Bhullar makes a brave run for LIV Golf spot

Bhullar holed a crucial 20-footer on the 18th hole of the first elimination round to move into Round 2

India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar, an 11-time Asian Tour champion, who was playing the LIV Golf Promotions event for the 2nd time, missed out on the highly-coveted spot in the prestigious LIV Golf League for 2025, despite a strong showing at Riyadh Golf Club (which also hosted the PIF Saudi International just a week earlier) in Saudi Arabia. Bhullar notably had holed a clutch 20-footer on the 18th hole of the first elimination round to claw his way to the second round by finishing in the top 20 on day one with a 67.

The qualifying tournament concluded on December 14 with a gruelling 36-hole test, where Chinese Taipei’s Lee Chieh-po emerged as the winner, claiming his place in the LIV Golf League, a US$200,000 prize, and the opportunity to join a LIV Golf team next season.

Lee, 30, made history as the first player from Chinese Taipei to earn full-time LIV Golf status. He carded a two-round total of 10-under-par, finishing two strokes ahead of Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho and former LIV Golf player Branden Grace, who tied for second place.

The first round had seen 21 qualifiers join 28 exempt players for Friday’s second round, where the leaderboard was reset. The top 20 (no ties) then advanced to Saturday’s 36-hole finale. Bhullar had made a clutch 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole in round one, finishing right on the cut line at 4-under to secure a spot in the next round. However, his run ended there, as he failed to progress further, falling short of the final-day qualification.

Notably, players who finished inside the top 10 on the final leaderboard earned exemptions for all 10 International Series tournaments in 2025. Six of these players — Ollie Schniederjans (USA), Brett Coletta (Australia), Jackson Buchanan (Australia), Max Rottluff (Germany), Soomin Lee (Korea), and David Horsey (England) — secured this status despite not previously holding it.

Top 10 Final Leaderboard: