Getty
Silhouetted golfer on the tee during the 127th British Open Golf at Royal Birkdale GC in Southport 16th-19th July 1998. (Photo by David Ashdown/Getty Images)
Getty
Silhouetted golfer on the tee during the 127th British Open Golf at Royal Birkdale GC in Southport 16th-19th July 1998. (Photo by David Ashdown/Getty Images)
What makes a LIV Golf team suddenly appealing to a player who could have joined it any time over the past two years? Harold Varner III answered that question on January 21, 2026, when he announced his move from 4Aces GC to Smash GC — the team Brooks Koepka captained before he departed from LIV Golf in December 2025. His statement, posted to Instagram, carried a line that raised more questions than it answered.
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“With Brooks moving on and Talor stepping into the captain role, I felt confident this was the right move for me,” Varner wrote. “I believe this decision puts me in the best position for my future in golf, and I know my best golf is still ahead.”
The timing is difficult to ignore. Smash GC has existed since LIV Golf’s inception, and Varner has been in the league since 2022. Yet only now — after Koepka’s exit and Talor Gooch’s elevation to captain — did Varner feel “confident” enough to make the switch. The statement stops short of explaining why the Koepka-led iteration of Smash GC was not the right environment, but the implication lingers.
“I want to be clear that I was not looking to leave the 4Aces,” Varner added. “Free agency gave me the opportunity to explore new teams and make a thoughtful decision about what comes next.”
That decision involved more than team chemistry. Varner’s statement also revealed an apparel conflict that made staying with 4Aces untenable.
Interesting tidbit from @HV3_Golf about his continuing relationship with Jordan Brand + the new @4AcesGC_ deal with Under Armour pic.twitter.com/CaXcih3bQN
— Josh Carpenter (@JoshACarpenter) January 21, 2026
“Another important part of this decision was being able to remain loyal to the Jordan Brand,” Varner wrote. “With the 4Aces obtaining a sponsorship with a new sportswear partner, it created a situation where I had to be intentional about staying aligned with what is best for me.”
The new sportswear partner is Under Armour, the $2.36 billion company that signed an exclusive apparel deal with Dustin Johnson‘s 4Aces for the 2026 season, replacing Extracurricular as the team’s kit supplier. For most players, a team apparel change means adjusting to new shirts and hats. For Varner — Jordan Brand’s only active golf signee operating under a head-to-toe endorsement contract requiring 100% Jordan apparel — the change created an untenable conflict between team obligations and individual sponsorship commitments.
“Jordan has invested in me, believed in me, and made sure the shoes I play in support my performance and long-term health,” Varner added in his statement.
Varner’s Jordan Brand relationship traces back to 2017, when Michael Jordan personally texted the North Carolina native with a proposition to join the brand. The deal closed within two days, making Varner only the second golfer ever signed to Jordan Brand after Keegan Bradley in 2014. Bradley has since moved on, leaving Varner as Jordan’s singular representative in professional golf — a distinction that carries weight beyond equipment sponsorship.
That dynamic now intersects with a broader shift in how LIV Golf operates commercially.
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Harold Varner III’s move highlights LIV Golf’s shift toward franchise-style apparel deals
Teams across the league are increasingly signing exclusive apparel partnerships that mirror franchise models in Formula 1 and European football, where kit suppliers hold team-wide rights that supersede individual player deals. The Under Armour partnership represents Johnson’s first major apparel endorsement since Adidas ended its 15-year association in 2023, according to reports from golf industry outlets.
Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers have partnered with Reebok, Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII wear Greyson, and Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers are outfitted by Primo Golf. As these team-level deals proliferate, players with significant individual endorsement obligations face a new variable in free agency decisions: commercial compatibility.
Varner lands at Smash GC alongside captain Talor Gooch, reuniting a partnership that flourished during their time together on RangeGoats GC in 2023 — the most successful LIV season for both players. Gooch won three tournaments and the Individual Championship that year, while Varner claimed victory at LIV Golf DC with a dramatic hole-out bunker birdie that earned him $4 million.
“I want to be clear that I was not looking to leave the 4Aces,” Varner wrote. “Free agency gave me the opportunity to explore new teams and make a thoughtful decision about what comes next.”
For Varner, that decision required weighing team identity against individual brand identity — and the Jumpman, which has backed him since a two-day negotiation in 2017, remains non-negotiable.
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