LIV Bringing Relegation And Promotion To Golf Starting In 2023, Per Report

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LIV Golf continues to find ways to be different than anything we've ever seen in the sport. A new report suggests that the Saudi-backed circuit will be adding promotion and relegation to the fold beginning in 2023.

During LIV Golf's first States-side event in Portland, Oregon last month, the organization announced that next year's schedule would consist of 14 events and 48 players. Each player will tee it up in all 14 events and 12 four-man teams will remain the same for the entire season.

How those 48 players would be selected remained a question.

According to a report from Sports Illustrated, relegation and promotion will determine who is in and who is out.

The four players who finish last in the 2023 standings will be relegated from LIV Golf. Three spots will then be filled by a qualifying tournament called a "Promotions" event. The final spot will then be given to the money list winner for the LIV International Series, which is co-sanctioned by both LIV Golf and the Asian Tour.

It won't be true relegation rules like we're used to seeing in major soccer leagues around the world.  Some players, likely the ones that signed massive contracts with LIV Golf, will be exempt from relegation.

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Dustin Johnson and Carlos Ortiz at the LIV Golf event in Portland, Ore. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

LIV giving the boot to Dustin Johnson or Bryson DeChambeau for example, who each signed $100+ million deals to join the circuit, would be dramatic and entertaining but not exactly a great business move.

There will also be exemptions for the qualifying tournament. Major winners from the past five years, No. 2-32 on the mist list from the LIV International series, the Top 75 players in the world, winners from the PGA Tour or DP World Tour the previous year, and members of the most recent Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams will be exempt.

That long list of exemptions is in place to protect LIV Golf if one of the top players in the world wants to join the circuit but may not meet other qualifications. It's also worth noting a new qualification process certainly won't hurt LIV Golf's chances to earn Official World Golf Ranking points.

LIV Golf will host its third event this weekend at Trump Bedminster in New Jersey.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.