Why Captaincy Switch And Sponsorship Deal Prompted Harold Varner's LIV Golf Move
Harold Varner III says that a captaincy change and a sponsorship deal were the two reasons behind his change of LIV Golf teams for the new season
Harold Varner III has explained why a captaincy switch and a sponsorship deal led to him moving teams to sign for Smash GC for the 2026 LIV Golf season.
Varner joined LIV Golf during the inaugural season in 2022 and played for the RangeGoats before spending the last two seasons with Dustin Johnson's 4 Aces.
After his contract with Johnson's side expired, the 4 Aces signed Belgian Thomas Detry to complete their four-man line-up - leaving Varner free to make a move
And Varner says he took the decision to move to Smash CG after Talor Gooch succeeded the departed Brooks Koepka as team captain.
"With Brooks moving on and Talor stepping into the captain role, I felt confident this was the right move for me," Varner said on X, but that was not the only reason for the change.
As Varner also said that his sponsorship deal with Jordan Brand also played a part in his decision to change teams - with Johnson's 4 Aces recently signing a deal with Under Armour.
"Another important part of this decision was being able to remain loyal to the Jordan Brand," said Varner.
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"With the 4 Aces obtaining a sponsorship with a new sportswear partner, it created a situation where I had to be intentional about staying aligned with what is best for me.
"Jordan has invested in me, believed in me and made sure the shoes I play in support my performance and long-term health."
Varner was keen to insist that "I was not looking to leave 4 Aces" but the team signing Detry meant he became a free agent.
pic.twitter.com/4qNLEYksfWJanuary 21, 2026
Varner and Gooch played on the same RangeGoats team during the pair's most productive period on LIV Golf.
Varner won his first LIV Golf title in 2023 while team-mate Gooch won three times on his way to being crowned individual champion for that season.
And the 35-year-old obviously holds Gooch in high standing as he cited his captaincy as a major reason for switching teams.
So 35-year-old Varner joins captain Gooch and both Jason Kokrak and Graeme McDowell in the Smash GC line-up for the 2026 season - which starts in Riyadh on February 4.
Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website. Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.
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