Shuffling the cards: 4Aces acquire Pieters from RangeGoats

After a disappointing 2024 season for one of LIV Golf’s highest-profile and most successful teams, 4Aces GC made a big move Monday to retool its roster by acquiring big-hitting Thomas Pieters via trade from RangeGoats GC.

The deal was announced by the 4Aces on its social media channels. It’s the league’s first official trade since the end of the 2024 LIV Golf season.

Pieters finished 30th in points in 2024, with two top-10 finishes, including a tie for fifth in Singapore – his best result since joining LIV Golf prior to the 2023 season. He has seven professional wins across all tours and was Europe’s most productive player at the 2016 Ryder Cup, winning four points. He competed against 4Aces GC Captain Dustin Johnson in two fourballs and one foursomes matches.

“Happy to have Thomas on the team,” Johnson said. “He’s a great addition, great player and makes the team stronger. Really excited for next season.”

Said Pieters: “I’m super-excited about playing for DJ and I look forward to push him as hard as I can.”

The 32-year-old Pieters, from Belgium, becomes the first non-American on the 4Aces roster since the inaugural LIV Golf tournament in London in 2022, when two South Africans and an Australian were part of Johnson’s drafted roster. After a fifth-place finish, Johnson overhauled the lineup for the second event in Portland, Oregon, adding fellow major winner Patrick Reed, along with Talor Gooch and Pat Perez.

That 4Aces lineup went on to win four consecutive tournaments, then capped off the 2022 season by claiming the Team Championship.

Reed and Perez have been part of the 4Aces lineup since joining LIV Golf, while Peter Uihlein (2023) and Harold Varner III (2024) filling the other spot after Gooch left to join the RangeGoats following the 2022 season.

In 2023, the 4Aces won two regular-season events and added five more podium results, entering the Team Championship as the top seed. Even though they failed to defend their title, the season as a whole was still impressive.

But this year, the Aces were rarely competitive. Johnson’s individual victory in the second tournament of the season in Las Vegas fueled the team’s only podium result. The Aces entered the Team Championship as the 10th seed and were forced to play in the quarterfinals for the first time. They made an impressive run in Dallas, though, tying for second behind the eventual champion Ripper GC.

Johnson (14th) and Reed (20th) each finished outside the top 10 in the Individual points standings for the first time, while Varner (43rd) and Perez (48th) barely avoided relegation.

The 4Aces hope the addition of Pieters will help return them to the top of the team standings while also broadening the team’s popularity beyond North America.

“I’m excited to welcome Thomas to the team,” said 4Aces GM Chris Rosaasen. “He’s a solid player with multiple wins in his career. His Ryder Cup record shows he excels in team golf. He’s going to be a great fit for the 4Aces brand both on and off the course.”

The RangeGoats, captained by Bubba Watson, have not been afraid to make significant roster moves.

A year ago, they traded Gooch, the 2023 LIV Golf Individual Champion, to Smash GC for Matthew Wolff, and also acquired Uihlein for Varner in a deal with the 4Aces. Prior to the 2023 season, Pieters signed with LIV Golf to join the RangeGoats, while Watson resumed his playing career after undergoing surgery.

Wolff was the team’s best performer in 2024, finishing 18th in points, while Watson became the first captain to finish in the Drop Zone. The team was seeded ninth at the Team Championship and lost to the 4Aces in the quarterfinals.

Pieters’ 28 career starts with the RangeGoats matches Watson for longest tenure on the team. His departure opens a roster spot for a future acquisition.

“The decision to trade Thomas Pieters was not easy,” said RangeGoats GM Randall Wells. “He has been a valuable member of RangeGoats GC since we launched two years ago.

“But the nature of LIV and team golf requires teams to make tough decisions.  Like other team sports, we have to take into account a host of factors, including player contracts and the fact we have a limited number of roster spots.  In this case, we felt the roster flexibility and the possibilities it opens up was best for the RangeGoats.”