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Meritocracy remains a key bone of contention as the LIV Golf League heads into its fourth season next month. 

Bosses of the Saudi-backed league have been heavily criticised for bringing back two “relegated” players for the 2025 season, starting in Riyadh from February 6-8.

Bubba Watson and Branden Grace both finished in the ‘Drop Zone’, introduced by LIV in July 2022 to address the lack of direct pathways to and from the breakaway circuit.

But rather than being dropped after finishing outside the top 50 in the 2024 standings, the duo have returned to their respective franchise on a “business case.”

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That has caused some conjecture, given LIV’s relegation system has now been rendered meaningless.

But Dean Burmester, who won his first LIV event in Miami last year, has defended the reasoning behind the return of Grace to his all-South African Stinger GC side.

“If you look at team sport around the world, there isn’t really promotion and relegation,” Burmester claimed. “If they’re modelling it on F1 or [American] football, it’s a selection process and maybe that should be what it is.

“We don’t have world ranking points and it doesn’t look like they’re ever going to get any so we might as well make it a selection process. It’s a league. It’s not a tour. If they feel the need to have promotion – which I think is important to get young blood in – then they’ll have to iron it out and come up with a better system.”

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It turns out that the return of Grace – who managed just two top 20s all season – has a lot to do with the Stinger quartet pushing towards a new LIV South Africa event in 2026.

Burmester stressed that it was important to keep the South African core as the league aims to build fanbases for their franchises across different territories.

“We had a business argument because we’re trying to get the event in South Africa,” he said. “We want to represent South Africa and have an all-South African team for the future. That was our argument.  For (Grace) to finish second at LIV Promotions proved he’s right there and he deserves another shot.

“I know between LIV and Louis (Oosthuizen, team captain), they had a lot of conversations. I’m glad he’s back and hopefully he can perform.”

And while LIV continues to plough its own furrow, the prospect of a South African event next year now appears to have turned from possibility to probability.

“We’re working hard and working on trying to find venues and sponsors,” Burmester revealed. “It looks like it’s coming into fruition. Hopefully it could be in 2026, there’s a realistic chance.”

And as for the dream LIV South Africa venue?

“It’s a toss up between Pill Valley, Gary Player Country Club, Royal Johannesburg, the Links at Fancourt – we’re blessed with so many,” Burmester said.

“You look at what’s happened in Australia with LIV Adelaide and we’re hoping to do that for South African golf.”


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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.

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