Dustin Johnson’s LIV Golf team set for major shake up with Viktor Hovland in contention
Dustin Johnson’s LIV Golf team could be in for a reshuffle in 2025. The two-time major champion’s 4Aces team had a challenging season in the breakaway tour’s Team Championship, finishing near the bottom of the table. Johnson led by example, finishing ninth in the 2024 money list after collecting just over £6 million ($7,822,202). Teammate Patrick Reed also had a solid year, ending up 19th with £4 million ($5,189,300). But the other two players of 4Aces didn’t perform as well.
Harold Varner III finished 37th, while Pat Perez barely avoided relegation. Players who rank 49th or lower in the 56-man league risk being relegated from the league next year.
Perez dropped
While Perez managed to stay afloat, it’s far from certain he will be kept on by Johnson, who will be aiming for better results in 2025. Having finished outside of the top 24 in the so-called Open Zone Perez could be let go by Johnson, who chose to keep Perez following his 28th-place finish in 2023.
Hovland joins
If Johnson, 40, decides to make changes, he could potentially make a big move for PGA Tour star Viktor Hovland, who has previously shown interest in moving to LIV. Earlier this year, the Norwegian said he had seriously considered switching to the Saudi-backed tour following Europe’s victory at the 2023 Ryder Cup.
He told the Times in July that it “might have been a pretty cool opportunity”.
“Obviously, they’re throwing out a lot of money, but I’ve already made a lot of money,” he said. “I’m not a very materialistic person. It’s nice to make life easier for yourself, but that’s not what gets me up in the morning.
“At the end of the day, the question is, ‘What’s going to make me a better player?’ And hey, in 20 years, if I’m on the back end of my career, playing LIV Golf wouldn’t be too bad.”
So while it was a no for now, it wasn’t a never. And if golf has taught us anything over the last couple of years, it’s that previously entrenched opinions can change very quickly. Just ask Rory McIlroy!
Much, of course, will hinge on ongoing merger discussions between LIV’s Saudi sponsors and the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. It was recently reported that an agreement had been reached following a breakthrough in talks, with an official truce potentially on the horizon before Christmas. However, nothing can be assumed given Hovland’s previous criticism of PGA Tour chief Jay Monaghan.
Varner and Reed remain
While Varner had a disappointing season, he likely has enough credit in the bank due to his stellar 2023 season, which saw him finish seventh in the standings with RangeGoats before being traded to 4Aces. If Johnson can find a quality replacement for Perez, 4Aces could be a force to be reckoned with in 2025.
