LIV Golf Open Zone Predictions: Branden Grace

As the wait begins for LIV Golf 2026, we take a look back to 2025 and ahead to next season by putting into focus the 24 golfers who escaped relegation but sit in the Open Zone. And then predict whether their current team will offer a contract or if another option is more likely for 2026.

In LIV Golf, the Open Zone is the section of the season-long individual standings for players ranked 25th through 48th. Players in this zone can remain in the league for the following season, but their current team is not obligated to offer them a new contract if their existing deal has expired. This means players in the Open Zone risk becoming free agents and can be signed by other teams or potentially lose their spot in the league if they are not re-signed.

Sprint To The Finish

Branden Grace turned his 2024 disappointment into a 2025 success with one of the hottest stretches from the mid-tier golfers we saw in the league. He collected points in each of the final six events, elevating from the Drop Zone and nearly finding himself in the Lock Zone (less than 7 points from 24th)!

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That hot run to close out the year came on the heels of earning just 0.6 points in the first seven individual competitions, fueling negativity from the internet naysayers. Getting hot at the right moment to save his LIV Golf career, Grace withdrew from Korea when his wrist flared up, but did not require surgery, which provided just the opportunity the South African needed to get right.

Approach Was A Strength

Branden finished 22nd in Greens in Regulation %, his best finish in a 2025 LIV Golf League statistical category. Although his cold-then-hot season put him behind the eight-ball in most of the counting stats, so the true skills picture remains cloudy heading into 2026.

Stinger GC Intact

With LIV Golf South Africa on the schedule, Stinger GC (possible rebrand/name change) is likely to return all four golfers to their roster and into the most anticipated new stop for LIV Golf of 2026. They are not a young team, so the pressure will be on the entire squad to avoid relegation this season, potentially being replaced by the next group of South African stars.

Data, quotes, and photos courtesy of LIV Golf