A big mid-season change has been made to a LIV Golf team, prompting some confusion among rivals
As LIV Golf presses on under a cloud of uncertainty this week, one of the league’s franchises has made a surprise move that appears to have raised eyebrows among rivals.
LIV is in South Korea this week, with much of the attention surrounding the Korean Golf Club, formerly Iron Heads, who are the home team for this eighth event of the season.
The team, who stirred controversy when Japanese player Jinichiro Kozuma was ousted as part of the Korean rebrand this winter, has made another change to its roster – this time part way through the campaign. Danny Lee, a contracted LIV player since 2023, has been moved into a Wild Card position for the rest of the 2026 season.
New captain Byeong Hun An has replaced Lee with Doyeob Mun, a 34-year-old Korean who currently leads the points race on the KPGA Tour. Mun will play the next two events in Korea and Spain. It is unusual to change rosters midway through the season and TG has reached out to LIV officials to clarify the rules surrounding Lee’s transition to a Wild Card.
The developments did spark some intriguing internal reaction, however, with Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces team replying to an Instagram announcement by simply asking: “Is that allowed?”
It is understood that a decision was made last week for Lee to leave Korean GC, who are 13th of the 13th teams, with captain An the only player inside the top 40 in the standings. Lee has not finished inside the top 30 of a single event all season. He will still compete this week, but without a team.
“We spoke with Danny and the league was involved in the process as well,” An explained. “Obviously, it was tough to see him go because we all got along pretty well, but this was for the happiness of everyone. As team captain, I was part of the discussion to bring [Doyeob Mun] aboard. He has been playing really well this year and we felt he was the best South Korean player at the moment.
“It’s not like Danny got pushed out. We all want the best for him and he wants the best for us. Everyone was on board with this. Danny said he was happy with the decision, too.”
There had been strong rumors that LIV were chasing Si Woo Kim as their prime Korean target during the offseason, before a late deal was announced for PGA Tour veteran An.
“I’ve always wanted to play in LIV Golf,” said Lee’s replacement Mun.
“This is such a great opportunity. When I first got an offer, I barely hesitated. I wanted to compete against great players here and learn from them as much as possible.”