LIV Golf Open Zone Predictions: Chieh-Po Lee

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 a contract will be offered by their current team 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.

Max Lee's Near Misses

Finishing inside the individual points at a LIV Golf League is a real challenge. Just ask Chieh-Po Lee. A Top-24 finish in the event standings secures valuable points, and Lee narrowly missed out on those points on four separate occasions in 2025. A t25 at Singapore in March, then a t29 at Korea in May, and back-to-back t33 and t32 finishes at Dallas and Andalucia in June and July left Lee out of the middle pack group this season.

Max can look back at how he started those events for the culprit. He shot a combined +10 in first round competition in the four aforementioned contests, then EVEN par in cumulative second rounds, followed by -5 on those Championship Sundays. It has long been said that in this league, you need to start fast. Lee missed that memo.

Short Game Failures

Digging into the numbers, Max Lee was solid off the tee (9th in Fairway Hit % and 39th in Driving Distance), but abysmal on and around the greens (50th in both Putting Average and Scrambling %). This severely dampened his scoring averages, ultimately leaving Lee barely above the Drop Zone in 47th with 9.16 points.

On the bright side, perhaps a team would consider him for an open roster spot, knowing where Max could make some small improvements and contribute in 2026.

Will Chieh-Po Be One And Done?

He wasn't a total bust as a Wild Card, but with only 52 positions available in LIV, the case for signing him isn't without its holes. He's 30 years old, giving pause to any potential team, and it's unclear what his upside could be. His inability to go low enough may have sealed his fate, leading to a probable return to the Asian Tour and International Series in 2026.