Next LIV Golf signing could be two-horse race

The winter of change could be kickstarted in the Saudi desert.

A recruitment drive has begun once again on the LIV Golf breakaway, with teams replacing relegated players and out-of-contract stars ahead of February’s season opener in Riyadh.

It is understood that LIV’s 13 franchise rosters will be finalised before the end of the year.

And while insiders hope for more high-profile signings, the first addition of the off-season could well come from one of two meritocratic pathways into the league.

• 10 big names who missed out on a PGA Tour card for 2025

• LIV Golf teams 2025: Every signing ahead of new season

The Asian Tour’s International Series ends next weekend at Riyadh Golf Club, the same venue that will stage LIV’s curtain raiser in three months time.

And having struck a partnership with the Asian Tour in 2022, LIV has offered an exclusive spot to the player who tops the International Series order of merit for the past three seasons.

In 2022 it was the (now relegated) Scott Vincent. In 2023 it was Andy Ogletree.

This year, with events left in Qatar and then the season-ending PIF Saudi International, it is looking increasingly like a two-horse race between John Catlin and Ben Campbell.

Both Catlin and Campbell operated as LIV reserves in 2024, playing on a sporadic basis and filling in for injured players during the breakaway tour’s journey around the globe.

They have both had a taste of the lucrative league and a guaranteed spot is within their grasp.

• Two tour stars ‘regret not joining LIV Golf’

• PGA Tour winner having ‘hard time’ defending changes

After eight of ten International Series events, Catlin is the leader – but the American’s advantage has been cut dramatically by New Zealand’s Campbell.

At the Hong Kong Open last week – won by former Masters champion Patrick Reed – Catlin surprisingly missed the cut in a significant blow to his bid.

Catlin’s 240 point lead heading into the event is now down to 90 after Campbell’s runner-up finish.

Meanwhile, Canadian Richard T. Lee is in third and 232 points behind Catlin, whose lead is more precarious after his aberration in Hong Kong.

After this week’s International Series Event in Qatar, attention will turn to the Saudi International with a place on a LIV Golf team in 2025 on the line.

The subplot to the $5million showpiece will be that 44 LIV players are teeing it up in a strong field.

The real storyline, however, will be the race for who is about to join them.

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.