Phil Mickelson, team captain of Hy Flyers GC and Greg Norman, LIV Golf CEO and Commissioner
The LIV Golf Invitational Series will tee off with its inaugural tournament – the US$25 million London Invitational from June 9-11 at Centurion Club. The 12 teams’ brands with distinct names and logos were unveiled at London’s first-ever LIV Golf Draft. It also revealed the 12 captains and their team selection for the event.
4 Aces, Fireballs, HY Flyers, Crushers, Iron Heads, Majesticks, Stinger, Cleeks, Niblicks, Punch, Smash and Torque are among the names of the teams with attention-grabbing logos that would surely appeal to golf fans around the world. Each name ends with the suffix ‘GC’ – referencing Golf Club – leaning into the global brands of some of the world’s most popular sports teams. The identities also reflect the sport’s rich history and speak to the game’s future.
“We are supercharging the game and turning it into the sport it’s been destined to become. Our new format, our new team component, and our diverse field of players is something golf has never seen,” said Greg Norman, LIV Golf CEO and Commissioner. “I’m excited to watch these teams come to life and the new energy, camaraderie and competition they’ll bring to the players and fan experience.”
Team captains were given 54-seconds to make their selections at the Draft, a snake-style format order based on the Official World Golf Ranking.
At the conclusion of the draft, Kevin Na and Peter Uihlein made the series’ first trade, swapping Richard Bland and Hideto Tanihara.
Centurion Club. Photo: livgolf.com
There will be seven events in the regular 2022 season, with players competing in the individual and team events for points and prize money. The individual winner will take home US$4 million. The eventual overall individual champion with the highest-ranking points will pocket a cool US$18 million.
The best two stroke play scores will count for each team in the team event. For the third and final round, the best three scores count, and the team with the lowest overall score will take home US$3 million.
The eighth and final event of the season – the Team Championship – will be a seeded four-day, four-round match play knock-out.
The London Invitational Teams
4 Aces GC – Dustin Johnson, Shaun Norris, Oliver Bekker, Kevin Yuan
Cleeks GC – Martin Kaymer, Martin Kaymer, Pablo Larrazaba, JC Ritchie, Ian Snyman
Crushers GC – Peter Uihlein, Richard Bland, Phachara Khongwatmai, Travis Smyth
Fireballs GC – Sergio Garcia, David Puig (AM), James Piot (AM), Jediah Morgan
Hy Flyers GC – Phil Mickelson, Justin Harding, Ratchanon ‘TK Chantananuwat (AM), Chase Koepka
Iron Heads GC – Kevin Na, Sadom Kaewkanjana, Hideto Tanihara, Viraj Madappa
Majesticks GC – Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Sam Horsfield, Laurie Canter
Niblicks GC – Graeme McDowell, Bernd Wiesberger, Turk Pettit, Oliver Bekker
Punch GC – Wade Orsmby, Matt Jones, Ryosuke Kinoshita, Blake Windred
Smash GC – Sihwan Kim, Scott Vincent, Jinichiro Kozuma, Itthipat Buranatanyarat
Stinger GC – Louis Oosthuizen, Hennie Du Plessis, Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace
Torque GC – Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford, Adrian Otaegui, Andy Ogletree
