The LIV Golf League has made a change to its lineup, bringing in NCAA champion Michael La Sasso while parting ways with Jinichiro Kozuma. Kozuma finished 32nd in last season’s standings, recording three top-10 finishes, including a runner-up showing in Dallas.
Both decisions raised eyebrows, especially as the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) continues to assess whether LIV should be awarded ranking points.
OWGR chairman Trevor Immelman noted last month that one of the key obstacles in LIV’s application is its player selection process, with most golfers joining by invitation rather than qualifying on merit, unlike the 24 other tours currently recognized by the system.
“That’s one of the beauties of our sport is earning your way onto a tour, fighting to keep your job on that tour,” Immelman said at the PNC Championship.
The OWGR board is set to meet on Wednesday, and while a formal vote on LIV Golf is not expected to be on the agenda, a decision could still emerge before the end of the week.
Last month, the OWGR ruled that tournaments played over 54 or 36 holes would receive fewer ranking points, regardless of whether the shorter format was standard or the result of weather-related disruptions.
In response, LIV has already announced plans to move to 72-hole events and has introduced additional qualifying pathways, though its player turnover rate remains well below that of established tours.
With the Saudi-backed league’s fifth season just a week away, questions around how LIV assembles its rosters have again come into focus ahead of Wednesday’s meeting.
Players finishing outside the top 48 were relegated, a group that includes former major winner Henrik Stenson. However, four players who finished between 24th and 48th were also let go — Kevin Na, Jinichiro Kozuma, Max Lee and Matt Jones.
Kozuma told Sports Illustrated that he only discovered he would not be retained by Iron Heads — now rebranded as Korea Golf Club — after seeing reports on social media. He added that he then contacted other teams in hopes of finding a place on a roster.
“What I found was that teams seemed to be building their rosters not only based on results but also based on team identity and the type of player profile they were looking for,” Kozuma said in an email to SI translated by his manager. “In that sense, I think it was simply difficult to find the right fit for me within the available team openings at that time.”
Six of the league’s 13 teams are made up entirely of players born in the same country.
On the question of merit-based entry, LIV has brought in players such as Thomas Detry, Byeong Hun An and Victor Perez, all of whom previously held membership on other established tours.
La Sasso, meanwhile, finished third in the PGA Tour University rankings. While only the top-ranked player earns direct promotion to the PGA Tour, he would have secured full Korn Ferry Tour status had he remained inside the top 10.
Rose waits
Justin Rose is among those who feel Luke Donald has earned the right to decide for himself whether he wants to continue as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain for a third consecutive time. If Donald opts not to return, Rose would appear to be a natural candidate — and it’s a role he would consider.
Just not yet.
“From my point of view, if you could lean into it two months before and just take up the captaincy, I’d be interested,” Rose said. “Luke has set such a high bar of what it means to be captain, the work he’s put in, it’s a big commitment.”
Rose has featured in seven Ryder Cups and, at 45, was the oldest player in the field at Bethpage Black by a margin of seven years. He is also ranked No. 10 in the world and has finished runner-up in two of the past five major championships.
“All the previous captains have said if you can play, then push to play,” Rose said. “You’re a long time retired. I think you’ve got to take care of playing if you can.”
His answer if Donald were to decide against a third term as captain? Rose smiled.
“It would be a hard ‘no’ because you don’t want to leave the team in a bad spot,” he said. “And I’m not saying there wouldn’t be a good option, but there’s no natural option at that point. So we’ll see where it all lands.”
Thomas on the mend
Justin Thomas continues to make positive progress following back surgery in November and is aiming to return to competition during the Florida swing.
Last week, Thomas shared videos of his gym sessions along with some light wedge swings, marking his 10th week since undergoing surgery.
“Little victories and patience have been the biggest part of the process,” he wrote. “I’m looking to come back competitively at some point during the Florida swing. I know how important it is to get this injury behind me so that I’m only looking forward over the course of the season.”
Player Advisory Council
Former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover is stepping into tour governance for the first time.
Glover is one of four players joining the Player Advisory Council for the first time, alongside Alex Noren, Hank Lebioda and rookie Neal Shipley.
In addition to being new PAC members, Glover and Adam Scott have been selected as candidates for PAC chairman. The winner will begin a four-year term in 2027, succeeding Scott, whose current term concludes this year.
Scott joined the PAC relatively late in his career before later being elected chairman and serving during the turbulent emergence of LIV Golf and a restructured tour schedule. Depending on the election outcome, his involvement with tour politics may not be over just yet.
The remainder of the 16-player PAC includes eight returning members — Sam Burns, Brian Harman, Charley Hoffman, Max Homa, Max McGreevy, Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas and Gary Woodland — along with Jordan Spieth, Corey Conners and Harris English.
Women’s indoor league
England’s Lottie Woad and Rose Zhang are the latest LPGA stars to commit to the WTGL, a technology-driven indoor women’s league set to launch later this year.
Both Woad and Zhang are past Augusta National Women’s Amateur champions, and each claimed victory in their first professional start — Woad at last year’s Scottish Women’s Open and Zhang at the Mizuhos Americas Open.
They join a growing list of players already signed up for the league, including Brooke Henderson, Charley Hull, Lydia Ko, Jeeno Thitikul and Lexi Thompson.
Divots
Scottie Scheffler became just the third player in PGA Tour history to surpass $100 million in career earnings last week, joining Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. … The LPGA has appointed Chad Coleman as its new chief marketing officer. Coleman most recently served as chief brand officer at Dude Perfect and previously worked at Callaway Golf overseeing social media and brand partnerships. … Marcus Byrd captured the APGA Farmers Insurance Invitational at Torrey Pines, earning a place in this week’s Farmers Insurance Open. Byrd was named player of the year on the Advocates Professional Golf Association last season. … Stewart Cink opened the week by being honored as PGA Tour Champions player of the year and capped it off with a victory on Hawaii’s Big Island to begin the season.
Stat of the week
Scottie Scheffler has recorded 14 PGA Tour victories since 2024. The next closest player is Rory McIlroy, with five wins.
