Which players passed LIV Golf’s Q-school?
Promotion and relegation in golf? It’s happening! But how did it all go down…?
There was $200,000 on offer for the winner, along with a place on LIV Golf for 2024, but how did the Promotions Event work? And who got through?
The Promotions Event was held at Abu Dhabi GC and provided the opportunity for three players to earn their place on the LIV Golf tour.
Not only can players earn their way into the line-up, but there was a $1.5 million prize pot for the tournament.
While the victor took home that huge sum, there is plenty of cash also up for grabs for those who don’t grab the ultimate spoils. The runner-up bagged $150,000 with the third taking home $100,000 – as well as securing their places on the tour for 2024.
NOW READ: How will free agency work in LIV Golf?
Who could play in the promotion tournament?
The LIV Golf promotion tournament was open to a lot of players, with several different criteria being available.
Following the conclusion of the regular season in the LIV Golf 2023 campaign, we knew the four men relegated from the league.
Sihwan Kim, Jediah Morgan, James Piot and Chase Koepka all finished in the ‘Drop Zone’ and are therefore out of the league.
Those four had their chance to earn their way back, though, along with plenty of others.
The tournament is then open to players from all walks of life.
All those in the ‘Open Zone’ who are not contracted to a team for 2024, could feature in the competition.
Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup players from the last five years, along with members of the Walker Cup and Palmer Cup teams, were all been invited.
Sweet taste of qualifying 🙌
— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) December 10, 2023
Congrats to Kalle Samooja, Kieran Vincent, and Jinichro Kozuma on earning a full spot on the LIV Golf League 💯#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/4L1tjJzI0j
These were the entrants:
Round 1 starts:
Gregory Bourdy, Kazuki Higa, David Horsey, Jaco Ahlers, Bobby Bai, Lachlan Barker, Zach Bauchou, Austin Bautista, Lucas Bjerregaard, Miguel Carballo, Luis Carrera, Chonlatit Chuenboonngam, Andrew Dodt, Jaewoong Eom, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Ryan Griffin (a), Jeongwoo Ham, Seungsu Han, Scott Hend, Berry Henson, Jazz Janewattananond, Brendan Jones, Chanmin Jung, Sadom Kaewkanjana, Max Kennedy (a), Taichi Kho, Phachara Khongwatmai, Bio Kim, Ronan Kleu, Karandeep Kochhar, Guntaek Koh, Jinichiro Kozuma, Junghwan Lee, Richard T. Lee, Taehee Lee, Steve Lewton, Luis Masaveu (a), Kyongjun Moon, Kerry Mountcastle, Zach Murray, Jeff Overton, Turk Pettit, Sttee Prakongvech, Tapio Pulkannen, Alvaro Quiros, Ryan Ruffels, Poom Saksansin, Micah Lauren Shin, Travis Smyth, Joel Stalter, Kyle Stanley, Chris Stroud, Sarit Suwannarut, Miguel Tabuena, Nitithorn Thippong, Braden Thornberry, Martin Trainer, Suradit Yongcharoenchai, Kevin Yuan, Suteepat Prateeptienchai
Round 2 starts:
Gaganjeet Bhullar, Ben Campbell, Laurie Canter, Kevin Chappell, Gunn Charoenkul, Jason Dufner, Sihwan Kim, Jed Morgan. Wade Ormsby, James Piot, Kieran Vincent, Kalle Samooja, Sampson-Yunhe Zheng (a)
Former Ryder Cup star Victor Dubuisson and LIV Golf’s Chase Koepka did hold entries, but they withdrew.
READ MORE: Who earned what at the LIV Golf Miami Team Championship?
What is the format of the competition?
Like all LIV Golf events, the Promotions Event is a three-day competition, but slightly different to what we have gotten used to over the last couple of years.
The first two days of competition were the usual 18-hole rounds. However, Sunday’s final day was a 36-hole competition.
There was a staggered approach as to who played on the first couple of days.
Some players didn’t have to feature on the opening day, instead waiting until day two before they began their push for promotion.
As listed in a LIV Golf release, players were split into starting in Round 1 or Round 2 depending on where they fell into different categories.
Who was eligible Round 1 at Abu Dhabi GC?
There were plenty of different criteria to see who could play in the opening round of the LIV Golf Promotions Event:
Here is the official list of who qualified to play on day one.
