Marc Leishman is out of the LIV Golf UK field. You heard it right. Leishman will not be seen contributing to Ripper GC as it competes in the $5 million race at the JCB Golf and Country Club in the last two rounds. The massive change might prove to be a huge mishap in the team’s coordination beyond Cameron Smith’s capacity. But what happened to such a sudden withdrawal from Leishman?

The 40-year-old Australian golfer has been announced to have fallen ill. In the latest X post from the official handle of Ripper GC, they stated, “Team Update: Marc Leishman has withdrawn from LIV UK by JCB through illness and will be replaced by Wade Ormsby.” LIV Golf Communications further added to their official X handle an affirmation of the announcement.

They also pointed out some facts about the reserve player, yet another Australian player, Wade Ormsby. They wrote, “Reserve player Wade Ormsby to replace Marc Leishman in the @rippergc_ lineup for the final two rounds of #LIVGolf UK by JCB. This will be Ormsby’s third tournament appearance this season.”

With this withdrawal, Cameron Smith might be in trouble keeping up with Ripper GC. The team currently is striving hard to come in contention with R2 in progress. In the first round, Leishman scored 2-under 69, and at the end of the round, the team had a total of 9-under par and 6th ranking on the leaderboard. Apart from Cameron Smith, who ranks 7th in the player’s list, it was only Marc Leishman from the Ripper GC who was in the Locked Zone, with a 17th rank. Their remaining teammates, Lucas Herbert, and Matt Jones, are in the Open Zone, positioned at 34 and 41, respectively. 

Leishman finished as the runner-up at LIV Singapore this season. Hence, many critics will agree that if the golfer continues to have decent success after his return to Ripper GC, he might be able to stay in the Locked Zone with the team captain. 44-year-old Wade Ormsby will, until then, try to keep the Ripper GC afloat in Leishman’s absence. He has four professional wins, of which one has been on the European Tour.

But how does withdrawal work in LIV Golf? Can players get replaced in any event?

LIV golf withdrawal rule

According to LIV Golf’s rulebook, every golfer with a contract is bound to play in all of their fourteen events. According to Golf.com, the rule goes, “Every player under contract with LIV is expected to participate in every event on the schedule.” This, of course, rules out the reserved players, as they do not have any contracts with the Norman-led league.

But there is one exception to this. You might find players withdrawing and getting replaced by another to maintain the integrity of the required players’ numbers. This has happened quite a few times and explains the role of reserve players. This advantage can only be used when a regular LIV Golf team member falls sick or has any medical conditions that do not enable them to play.

With Leishman’s illness as the sole reason, his withdrawal appeal was accepted by the authorities mid-event at the JCB Golf and Country Club. Do you think Wade Ormsby will be able to play as per the raised expectations of Ripper GC? Let us know in the comments below.