17 November 2023 , 18:22
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Bubba Watson will continue to represent the RangeGoats as a player on the LIV Golf setup, after their four-man roster was confirmed ahead of the 2024 campaign.
Watson cast doubt on his playing days on the breakaway league earlier this year, after struggling to find form. The American proved to be one of LIV's biggest signings following his switch last summer, but has failed to replicate the form that saw him become a two-time Masters champion whilst on the PGA circuit.
In an honest assessment back in August, the 45-year-old admitted that if his RangeGoats teammates called on it, he would be willing to step aside from competing if it benefitted the 2023 LIV Golf runners-up.
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He said: "I told my team if they don’t think I am good enough to play, they can kick me out and we will put another good golfer in my place. I am going to play until they kick me out. I love helping the young guys. They are all trying to be better and also better at golf.
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"I get to influence three golfers in life, they are all parents and young dads. I want to be there for them and if they have a problem, I want to be able to help them." Watson helped guide his team to a second-place finish in LIV's Team Championship last month, but failed to replicate similar form in the individual standings.
The former Masters champion was his team's lowest finisher individually, ending the 2023 campaign in 36th. Teammate Thomas Pieters finished just ahead in 33rd, whilst Harold Varner III cemented an impressive seventh-place finish. RangeGoats star Talor Gooch was crowned the breakaway league's champion thanks to three superb wins in 2023.
Bubba Watson will continue to compete in 2024 (Scott Taetsch/LIV Golf/AP/REX/Shutterstock)Despite finishing in the LIV setup's 'open zone', Watson's spot on the breakaway league was safe having been exempt from release due to being a team captain. Pieters also held onto his spot thanks to his contract with the LIV league, whilst Varner III and Gooch held onto their places thanks to their impressive campaigns.
The RangeGoats are just one of four teams to have completed their roster for 2024, alongside the Stingers, Crushers and Majesticks. Elsewhere 10 spots across eight teams need to be filled, as the breakaway league embarks on its first transfer window and promotional event over the next month.
For Watson, the drama and intrigue surrounding the offseason is one of the reasons he made the LIV move. "There is going to be so much [player] movement, that is the beauty of this league," the RangeGoats captain said whilst commentating at last month's Team Championship.
"In the off-season, the free agency, the moving parts. Who better fits your team motto, your team mould and that is why we jumped ship and came over here. This is the fun stuff that we have all watched in other sports."