LIV Golf are reportedly set to unveil two new player signings ahead of the 2026 season.
Per a report from The Times of London, it is understood PGA Tour winner Thomas Detry and young Australian pro Elvis Smylie are the latest players to be recruited by the PIF-backed league.
Detry, ranked 57th in the world, is a 32-year-old Belgian golfer who was widely regarded as one of the best players without a PGA Tour win to his name until he stormed to victory at the WM Phoenix Open last season.
Some expected Detry to make a run for the European Ryder Cup team on the back of that result, but he ultimately ended up well short of automatic qualification.
Smylie, ranked outside the top 100 in the OWGR, is a 23-year-old pro from Australia. He finished 23rd in the Race to Dubai standings on the DP World Tour last season.
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Their team destinations aren’t known, but it is highly likely Smylie will link up with former Open champion Cameron Smith on his Ripper quartet, taking the spot of Matt Jones after his contract wasn’t renewed.
Jones is among several notables attempting to earn back his spot in the league at their Promotions event this week.
Detry could be assigned to Smash, taking the place of five-time major champion Brooks Koepka.
Koepka, 36, became the first major champion to quit the breakaway, with LIV announcing in December that he has been allowed to walk away with one year remaining on his reported $100m contract to “prioritise the needs” of his family.
Should the report turn out to be correct, it will mean LIV have made four player signings in the off-season.
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England’s Laurie Canter decided to snub duel membership on the PGA and DP World Tour by returning to LIV with the Majesticks.
And France’s Victor Perez, a three-time DP World Tour winner, has joined Martin Kaymer’s Cleeks team, replacing the relegated Frederik Kjettrup.
Turbulent time?
The news comes at what some may consider a turbulent time for LIV Golf.
Their fourth season begins on 4 February and there remains several spots for LIV to fill over the next few weeks.
As well as abandoning their founding principle of playing tournaments over 54 holes, the league has also expanded to 57 players for the coming season.
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Phil Mickelson is also in need of a new teammate to replace the relegated Andy Ogletree.
In December, there was speculation PGA Tour members Si Woo Kim and Sungjae Im were in “advanced talks” to join LIV.
But both players poured cold water on the suggestion they were going to leave anytime soon.
Bryson DeChambeau, LIV’s biggest star, is yet to agree a new contract with LIV.
His deal expires at the end of the season and the two-time U.S. Open champion has cast doubt on his future.
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In comments to FlushingIt, the 32-year-old admitted he was surprised at Koepka’s decision.
And he also said the league will “need to improve” if he is to stick around.
Bryson DeChambeau
Koepka’s decision to walk away has sparked talk of a potential return to the PGA Tour this season.
It is unclear if that will be permitted, but the established North American circuit appeared to indicate that he may be welcomed back into the fold after releasing a provocative statement some 20 minutes after news of his exit was confirmed.
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One man who would be happy to see Koepka back is Rory McIlroy.
McIlroy urged Koepka to join TGL, the indoor league he co-founded with Tiger Woods, and insisted he would have no problem seeing the big American and even DeChambeau return to the Tour.
But the Masters champion admitted that not everyone will have the same point of view.
And it is a legally tricky situation.
Brooks Koepka
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McIlroy said: “Does it make sense if Brooks wanted to play the PGA Tour again to get him back as soon as possible? Absolutely.
“What Brooks has done in the game of golf, it would be good for everyone to have him back.
“It’s hard [because] you can’t treat one person differently than you treat others.
“And as much as the Tour would like to treat Brooks differently, it sets a legal precedent, because of the lawsuits that have been going on and everything else behind the scenes.
“He’s still exempt on Tour because of his major wins. That’s not the hurdle.
“The hurdle is how they have treated others that have tried to come back, serve suspensions, or whatever it is. That’s the difficult thing.”
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