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It’s the nightmare scenario no LIV Golf captain wants to think about – but it could happen. The Majesticks’ Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson, long-time mates and co-captains, may well end up sending the other packing from the league.
That’s the brutal reality heading into this week’s LIV Golf Chicago at Bolingbrook Golf Club, with only two events left before the 2025 Individual Championship in Indianapolis. One man’s miracle finish could be the other’s ticket to the Drop Zone – and neither can afford a slip.
Relegation is about to bite. Finish 49th or worse in the standings and you’re out, contract gone, roster spot gone. For some, it’s a cushy cruise into 2026. For others – including a Ryder Cup legend – every swing this week is a career-defining moment.
Poulter, a Ryder Cup legend, is no stranger to golf’s pressure-cooker environment, but this is different. The 49-year-old sits 51st in the standings, with just 4.5 points all season – his lone top-24 finish coming at LIV Golf Korea. That puts him firmly in the Drop Zone.
Even team captains aren’t immune to the chop, and Poulter knows it. He’s outside the top 40 in strokes gained in every major category – off the tee, approach, around the green and putting.
The good news? He finished 5th at Bolingbrook last year and insists “confidence is high” after grinding through a long practice session early this week. A big finish could flip his season on its head. The bad news? Doing so might come at the expense of his mate…
Stenson, the 2016 Open champion, sits 47th – barely clinging to the final “safe” spot. With just 5.52 points and no top-20s since Adelaide in April, his cushion is paper thin.
Here’s the kicker: if Poulter bags enough points in Chicago or next week in Indy to leapfrog into safety, it could push Stenson below the cut-off. Imagine: a Majesticks captain survives only by relegating his own co-captain.
Yes, it’s a long shot… but the maths checks out. One week of magic for Poulter could mean a very awkward off-season Zoom call.
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It’s not just the Majesticks living on the edge. The relegation bubble is a who’s who of big names, battered bodies and nearly-men looking for one last surge.
HyFlyers GC’s Andy Ogletree knows all about fighting for his place. The 26-year-old burst onto LIV at the 2022 London event and earned a full-time spot after dominating the Asian Tour in 2023. But a nasty wrist injury – requiring surgery to remove a calcified bone spur last October – has derailed his rookie LIV season.
Now sitting 48th, Ogletree’s the man everyone below is chasing. His T18 at JCB last month gave him his first points since May, but he knows he needs more.
“I need points, plain and simple,” he said. “I’m trying to win a golf tournament and let the rest take care of itself.”
Coming back from surgery hasn’t been easy. “I don’t think people realise the mental stress, the hours with the physio, all that goes into it. I’ve struggled all year and I still don’t feel 100 percent, but I’ve got to grind it out.”
Torque GC’s Mito Pereira – who came within a swing of winning the 2022 PGA Championship – also needs a late run to lock in his spot. His captain, Joaquin Niemann, isn’t sweating it.
“It’s just another moment for Mito,” Niemann said. “He’s a great player, a great human being. He’s going to be fine.”
That might be true – but like everyone on the bubble, Pereira’s fate could be sealed with one loose drive or one cold putter this week.
Even Bubba Watson, captain of the RangeGoats and safely in the Lock Zone, can feel the strain around the range.
“There’s a lot more stress, 100 percent,” Watson said. “They know what’s on the line to be in an elite league like this. They want a contract. They want to be able to play here next year.”
The equation is simple. Chicago and Indianapolis are the last stops before the axe falls. For Poulter, it’s do-or-die. For Stenson, it’s about clinging to safety. For Ogletree, it’s one more fight against the odds. For Pereira, it’s proving the talent hasn’t faded.
And for the rest of us watching? It’s golf theatre at its most cut-throat. The Majesticks could be about to write one of LIV’s most awkward chapters – and both men know it.
