LIV Golf Captains Sergio Garcia And Joaquin Niemann Trade Players

LIV Golf captains Sergio Garcia and Joaquin Niemann have traded players ahead of the 2024 season, which begins at El Camaleon Golf Club on 2 February, with Carlos Ortiz and David Puig moving in opposite directions.

Despite Ortiz finishing in the Lock Zone of the 2023 season’s individual standings, which meant he was guaranteed a contract offer from his team Fireballs GC, he declined the chance to stay with Garcia’s outfit. However, he has now secured a deal at Niemann's Torque GC. 

The move means the team is currently entirely Latin American with the Mexican joining Niemann and Mito Pereira, who are both from Chile, and Colombian Sebastian Munoz.

Puig is taking the spot vacated by Ortiz, making him the third Spaniard at Fireballs GC, along with Garcia and Eugenio Chacarra, with Mexican-American Abraham Ancer the other player on the team.

Last season, Torque GC finished third in the team standings, claiming four victories along the way, and they will be confident that a player who finished 15th in the individual standings will make them even stronger next year.

As for Fireballs GC, they had one victory, at LIV Golf Tucson, on their way to finishing sixth in the team standings. Garcia will no doubt he hoping the team's new signing will continue to build on the potential that saw him finish 31st in the individual standings helped by top-10 finishes at LIV Golf Andalucia and LIV Golf Greenbrier.

Fireballs GC announced the arrival of Puig on its social media platforms, writing: “We won a good one! The newest member of the Fireballs GC Team, here to turn up the heat this season, we are proud to announce our newest member to join the team, David Puig.”

Meanwhile, Torque GC was similarly enthusiastic about its new recruit, writing: “Welcome aboard la Torqueneta! Mexico, get louder.”

The latest transfers means there are currently only six positions left to fill among the 12 teams, with Martin Kaymer’s Cleeks GC having two slots after the departure of Bernd Wiesberger to the DP World Tour and Graeme McDowell to Brooks Koepka’s Smash GC.

There are also two positions up in the air at Ripper GC with Matt Jones still awaiting news of a potential contract extension from captain Cameron Smith and relegated Jediah Morgan hoping to earn a place in the LIV Golf Draft at this week’s LIV Golf Promotions event in Abu Dhabi, where he’ll need to finish in the top three.

There’s also a position to fill at Phil Mickelson’s Hy Flyers GC after James Piot, who also takes part in the event, finished in the Drop Zone and it’s a similar story for Kevin Na’s Iron Heads GC after Sihwan Kim was relegated, with the American also playing for his LIV Golf future at the qualifier.

As well as the top three at the event, Andy Ogletree, who finished top of the International Series Order of Merit, will also enter the LIV Golf Draft, which will determine the teams the four players will join.