LIV announces four team lineups after Brooks Koepka feud and Sergio Garcia snub
LIV Golf have announced the confirmation of four team lineups, but there is still work to do for two of the circuit's biggest names in Sergio Garcia and Brooks Koepka.
The breakaway league announced the opening of its first free agency window on Thursday, with a whole host of players looking to regain a spot on the Saudi-backed circuit after the expiry of their contracts. In total there are currently 10 places left to fill across the 12 teams, with captains also free to negotiate with players outside of the LIV setup.
Across the 12 setups, only four have completed their four-man roster heading into the new campaign, which includes 2023 team champions, Crushers GC, led by captain Bryson DeChambeau.
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DeChambeau will once again be joined by European star Paul Casey, as well as fellow American Charles Howell III. His fourth teammate Anirban Lahiri saw his LIV contract expire following the end of last month's team championships, but the Indian has accepted a renewal offer with the 2023 champions.
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The Team Championship runners-up have also stuck with the same four men for 2024, with the RangeGoats also not needing to use the free agency to complete their team. Bubba Watson will once again play alongside Harold Varner III and Thomas Pieters, who both have an ongoing contract with the breakaway league.
The RangeGoats have confirmed their team for 2024 (Montana Pritchard/LIV Golf/AP/REX/Shutterstock)The fourth spot is filled by none other than LIV's 2023 individual champion Talor Gooch, who proved to be the breakaway league's star of the show last season. The All-European Majesticks have also made no changes, with joint-captains Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson joined by Sam Horsfield heading into next year.
LIV's South African contingency is also unchanged too, with Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace, Charl Schwartzel and Dean Burmester all returning for the Stingers in 2024. Elsewhere, Fireballs captain Garcia was hoping to have his team signed off, but has one space still vacant thanks to Carlos Ortiz.
Following the end of the new campaign, Ortiz was offered the chance to return to the Fireballs for 2024 but the Mexican opted to turn down the contract and has thus entered free agency. Garcia has kept hold of Abraham Ancer and fellow Spaniard Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra.
Brooks Koepka is also delving into the free agency to fill his team, after his brother Chase was relegated from the breakaway league in Jeddah last month. Along with his sibling's departure it was expected that Koepka would be on the hunt for two new names following his public fallout with teammate Matt Wolff.
LIV however have confirmed that for now, Wolff has remained apart of the Smash GC under contract. Koepka brutally hit out at his teammate in July, describing the American as 'talent wasted' in an astonishing interview after Wolff withdrew from LIV Washington DC.
The feud was reignited last month, after the five-time major champion claimed there were only three members who were part of his team ahead of the finale in Miami, brutally leaving out Wolff. For now though the 24-year-old is still set to accompany Koepka in 2024. Koepka will however have the option to trade Wolff during the offseason transfer window if a deal arises.
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