By Chris Havlicek
The first two golfers who will switch to the LIV Golf League from the PGA Tour have been announced.
The newly formed league, which is run by Greg Norman and is supported financially by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, unveiled the lineups of four teams on Wednesday, Feb. 15, and verified earlier rumors that Mito Pereira and Sebastian Munoz would be joining the league. David Puig will be joined by both players on Joaquin Niemann’s Torque GC.
- Along with Jason Kokrak and Chase Koepka, Matthew Wolff was also added to the roster of Brooks Koepka’s Smash GC.
- Henrik Stenson and Ian Poulter continue to serve as co-captains of the Majesticks, which also includes Lee Westwood and Sam Horsfield.
- It was announced that the 4 Aces GC had already made plans to recruit Peter Uihlein to its roster, joining captain Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, and Pat Perez, just days after they won the team championship. Now that Uihlein has taken Talor Gooch’s place, the change is official.
The timetable for roster releases for the remainder of the week is as follows (captains are in parentheses):
- Thursday: Cleeks GC (Martin Kaymer), Crushers GC (Bryson DeChambeau), Fireballs GC (Sergio Garcia), and RangeGoats GC (Bubba Watson)
- Friday: HyFlyers GC (Phil Mickelson), Iron Heads GC (Kevin Na), Ripper GC (Cam Smith), and Stinger GC (Louis Oosthuizen).
Of note, earlier this week the league also announced its television plans after signing a TV deal with the CW Network last month. LIV will be available in every U.S. market in 2023 across CW affiliates as well as Nexstar-owned and operated stations. Second- and third-round coverage on Saturday and Sunday will be broadcast from 1-6 p.m. ET for all 14 events. Opening rounds on Friday will only be available on the CW app. If fans want to watch the live action when LIV tees it up in time zones opposite the states — Australia, Singapore, or Saudi Arabia, for example — live coverage will be available on the app.
The LIV Golf League will begin its 14-event second season next week at Mayakoba’s El Camaleón Golf Course on the Riviera Maya, Feb. 24-26.
Photo credit: Shutterstock
