Imago
Composition of silhouette of male golf player over landscape and blue sky with copy space. sport and competition concept digitally generated image. Copyright: xx 1451962
Imago
Composition of silhouette of male golf player over landscape and blue sky with copy space. sport and competition concept digitally generated image. Copyright: xx 1451962
Essentials Inside The Story
- Range Goats GC found itself in an awkward position as they had to re-sign a player that they had considered replacing.
- Why did a 30-year-old PGA Tour pro reject an 8 figure offer from LIV?
- LIV has been unable to finalize deals with quite a few players that they had in sight.
Another LIV Golf team has been pushed into a corner after they failed to poach a PGA Tour pro. It was all but confirmed that Range Goats GC had released Ben Campbell. They were looking to replace him with the PGA Tour’s Max Greyserman. However, it has now come to light that the 30-year-old has rejected the lucrative offer. As such, Bubba Watson‘s team had to go back to their former squad member.
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As Flushing It tweeted, “34 year old Kiwi Ben Campbell has re-signed for Range Goats GC on the LIV Golf League as Bubba Watson’s franchise remains unchanged for the 2026 season. It was thought that Ben had been released after he was entered into the LIV Golf Promotions event. But sources indicate that a deal to sign a new player, potentially Max Greyserman for an 8 figure offer, fell through at the late stages.”
Ben Campbell finished in the Open Zone last year after netting only one top-ten last season (solo third at the LIV Golf Singapore). While that result ultimately placed him 36th in the individual standings, it also left him vulnerable during an offseason in which RangeGoats GC were widely expected to make changes following an underwhelming campaign. The Kiwi International, in fact, signed up for LIV Golf Promotions in Florida this week, all but confirming his exit from Bubba Watson’s squad.
Quite clearly, RangeGoats had other plans, like snatching Greyserman from the PGA Tour, which didn’t work out. Those plans gained traction amid growing belief that Watson was intent on reshaping his roster after injury and illness derailed the team’s momentum in 2025. Campbell, despite finishing ahead of teammates Matthew Wolff and Peter Uihlein, appeared to be the most expendable piece.
34 year old Kiwi Ben Campbell has re-signed for Range Goats GC on the LIV Golf League as Bubba Watson’s franchise remains unchanged for the 2026 season.
It was thought that Ben had been released after he was entered into the LIV Golf Promotions event. But sources indicate that… https://t.co/F3pAjTRi1O pic.twitter.com/iSc7qpftz7
— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) January 9, 2026
Interestingly, Campbell withdrew from the Q-School event at the last moment. That late withdrawal, coupled with confirmation that RangeGoats’ lineup would remain unchanged, pointed to negotiations collapsing at the eleventh hour rather than a sudden vote of confidence. Campbell was informed he would be retained, bringing a surprising end to what had looked like a clear exit path.
“We’re looking forward to getting the 2026 season started,” Watson said in a statement. “Injury and illness hurt our momentum last year, so we’re excited for a fresh, healthy start in 2026. We have all the talent we need. We just have to step up and compete all season long.”
Campbell later clarified that his Promotions entry had always been a contingency rather than a definitive goodbye. “We’d still been obviously talking with the Range Goats and LIV,” he said, explaining that his name was entered largely because deadlines were closing. “It was more just entering it as plan B. I was sort of hoping I didn’t need to play, and it turned out that way.”
For Campbell, the reprieve carries real significance. After grinding through the Asian Tour and earning two wins there, his first full LIV season delivered more than $3 million in prize money and exposure alongside established names like Phil Mickelson and Cam Smith. He has been open about how that environment has accelerated his development.
“After spending a year as a reserve and then last year, I’ll definitely feel more comfortable out there this time,” he said, setting a top-15 finish on the money list as a realistic 2026 goal.
The PIF-funded league does allow teams to sign players who finish in the Open Zone or even the Drop Zone if there is a business interest for the team. That flexibility has increasingly been used to balance performance with commercial considerations. Luis Masaveu, who played for Fireballs GC as a reserve last season, finished in the relegation zone. Yet, Sergio Garcia signed him as a full-time squad member last month.
As for Greyserman, reports of him first getting an offer from LIV Golf had first made headlines back on December 22, 2025. However, like many of his peers, the World No. 30 also rejected the offer from the Saudi-based promotion. And it makes perfect sense.
The Floridian pro had quite an enthralling season last year. He secured two runner-up finishes and nearly managed to earn $4 million. The eight-figure salary would have probably been a big upgrade to that. But considering that the deal fell through in the late stages, money might not have been Greyserman’s only goal while considering the deal.
Still looking for his first PGA Tour win, he came really close to achieving the feat in 2025. He is also qualified to play in The PLAYERS Championship and The Masters Tournament this year. Had he made the switch, he would have lost the opportunity to play at TPC Sawgrass again in March 2026.
Notably, this adds to the tally of missed signings and bad fortune for LIV Golf.
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Max Greyserman isn’t the only PGA Tour pro to reject LIV Golf
As Flushing It wrote in their tweet, “This has been a difficult off-season for the LIV Golf League as they have failed to complete several first-choice targets for player acquisition. There are now only spots left to be filled on Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers GC and also Ironheads GC, currently captained by Kevin Na.”
This was the third big signing LIV Golf missed this season. Si Woo Kim had already rejected an offer from them a few weeks ago. He debunked all the rumors by sharing a story saying, “Okay guys see you in @sonyopenhawaii.” That was a big blow for Scott O’Neil & Co. as they were looking to sign the South Korean pro to market their product in the region.
Another Korean star, Byeong Hun An, was also speculated to be moving to LIV Golf. However, he also rejected the proposal, opting to stay with the PGA Tour.
As did Akshay Bhatia, who had a chance to join Mickelson’s HyFlyers GC. Bhatia, notably, is a left-handed golfer like Mickelson, and they have practiced together before the Masters. The young PGA Tour winner spoke glowingly about how Mickelson helped him by sharing the 2003 Masters yardage book, which was filled with handwritten notes. Yet, when the time came, Bhatia chose to stick with the PGA Tour rather than jump ship to join his mentor.
The biggest shocker, though, came when Brooks Koepka ended his contract with the PIF-funded league a year early. Reports have now emerged that the former captain of Smash GC has also reapplied to gain his PGA Tour card. Clearly, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for LIV Golf of late.
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