LIV Golf: Here’s how the 2023 Promotions Event works 

LIV Golf’s 2023 regular season is over and the Saudi-backed league has confirmed its first ever quartet of relegated players.

Ripper GC’s Jediah Morgan, HyFlyers GC’s James Piot, Smash GC’s Chase Koepka and Iron Heads GC’s Sihwan Kim all finished inside the ‘Drop Zone’ and are relegated after the final individual event in Jeddah.

Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer are also inside the ‘Drop Zone’ but are safe from relegation as team captains.

But all is not lost for Morgan, Piot, Koepka and Kim, because the four players who finished outside of the top 44 in the season long individual standings can still secure their spot for 2024 via a Promotions Event.

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How does the LIV Golf relegation work?

Those who finish from No.1 to 24 in the LIV Golf individual standings secure their status for the following season.

The four players in the Drop Zone on the season-long points list who are not exempt as team captains – in this case Morgan, Piot, Koepka and Kim – are “relegated” to the Asian Tour.

Players who are ranked from 25th to 44th in the points list are in the ‘Open Zone’, meaning they can stay with their current teams, or are eligible to sign for other teams in a transfer market.

A Promotions Event awards three places in the enterprise which could be earned by the relegated players, while the top player in the International Series on the Asian Tour is also promoted to the league for the 2024 season.

How does the Promotions Event work?

LIV’s first move towards being a merit-based circuit was the introduction of the Promotions Event, which offers a pathway to the lucrative league for players around the world.

With no weekly qualifying, this is a one-time opportunity for players to secure their spot in 2024.

The inaugural tournament will be held at the iconic Abu Dhabi Golf Club in the United Arab Emirates from December 8-10, with four rounds played over three days.

Here’s how the qualifying event works…

The qualifying event will be unlike any other LIV Golf event in the fact that it is 72 holes, rather than the traditional 54.

The tournament is broken up into various cuts featuring players from different exemption categories.

LIV Golf Promotions will offer a prize purse of $1.5 million, with the winner taking home $200,000, while second and third place will earn $150,000 and $100,000, respectively.

Players finishing fourth to 10th will receive full exemption for all 2024 events on The International Series on the Asian Tour.

Round 1

In round one, the top 20 players and ties will advance to the second round. The field will comprise of the No.6-32 in the International Series rankings, winners of prestigious amateur events including the US and British Amateur championship, Latin-America Amateur, Asia-Pacific Amateur and European Amateur, as well as players from the top 200 in the Official World Golf Ranking and top 20 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

Round 2

A new wave of players join the tournament in round two. The scores are reset for another 18 holes of stroke play, with the top 20 from the first round joining players who earned automatic exemptions into the second round. These include relegated players from the 2023 LIV season, winners of a PGA Tour or DP World Tour event, major champions since 2018, Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup players, and those who are ranked between No.2-5 on the International Series standings.

The top 16 players from this round will then progress through to the final two rounds of the Promotions Event.

The showdown

The 16 players who have advanced to the final 36 holes will battle it out in a traditional stroke play format with reset scores.

The leading three players will gain automatic promotion to the LIV Golf League for the 2024 season, with the fourth player promoted from the International Series order of merit winner.