‘Phone's Ringing Off the Hook': LIV Golf Anticipates New Faces in 2025

LIV Golf's offseason has begun and plenty of changes to team rosters are expected ahead of the 2025 season.

Sep 21, 2024; Carrolton, Texas, USA; A general view of signage during the LIV Golf Dallas Team Championship Semifinals at Maridoe Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images / Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

With LIV Golf set to embark on its fourth season, team general managers and player agents have been busy behind the scenes while trying to improve their rosters for 2025. 

One LIV GM told Sports Illustrated that interest in joining LIV has been high since the team finale in Dallas.

"My phone's been ringing nonstop basically since right before Dallas and things are starting to happen from either player directly or agents calling exploring and wanting to look at the possibility of coming on [LIV team]," the general manager said.

Kalle Samooja (Cleeks), Scott Vincent (IronHeads), Branden Grace (Stingers), Bubba Watson (RangeGoats), Kieran Vincent (Legion XIII) have all been relegated, meaning those teams need to fill roster spots.

The four relegated players will have a chance to earn their way back by winning the LIV Golf Promotions event, a three-day shootout in Riyadh December 12-14. 

LIV has also stated that there may be a path back for relegated players if the team has a  “business case” to bring them back in 2025. SI previously reported that Watson would likely return for this reason.

Additionally, there are players in the “Open Zone” who do not have a guaranteed spot for the next season, but the teams can bring them back if they so choose. 

Those players are:

• 25. David Puig
• 26. Cameron Tringale
• 27. Graeme McDowell
• 28. Lucas Herbert
• 29. Peter Uihlein
• 30. Sam Horsfield
• 31. Charles Howell III
• 32. Kevin Na
• 33. Andy Ogletree
• 34. Thomas Pieters
• 35. Lee Westwood
• 36. Danny Lee
• 37. Eugenio Chacarra
• 38. Martin Kaymer
• 39. Caleb Surratt
• 40. Matt Jones
• 41. Henrik Stenson
• 42. John Catlin
• 43. Mito Pereira
• 44. Phil Mickelson
• 45. Jinichiro Kozuma
• 46. Ian Poulter
• 47. Harold Varner III
• 48. Pat Perez

Some of the “Open Zone” players seem likely to return to their respective teams, while a few others appear to be on the way out. 

Captains Kevin Na, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson can not be released from their teams and are therefore staying put. 

Additional players who would seem like a lock to return to their teams include David Puig, Lucas Herbert, Peter Uihlein, Sam Horsfield, Charles Howell III, Caleb Suratt, Andy Ogletree, Danny Lee, Jinichiro Kozuma, Mito Pereira and Matt Jones. 

Perez and Varner's future with the 4Aces is uncertain. A team source told SI that the team wants to go younger for next season, foreshadowing the exit of at least one of the two veterans.

"I will guarantee you that we will have one younger player on the team," the source said.

There have also been rumors swirling on the future of Anthony Kim, who signed with LIV as a "wildcard" last offseason. Sources say that Kim will indeed be back in 2025.

This leaves likely openings for Legion XIII (replacing K. Vincent), IronHeads (replacing S. Vincent), Cleeks (replacing Samooja) and the Fireballs (replacing Chacarra).

If Tringale (HyFlyers) or Perez/Varner (4Aces) are dropped, that would open an additional two or three spots. 

Teams will have multiple options to fill those spots available spots:

• Sign a Top 24 player who opted to enter free agency
• Sign any player in the Open Zone whose contract has expired
• Sign or trade for a player contracted with a different team if agreed upon by both teams 
• Sign a Wild Card player (Hudson Swafford, Laurie Canter, Anthony Kim). 
• Sign the winner of The International Series 2024 Rankings (John Catlin is the heavy favorite to reign supreme on the International Series Order of Merit, which would give him an automatic spot on LIV for 2025). 
• Sign the winner of LIV Golf Promotions 2024
• Sign an external player who was not a regular member of any 2024 LIV Golf team roster 

A 14th team means there would be interest from players currently on the PGA Tour, which the general manager said has increased in recent weeks.

"With what the inside rumblings are, I would guess that there's going to be one or two big names coming over," the GM said. 

The GM added that players who initially declined offers from LIV are now calling back with hopes of receiving a new offer.

 "Two guys that had very big offers that are now calling would love to be on [a LIV team] and said that was the worst decision they made is not accepting the offer and coming over."

Another place to keep an eye on for potential newcomers to LIV is both the top amateur scene and the PGA Tour University rankings.

"Young players that are playing well in the PGA tour, young kids that are coming out of college, that PGA Tour U is a huge, huge thing now and, you know, trying to identify somebody that's potentially looking to turn pro."

"We watched the U.S. amateur heavily this year," another GM added.

Another player that will almost definitely be on a team in 2025 is John Catlin, who currently holds a sizable lead in the International Series Order of Merit, which would guarantee a LIV spot.

After Catlin finished the season strong as a fill-in, he sent a note to LIV general managers to express his interest in signing full-time in 2025.

There is also the possibility of LIV adding a 14th team this off-season to accommodate more players looking to join the league.

The LIV Golf offseason is now fully underway, so there may be a great deal of player movement between now and the beginning of February. LIV's fourth season is set to kick off on Friday, February 2 in Riyadh.