Major champion would be forgiven for regretting decision to join LIV Golf after what happened in Indianapolis

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The regular LIV Golf season concluded in Indianapolis on Sunday, with Jon Rahm snatching the individual title from the grasp of Joaquin Niemann.

Jon Rahm retained his title on LIV Golf despite failing to win a single event this year. For the second week running, the Spaniard was beaten in a playoff. It was Sebastian Munoz who triumphed at Chatham Hills.

But Rahm did enough to win the individual title for the season. It was further disappointment for Joaquin Niemann, who has managed to win five times in 13 events this year.

But Niemann was far from the only player to be left hugely disappointed in Indianapolis.

Major champion would be forgiven for questioning decision to join LIV Golf

Of course, there was plenty of interest in seeing which players would be relegated from the league. According to reports, LIV have confirmed to players that those in the drop zone will not be returning for 2026 – unless they can qualify again through the promotions event.

Previously, LIV have come in for huge criticism after not demoting those who have finished in the drop zone. It was farcical to see Branden Grace keep his spot in the league for 2025 after making a business case to the league.

And with LIV making a fresh application for world ranking points in recent weeks, it does appear that those who finished 49th or lower in the standings will be relegated.

Ian Poulter did an amazing job to keep his place in the league, with the Englishman making four birdies in his final five holes to move out of the drop zone.

Unfortunately, that had serious consequences for one of his Majesticks teammates.

Heading into Indianapolis, it appeared entirely possible that two or even three of the Majesticks may lose their place in the league, with Lee Westwood and Henrik Stenson also in vulnerable positions.

Ultimately, it was Stenson who finished 49th in the standings. The Swede was one over par for his final round to end the week tied for 22nd.

It remains to be seen what Stenson decides to do next. The three co-captains are in the twilight of their careers at the highest level. Stenson turns 50 next year.

He may decide to try and win his place back through the promotions event. And it would not be a surprise to see him do exactly that. Stenson has had a phenomenal career, and his cool temperament will certainly help his cause if he does fight for his spot.

However, there is clearly a very good chance that Stenson will not play on LIV Golf again after this week’s team event in Michigan.

And with that, there must be a part of Stenson which must question whether he really made the right decision to join LIV Golf in 2022.

Why Henrik Stenson’s move to LIV Golf was something of a slap in the face of many golf fans

You would imagine that Stenson is content with his decision. Given his age, he would have known that it was always unlikely that he was going to be playing on LIV for a significant period of time.

He also won on his debut in Bedminster. And in fairness, Majesticks seem to have done more than most teams when it comes to trying to have an impact on the wider golfing community.

However, Stenson’s move to LIV Golf caused a huge stir. It was not because of his form – in his nine major appearances between 2020 and 2022, he missed the cut seven times.

But Stenson was the European Ryder Cup captain at the time of his defection. He was stripped of the captaincy before his move to LIV was even announced, with Luke Donald taking over for Rome.

For the golf fans who are currently counting down the days until Bethpage, Stenson’s move to LIV Golf was something of a slap in the face. Clearly, not every player would have made the same decision, but it showed that being the Ryder Cup captain was not the pinnacle for some.

Even if the game comes back together at some stage, it is hard to see how Stenson could possibly get another opportunity to captain the European Ryder Cup side. He had seen the scale of the negative reaction to Westwood and Poulter joining LIV, so would have known that his position as captain would likely become untenable. But he made the move anyway.

Perhaps Stenson is content for this result to mark the end of his career at the highest level. It will be interesting to see if he now transitions into more of a leadership role with Majesticks behind the scenes.

But it is difficult to imagine him appearing on the PGA Tour again. Similarly, a return to the DP World Tour is likely to be complicated due to the fines he received before resigning his membership.

Stenson will probably say that he would have made the same decision in 2022 if he had the chance to do it all again.

However, there must be a small part of him that wonders if it was all worth it now that his time on LIV Golf is potentially over.