Watson Reveals Plenty Of Interest In Buying RangeGoats LIV Golf Team

Bubba Watson says that up to 20 potential buyers of the RangeGoats have made contact, while Dustin Johnson also says he's had some interest in the 4 Aces

Bubba Watson commentates during the 2022 LIV Golf Team Championship in Florida
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Paul Higham
By Paul Higham
published

Bubba Watson says that as many as 20 people have been in touch asking to buy his RangeGoats LIV Golf team.

One of the primary ways for LIV Golf to start to make any money for the Saudi PIF has always been for the team franchise model to be a success.

For that, teams could land their own sponsorship and marketing deals, but the model has always had an end game of huge sums being spent to buy the franchises. 

One such team, Bubba Watson's RangeGoats, is apparently attracting plenty of interest, with the captain saying a number of potential buyers have been in touch.

"Anywhere from 10 to 20 people have asked to buy the RangeGoats," Watson said at LIV Golf Miami. 

"There was three in Singapore, and then after Singapore the floodgates opened, there was even more. There's been talk this week. I met with people this week. Yeah, there's quite a few."

Dustin Johnson also says that he's received some interest in buying his 4 Aces outfit containing Patrick Reed, Pete Uihlein and Pat Perez.

"There's quite a bit of interest," said Johnson. "Obviously like he [Watson] said each team is going to differ. We have some interest. 

"We'll get more into that in the off-season once we are done after this week. I don't know.

Talor Gooch celebrates winning the 2023 LIV Golf title

(Image credit: LIV Golf)

"I'm in the same boat as Bubba, learning. Before it was kind of all just focused on golf. Now I'm focused on golf and trying to manage the team and sponsors and all this other stuff.

"It's called a learning curve of how to divide your time. That's why I just kind of pushed everything off till the off-season and then I'll kind of dig more into that side of things."

Watson added that he's having to take on more of a business role with his team outside of the golf, as he looks to make them one of the more attractive options for buyers.

"here's been a lot of people have to get on board," said Watson. "We have a board on each team. I sit on - I'm one of the board members on my team.

"So you have to meet and see what's good and bad. The evaluation, it's not a small number. We're pretty high up. You know, luckily, I've had a franchise, I've been part of a baseball team, so I know how things work and run and been part of those discussions about things.

"But I think every team is going to be different. Some people want to know more. Some just people want to play golf. Just depends on which team you're talking about and who it is. I want to know everything. I want to be part of it and move it forward and make the RangeGoats well-known."

Paul Higham
Paul Higham
Contributor

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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