Major champion defends signing relegated LIV player

In a move that has been widely criticised, Louis Oosthuizen has re-signed his “relegated” LIV teammate Branden Grace for the 2025 season.

Grace will return to Oosthuizen’s all-South African Stinger GC side, despite the fact he finished in the ‘Drop Zone’ which assumedly meant he had been booted from the breakaway league.

He finished 51st out of 57 in the individual standings, mustering only two top 20 finishes in his 14 LIV starts throughout the season.

Following his relegation, Grace played in LIV’s Promotions event, where one player was afforded a meritocratic place in the league during a three-day event in Riyadh last month.

But after missing out in the Saudi capital, he has now been given a lifeline by Oosthuizen on a “business case”, an agreement where LIV players can avoid relegation and be brought back if approved by a team’s board.

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Curiously, it appears that Oosthuizen’s plan was to bring Grace back all along.

“We’re thrilled to have Branden back with Stinger GC,” Oosthuizen said. “He is an integral part of our team, both on and off the course. While 2024 was a tough year for him, we must not overlook his consistent performances in the two previous seasons.

“His return was also supported by a strong business case. We are looking to grow the Stinger GC brand and commercial presence in South Africa, and his profile and popularity, in the country, will help us to achieve that.”

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Grace’s lifeline comes after Bubba Watson, the Range Goats GC captain, also brought himself back into the fold on a business case for 2025.

The consensus among golf fans is that LIV’s relegation policy has been rendered pointless by the fact that two players who finished in the Drop Zone will be playing on the same teams next season.

There are growing calls for the relegation model to be scrapped or at least acted upon.

“2024 was a challenging year for me—I was playing with a wrist injury during the early part of the season and struggled to gain any momentum from there,” Grace explained.

“My form improved during the later stages of the campaign and my game is tracking in the right direction. I feel confident that I can carry that through into 2025.”

LIV Golf’s 14-event season starts at Riyadh Golf Club from February 6-8.