highest non-LIV player in those particular standings.

Campbell will be one of the final LIV signings as the league ramps up preparations for its first event of the season in Riyadh next month.

The most significant move of the off-season could still be yet to come, however, with Tom McKibbin understood to be closing in on a move to Jon Rahm’s Legion XII team.

Multiple reports now claim that the Northern Irishman is set to forego the chance to make his debut season on the PGA Tour in order to join Rahm’s side in a multi-year deal.

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.