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A regulatory change at LIV Golf made even elite players and team captains vulnerable to relegation. Relegation has been a key aspect of LIV Golf’s competitive integrity. This year, many golfers, including Andy Ogletree, Mito Pereira, Anthony Kim, and Frederik Kjettrup, are relegated. One name among these is that of Majesticks GC’s co-captain, Henrik Stenson. The 2016 Open Champion finished 49th on the LIV Golf standings and was relegated for the 2026 season. However, it is not the first time an elite golfer has been relegated. For instance, two-time Masters Tournament winner Bubba Watson was previously relegated. This year, it happened with Henrik Stenson. James Dunkley, Majesticks GC’s Team Principal, has shared what the future at LIV looks like for Stenson. “This year was really the first year where relegation was, Scott O’Neil, our new CEO, came in about probably 12 months ago, was really clear like we’re going to have relegation. And unfortunately, Henrik finished 49th. Top 48 is safe from relegation. So that decision for next season is kind of taken out of our hands. Henrik, you know, likely won’t be playing on the team. And then with Ian and Lee, who finished very, you know, very close to relegation, you know, we had to have some very honest, direct conversations about them playing in 2026 and what that looks like,” said Dunkley ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad Besides saying that Stenson likely won’t play for Majesticks GC in 2026, Dunkley also hinted at the team’s poor performance. The team was co-captained by Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, and Henrik Stenson. During the 2025 season, the team played in all 13 events and finished in 12th position. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad Their best individual event finish was a tie for 5th place in Adelaide. Other notable finishes include 6th place at Indianapolis and consistent mid-to-lower-tier placements at other events, such as 9th in Korea and 10th in Dallas and Andalucía. This raises concerns over the team’s performance, which has been very weak, as their players didn’t perform well. However, Stenson will still be connected to LIV Golf due to his equity in Majesticks Golf. Discussing the same, Dunkley said, “So Henry retains his equity. He will be an owner until he decides to sell his shares, until there’s an opportunity to sell his shares. So he’s still, while he won’t be playing for us on the course next year, he will still be a significant part of the business and a significant shareholder in the business.” This indicates that, despite being relegated, he will still play a significant role in Majesticks Golf and LIV. In fact, some golfers were reinstated for play in tournaments due to this team and business angle. For instance, Bubba Watson made it back as a non-playing captain for the RangeGoats team. Similarly, Branden Grace, despite being relegated, was re-signed by his team, Stinger, because of his past successes and business value. Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports Dunkley has made it clear that Stenson won’t be playing in 2026. So, that question is out of bounds. However, it is unclear whether he may return as a non-playing captain or something similar. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad Henrik Stenson is not the only golfer relegated from LIV Golf 2025; there are many others. Golfers relegated from LIV Golf 2026 Henrik Stenson’s relegation may have grabbed headlines, but he wasn’t the only player to lose his LIV Golf status this season. Several others also fell short of the top 48 mark. For instance, Andy Ogletree battled injuries and was unable to string together strong finishes. His best performance was a tie for 18th, but a series of missed cuts and low finishes left him 50th in the rankings. Ogletree was part of HyFlyers GC and is relegated from the 2026 league. Mito Pereira from Torque GC had flashes of strong play, including a top-10 finish mid-season. However, his performance was inconsistent, which haunted his campaign. Next is the rookie Yubin Jang. Jang struggled to find form in his debut LIV Golf season. Thus, he made only a few cuts and finished 53rd in points.