LIV Golf League Team Name Changes Revealed

The newly expanded LIV Golf League will have many returning captains, but two new names for 2023

Cameron Smith takes a shot at the 2022 LIV Golf Team Championship in Miami
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Mike Hall
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Preparations for the new LIV Golf League continue to take shape less than three weeks before the action gets under way El Camaleon Golf Club in Mexico, with confirmation that two of the team names are changing.

Like last year’s inaugural season,12 teams of four players will compete in each tournament. However, while 10 names remain the same, two have changed. Last year, Bubba Watson was a non-playing captain of Niblicks GC as he recovered from injury. Now fully fit, he will tee it up as captain of the newly named Range GOATS GC. Meanwhile, another change sees last year’s all-Australian Punch GC, led by Cameron Smith, become Ripper GC in 2023. The news came via a newly released trailer for the season, which also confirms the team captains.  

Dustin Johnson will once again captain last season’s all-conquering 4 Aces GC. Meanwhile, Martin Kaymer leads Cleeks GC for a second season. Bryson DeChambeau returns as Crushers GC captain, while Sergio Garcia heads Fireballs GC. Elsewhere, Phil Mickelson remains captain of Hy Flyers GC, and Kevin Na is again named Iron Heads GC captain. 

Last year, Lee Westwood captained the majority of Majesticks GC’s tournaments, but this year the honour goes to Ian Poulter. Louis Oosthuzen resumes his role as Stinger GC captain while, Joaquin Niemann is again named captain of Torque GC.

It is likely that the two new names will create the most interest, though. Watson prompted speculation he would rename his team last week when he was shown wearing a cap with the name Range GOATS emblazoned on it. As for Punch GC’s rebranding, Ripper GC makes sense within the context of the all-Australian team given the word's common use in the country.

The team element is likely to be a big driver for LIV Golf in its second season, with Greg Norman hoping the franchise model, giving the captain who the chance to build their team franchise to gain the greatest fan followings and sponsor interest, takes off.

The news follows other recent announcements of the LIV Golf League schedule and a multi-year TV deal with the CW Network in the USA as preparations for what will be an important season for the circuit begin to ramp up.  

Mike Hall
Mike Hall
News Writer

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories. 

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game. 

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course. 

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.

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