LIV Golf is down by one other player. The 2026 season for the Saudi-based league hasn’t started well. While they did get their latest signing, Elvis Smylie, to win at Riyadh, the field was lacking two big names already. Both Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood had withdrawn from the event. And now reports of Martin Kaymer’s exit from LIV Golf Adelaide have also come to the surface.

As confirmed by the Cleeks Golf Club Instagram account, “Martin is sitting out Adelaide this week with a minor elbow injury. Recovery’s going well and the focus stays on the season ahead. John Catlin steps in this week.”

They also confirmed that Kaymer will be missing only for the Adelaide fixture. He will be back for LIV Golf Hong Kong, which is scheduled from March 5-8, 2026. However, missing their captain is a huge blow for Cleeks GC, who were already struggling after the first event of the season.

The squad delivered a poor performance in Riyadh. Only Adrian Meronk managed to earn points on the leaderboard. Everyone else was ranked T51st or worse in the season-opener. With Kaymer missing from the squad, they might be in an even more disadvantageous position going into the Adelaide event.

Coming back to LIV Golf losing players, this is the third golfer who has withdrawn from events early in the season. It all began with Mickelson, who had to withdraw from the first couple of fixtures due to a family emergency. Then the Majesticks GC captain, Westwood, also confirmed exit from Riyadh and Adelaide due to an injury. With Kaymer’s withdrawal, the PIF-funded promotion will host the Australian event without three of their team captains.

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That is not the only problem they are facing at the moment.

Martin Kaymer & Co. missing from Adelaide is not the only problem for LIV Golf

If you thought missing their team captains from the LIV Golf Adelaide fixture was their biggest problem, then you have got it all wrong. Martin Kaymer, Phil Mickelson, and Lee Westwood are certainly important individuals in the roster. But they aren’t the big money bringers.

Fans are usually eager to watch the likes of Jon Rahm & Bryson DeChambeau in action. And they weren’t missing from the field in Riyadh. In fact, Rahm also finished as the runner-up in Riyadh. But the event still performed far worse than what is usually expected from LIV Golf.

As per a tweet shared by Sports Business Journal‘s Josh Carpenter, “I only have a tournament average for LIV Riyadh rather than round-by-round breakdown: 23,000 over four days on FS1, FS2 and Fox Business. Last year’s tournament averaged 19,000 over three days on FS1/2.”

Last year, LIV Golf Riyadh’s drop in viewership was expected since it was the first time an event was hosted under the lights. However, the ratings didn’t show a drastic improvement in 2026 as well. The low stats present the alarming situation of LIV Golf despite the progress they have made over the past year. Especially after they switched to a 72-hole format and earned an OWGR status.