LIV Golf League Adds Three New Players From Qualifying Event

A DP World Tour winner will be joining the Saudi-backed league as well as a second member of the Vincent family.

Finland’s Kalle Samooja emerged as the medalist on Sunday at the LIV Golf Promotions event in Abu Dhabi and will be joined by Zimbabwe’s Kieran Vincent and Japan’s Jinichiro Kozuma as members of the LIV Golf League in 2024.

The three-day qualifying event saw the field whittled to 20 players for Sunday’s 36-hole event, with the top three players earning a spot in the 12-team league and a guarantee of more than $1 million in prize money.

Kalle Samooja was the first-place qualifier at LIV Golf's Promotions event :: Chris Trotman/LIV Golf

England’s Laurie Canter, who played in several LIV Golf events in 2023 as a reserve, lost in a playoff for the final two spots with Vincent and Kozuma.

He and those who finished fourth through 10th in the final standings will receive exemptions into the International Series, an elevated group of events that will consist of at least 10 events, with the Order of Merit winner earning a spot for the following season. Former U.S. Amateur champion Andy Ogletree earned that spot this year and will be on one of the LIV Golf teams next year.

Among those who are eligible to take up an International Series spot are former PGA Tour winners Kevin Chappell and Martin Trainer.

Samooja earned $200,000 for his victory, with Vincent and Kozuma each getting $125,000. With minimum payouts of $120,000 at each of the 13 individual events, the three players are guaranteed more than $1 million in earnings for 2024.

A winner of the DP World Tour’s Porsche European Open in 2022, Samooja, 35, has bounced around the game as a pro for more than a decade. Vincent’s brother, Scott, is already a member of LIV Golf. And Kozuma has won twice on the Japan Golf Tour.

These players will take part in a draft among LIV Golf teams that have openings on their rosters.