Dustin Johnson has added European Ryder Cup player Thomas Pieters to his 4Aces GC team in the first of what is set to be many moves of the LIV Golf off-season.
Pieters joined LIV Golf in February 2023 and played for Bubba Watson's RangeGoats GC side in his first two seasons. The Belgian, who has six DP World Tour wins and won four points in his Ryder Cup debut in 2016, finished 33rd in his debut campaign and 30th in 2024.
The move means 4Aces GC currently has five players as RangeGoats did not receive a player in return.
The team currently features captain Dustin Johnson along with Patrick Reed, Harold Varner III and Pat Perez. Perez's contract is reportedly ending on Jan 1, 2025, so it remains to be seen whether he is kept on as the side's reserve player.
He could also find a new team, assume a wildcard spot or act as a reserve for the league, otherwise he would be dropped entirely.
“Happy to have Thomas on the team. He’s a great addition, great player and makes the team stronger. Really excited for next season," Johnson said, with Pieters commenting: "“I’m super-excited about playing for DJ and I look forward to push him as hard as I can.”
“I’m excited to welcome Thomas to the team,” 4Aces General Manager Chris Rosaasen said.
“He’s a solid player with multiple wins in his career. His Ryder Cup record shows he excels in team golf. He’s going to be a great fit for the 4Aces brand both on and off the course.”
4Aces won the 2022 Team Championship and topped the points list in 2023 before finishing 4th in the Team Championship. They fell to 10th in 2024, however, so Johnson will hope that Pieters can help the team climb back up the leaderboard next year.
Pieters leaves RangeGoatsGC with just two confirmed players for next season - Peter Uihlein and Matthew Wolff. The team's captain Bubba Watson was relegated from the league this year, although relegated players can be re-signed if there is a business case for keeping the player.
There will be plenty of moves before the 2025 season gets underway in February, with two new players set to join the league via the upcoming Promotions event and one possibly coming via the International Series rankings.
Tony Finau is currently being heavily linked with a move after YouTuber Mr Short Game Golf reported that he had sources telling him the six-time PGA Tour winner had joined, and rumors were ramped up after he was replaced in this week's Hero World Challenge field by Sepp Straka.
Nothing official has been confirmed, though, with Golf Monthly having contacted Finau's agent and awaiting response.
