WORTH NOTING
BUSTED DRIVER. After posting an early win last year, Dustin Johnson looked to be on track for another terrific season. But during LIV Golf Miami, he broke his driver, and his season sort of unraveled, especially at the Masters where he shot 78-79. “Looking back on the year, I’m searching to find a driver instead of just working on my game and preparing,” DJ said. “I know it sounds funny … but I just couldn’t find anything that matched until the end of the year.” In case you’re wondering – he feels good about his driver and the rest of the bag going into 2025.
GYM-RAT REED. Patrick Reed wasn’t happy with the consistency of his game in 2024, and so he made a few off-season tweaks. One of them included more time in the gym, hoping to improve his strength and stamina. After more than a month of increased gym time, his first start as at the Link Hong Kong Open – which he won, shooting a third-round 59 in the process.
“To go out there, shoot 59 and get a win, I was like, ‘All right, maybe there’s something to it,’” Reed said. “Finally getting that win, hopefully now we can go out here on LIV and get over that hump.”
Eight of the 14 LIV Golf major winners have already won an individual LIV Golf title. Of the remaining six, Reed is the youngest at age 34.
NON-AMERICAN ACE. Belgium-born Thomas Pieters is the first non-American on the 4Aces lineup since the inaugural 2022 LIV Golf event in London. Although the team-room dynamic will be a bit different without veteran Pat Perez, the team doesn’t expect it will be much of an issue.
“Both of them are completely different personalities,” said Reed. “Both are really good people, fun to be around. I think it’s going to be great. I don’t think really anything’s going to have to change. Just go out and play golf. The only difference is I have a guy that’s going to it 30 yards past me now.”
The decade-long friendship between Pieters and Varner should help make the transition smoother as they both seek to play better in 2025. “Insanely excited about it,” Varner said. “And I think it’s a fresh start for all of us.”
CAPTAIN’S LAST WORD
