LIV Confirms Thomas Pieters Signing Along With Three Others

LIV Golf has confirmed the line-ups for its remaining four teams just days before the new 14-tournament League begins at El Camaleon Golf Club in Mexico, and with it four new signings.

As had been reported over recent days, Thomas Pieters is the biggest new signing joining last week’s confirmations that Mito Pereira and Sebastian Munoz had moved to the circuit. The World No.35 will be on Bubba Watson's Range Goats GC, with Harold Varner III and Talor Gooch making up the four. 

Other players signing for LIV Golf are South African PGA Tour rookie Dean Burmester, New Zealander Danny Lee and American Brendan Steele. Confirmation of the latter's involvement marks a significant U-turn on his part considering in December he declared he was not interested in joining the organisation. 

Steele joins after winning three times on the PGA Tour, most recently in 2017’s Safeway Open. The 39-year old will play on Phil Mickelson's all-American Hy Flyers GC along with Cameron Tringale and James Piot after Bernd Wiesberger and Matthew Wolfe made way. 

As for Pieters, there have been indications the DP World Tour pro was becoming disgruntled with the PGA Tour. Last week, he aired his frustration on his failure to qualify for the Genesis Invitational despite his relatively high world ranking.

Pieters described the tournament as his favourite, but it is likely he won’t be appearing on it for the foreseeable future considering his move and subsequent suspension from PGA Tour events. Where he fits into the DP World Tour’s plans is still uncertain. However, the outcome of an arbitration hearing to determine the future of LIV Golf players on the tour is expected in the coming weeks.

Burmester only earned his PGA Tour card for this season before making the decision to defect to the rebel circuit. Since becoming a regular on the Tour, he has had one top-10 finish, in the Sanderson Farms Championship last October. Burmester will play for Louis Oosthuizen's all-South African Stinger GC, which also features Branden Grace and Charl Schwartzel. 

Lee has one PGA Tour victory, the 2015 Greenbrier Classic. He will hope to repeat that success at the course this year, which is now a LIV Golf venue. He joins Iron Heads GC alongside captain Kevin Na, Sihwan Kim and Scott Vincent.

All four signings come as a timely boost to LIV Golf after it was dealt a blow with the news that one of its 2022 regulars, Hudson Swafford, will be out for six months due to hip surgery.