- Members of the 2023 Walker and Palmer Cup Teams
- Winner and runner-up of the following most recent amateur events:
- U.S. Amateur Championship
- The Amateur Championship
- Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (October 29)
- Latin America Amateur Championship
- European Amateur Championship
- NCAA Championship (Individual)
- Eisenhower Trophy (Individual)
- Leading 15 available players from within the top 40 WAGR rankings as of November 20, 2023 (excluding players exempt into round 2)
- Leading 25 available players from within the top 40 on the final International Series 2023 Rankings, (excluding those exempt into round two)
- Leading 3 available players from inside the top 5 from each of the following professional Tours as of November 20, 2023
- Japan Golf Tour (Money Ranking inc. Majors)
- KPGA Korean Tour (Genesis Point Ranking)
- Sunshine Tour
- PGA Tour of Australasia
- Tournament winners from the Asian Tour in 2023 and Korn Ferry Tour in 2023
- Leading 30 available players from within the top 300 in The Universal Golf Rankings (TUGR) as of November 20, 2023 (excluding those who are exempt into Round 2)
- Event invitations as determined by LIV Golf League
Who got a bye through to Round 2?
Those relegated from LIV Golf, or without a contract for the 2024 season, were among those to automatically move through to the second day of competition.
Ryder Cup stars, PGA Tour winners and major champions could all join them on day two if they made the switch…
- The top 2 players in the WAGR rankings as of November 20, 2023
- Players ranked 2 to 8 on the final International Series 2023 Rankings
- Leading 5 available players from within the top 30 of the Final 2023 DP World Tour and Korn Ferry Tour Order of Merits / Rankings
- Winners of PGA TOUR and DP World Tour sanctioned tournaments in the 2022 and 2023 calendar years
- Ryder Cup and President’s Cup participants from 2019 – 2023
- Winners of Major Championships from 2019 – 2023
- The leading 15 available players from within the top 150 in The Universal Golf Rankings (TUGR) as of November 20, 2023
- Players relegated or without a contract for the following season from the Final 2023 LIV Golf Individual Standings
- Event invitations as determined by LIV Golf League
These players would all join the top 20 and ties from the opening round of the competition.
The top 20 and ties at the end of the second round moved through to Sunday’s 36-hole competition.
The top three players at the end of the week join the International Series Order of Merit winner in earning their place in the LIV Golf league for the 2024 campaign.
Players finishing 4th to 10th will receive full exemption for all 2024 events on The International Series on the Asian Tour.
Who got through to LIV Golf 2024?
Kalle Samooja, a one-time DP World Tour winner, won the event on eight-under-par. Three players were then locked in a playoff for two spots.
Kieran Vincent, Jinichero Kozuma and Laurie Canter all made par on the first extra hole which saw Canter miss a short putt to secure a permanent place with LIV.
Canter then found the water on the second extra hole which allowed Kozuma to birdie and Vincent to par take the remaining spots.
What is the prize money and promotion breakdown?
There’s prize money and places on LIV on offer:
| Position | Prize Money | Exemptions |
| 1st | $200,000 | LIV Golf League – 2024 |
| 2nd | $150,000 | LIV Golf League – 2024 |
| 3rd | $100,000 | LIV Golf League – 2024 |
| 4th | $75,000 | International Series – 2024 |
| 5th | $50,000 | International Series – 2024 |
| 6th | $45,000 | International Series – 2024 |
| 7th | $40,000 | International Series – 2024 |
| 8th | $35,000 | International Series – 2024 |
| 9th | $30,000 | International Series – 2024 |
| 10th | $25,000 | International Series – 2024 |
| 11th-20th | $17,500 |
Everyone who plays in the tournament receives prize money.
Those who miss out after Round 2 will receive $10,000, while those who only feature in Round 1 will get $5,000. Amateurs in action will be rewarded $1,000, no matter what their finishing position.
NOW READ: What is the format of the LIV Golf Miami Team Championship?
Did you watch the LIV Golf Promotions Event? What do you think to the idea of promotion and relegation in golf? Let us know with a post on X, formerly Twitter!
Matt Coles
Mention a European country, and Matt will tell you which resorts make the National Club Golfer Top 100s: European Resorts list. He might even throw in who designed the golf course and how many rooms the hotel has got at each one…
Matt got into the game of golf from a young age, following his old man to the local golf club. He fell for the sport, and now can’t seem to go a day without thinking about how to improve his game (Thanks Dad!). Matt has been a member of Howley Hall GC in Leeds since 2020, and is just about managing to maintain a single-figure handicap. He likes to remind people that he once broke 75, but won’t tell people that it was on a shortened course during the winter.
He moved to Leeds after graduating from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class Honours degree in Sports Journalism. Matt joined NCG after almost five years travelling the world with the Professional Squash Association, working on events in all four corners of the globe.
Matt currently plays a Cobra King LTDx driver and RadSpeed 3-wood. TaylorMade monopolise the rest of his bag, with a SIM UDI, M5 irons and both Milled Grind and HI-TOE wedges, along with a Monza Redline putter. He uses a Vice Pro Plus golf ball, because he’s a bit different…
Away from golf, Matt is a Manchester United fan, and a keen runner, having ran the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon (his first and possibly last), in May 2023.
