LIV Golf is entering its fifth season in 2026 and there are some notable changes coming including a format change from 54 to 72 holes and a field size increase from 54 to 57 players.
The league’s relegation and promotion systems have also been bolstered to help the Official World Golf Ranking application, with two players joining from the International Series Rankings and three earning their cards via the Promotions event.
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Brooks Koepka’s departure
Koepka left LIV Golf after four seasons despite reportedly having one year left on his contract
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Brooks Koepka decided to leave LIV Golf at the end of 2025 after four years following his big-money move from the PGA Tour in 2022.
Koepka was captain of Smash GC and decided to leave due to feeling “this is the right moment to spend more time at home.”
His departure is a huge blow to the league as the former World No.1 is the first Major champion to leave LIV Golf and the first of the big debut-season signings.
His return to the PGA Tour has not yet been confirmed, while Talor Gooch has now taken over as Smash GC’s captain.
Relegated players
Stenson has re-joined the DP World Tour after his relegation
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Henrik Stenson (Majesticks), Andy Ogletree (HyFlyers), Mito Pereira (Torque), Yubin Jang (Iron Heads), Anthony Kim (Wildcard) and Frederik Kjettrup (Cleeks) were the six full-time LIV golfers to suffer relegation in 2025.
Ogletree and Kim are hoping to earn their spots back at the LIV Golf Promotions tournament this week.
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Released players
Jones and Campbell were released from their teams
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When the LIV Golf Promotions field was announced, we noticed two full-time players who had not been relegated were teeing it up, meaning they had been released by their teams.
They were Matt Jones (Ripper) and Ben Campbell (RangeGoats). Both men finished in the Open Zone, meaning they did not have to be re-signed by their teams.
New players: International Series rankings
Vincent and Asaji earned their cards via the International Series Rankings
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Two players earned their cards for 2026 via the International Series Rankings, which was up from the previous allocation of just one.
Topping the list was Scott Vincent, the Zimbabwean who had previously played for the Iron Heads before being relegated in 2024. He commendably earned his card straight back after winning the International Series Morocco and then finishing 2nd at the Jakarta International Championship.
Japan’s Yosuke Asaji took the second spot after finishing T2nd at the International Series Philippines before winning the Singapore Open late in the season.
Neither player has been drafted to a team yet.
New signings
Canter turned down his PGA Tour card to re-join LIV Golf
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There have been two confirmed new signings so far in the off-season, with Victor Perez joining the Cleeks to replace Frederik Kjettrup and Laurie Canter joining Majesticks to replace Henrik Stenson.
Perez is a three-time DP World Tour winner and played on the PGA Tour last season, while Canter has won twice on the DP World Tour and re-joins LIV Golf after playing in the league from 2022 to 2024.
He had earned his PGA Tour card via the DP World Tour Top 10 and makes the Majesticks an all-English line-up alongside Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Sam Horsfield.
Trades
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The off-season has been quiet on the trades front so far, with only one player switching sides.
Abraham Ancer has left Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs to move to Joaquin Niemann’s Torque in replace of the relegated Mito Pereira, with Luis Masaveu taking his spot on the all-Spanish side.
Masaveu joined LIV Golf in 2025 and played eight times before stepping back as a reserve when Josele Ballester took his place on Garcia’s team.
Contract renewals
Westwood and Poulter have renewed for the 2026 campaign
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While Brooks Koepka left LIV Golf, a number of big names who have been with LIV from the start signed on to renew their contracts.
Dustin Johnson has reportedly renewed his deal, although there has been no official confirmation yet, while it was confirmed Westwood and Poulter both re-signed as co-captains of the Majesticks for the 2026 season.
Fireballs GC captain and 2017 Masters Champion Sergio Garcia has also signed a “multi-year” extension to his deal.
