15 October 2023 , 21:34
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LIV Golf has relegated four stars from the breakaway league, whilst Lee Westwood avoided the drop despite finishing in the regular season drop zone.
The 2023 regular LIV Golf season came to an end at LIV Jeddah on Sunday, and it marked the end of the road for four players after the breakaway circuit's first ever relegation process was brought in. The four who met their fate were Chase Koepka, James Piot, Sihwan Kim and Jediah Morgan.
All four players finished in the final four places on the LIV Jeddah leaderboard, confirming their fate. The breakaway league's standings consists of six spots in the drop zone, but only four were filled.
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As well as Koepka, Piot, Kim and Morgan, former world No. 1 Westwood also found himself below the relegation line, finishing 45th out of 50 players. The Englishman was however spared from the drop due to being exempt from relegation thanks to his contract.
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Each of the 14 LIV captains were all handed exemption from the drop ahead of the campaign, which worked in the favour of Westwood who co-captains the Majesticks alongside Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson. The 50-year-old was not the only one to benefit from the captaincy safety net.
Fellow former world No. 1 Martin Kaymer also finished in the drop zone, but his role in charge of the Cleeks ensured he would be returning to the rebel league for 2024. The four relegated stars will also get the chance to regain their LIV status, with the breakaway league hosting a promotion event this winter, which will see the top three qualify for the next campaign.
Martin Kaymer avoided relegation (AP)At the other end of the leaderboard it was Brooks Koepka who prevailed in the Saudi capital to defend the Jeddah title he won 12 months earlier. Koepka defeated Talor Gooch in a two-hole play-off to ensure he ended the regular campaign with a victory to his name.
It was not all bad for Gooch though, as his second place finish was enough to clinch the overall 2023 LIV Golf title. He overtook leader Cameron Smith to cap off a superb season for the American star. Gooch led the way in the individual standings for the majority of the campaign before being overtaken by Smith in recent weeks.
The 31-year-old secured three victories in 2023 on the breakaway circuit, having won back-to-back in Adelaide and Singapore in April, before completing the hat-trick with victory at LIV Andalucia at the iconic Valderrama course two months later.