TRADE ANALYSIS: KEY POINTS ON THE BLOCKBUSTER TRADES

LIV Golf’s first two blockbuster trades are official. Smash GC gets Individual Champion Talor Gooch. 4Aces GC gets Harold Varner III. RangeGoats GC gets Peter Uihlein and Matthew Wolff.

Indeed, it’s huge. And there’s so much to process. Here are eight thoughts.

IS SMASH THE NEW TEAM TO BEAT? Well, that’s too much of a knee-jerk reaction. But certainly, Captain Brooks Koepka has dramatically revamped – and improved – his lineup with the addition of Gooch and last week’s signing of free agent Graeme McDowell to go with Lock Zone returnee Jason Kokrak.

Gooch finished No. 1 in points in 2023; Koepka finished 3rd. Statistically, that means Smash has the best 1-2 punch in the League, although you’d likely get arguments from the 4Aces duo of Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed (who finished 5th and 6th in points, respectively).

But consider this: 20 regular-season events have been played in LIV Golf’s young history, and the Gooch-Koepka duo have accounted for six individual trophies – a 30% winning percentage. No team can match that top-two success.

With Kokrak and G-Mac on the back end of the lineup, Smash has two veterans expected to provide consistency for that third counting score. It’s a similar formula that Bryson DeChambeau has used to construct his 2023 Team Champion Crushers GC, with three veterans (Charles Howell III, Paul Casey and Anirban Lahiri) providing consistent play.

WEREN’T THE RANGEGOATS AND GOOCH A PERFECT FIT? Remember what Gooch said in the first 15 seconds of his first press conference after being introduced as a RangeGoat? “It was cool hearing RangeGoats,” he said.

Having left the 4Aces on somewhat acrimonious terms, Gooch embraced his then-new team, and with good reason. The appeal of playing with close friend Varner was huge, and Watson is a captain who radiates good energy and seeks positive vibes. “The best mash-up of four dudes out here,” Gooch said. “It’s fun being around these dudes each week.”

Whether it was the positive environment, good chemistry or just the right time for Gooch to raise his game, his one year with the RangeGoats obviously was incredibly successful. So why would Gooch or the RangeGoats want to shake that up? Well …

GOOCH TIGHT WITH BROOKS. Gooch will be playing for his third different team when he tees it up for Smash in 2024 (actually, it’s a fourth different team if you count his one-tournament stint as Torque GC captain in LIV Golf’s London debut in 2022). So why hasn’t LIV’s reigning Individual champ found a home?

Maybe Smash will be more than a one-season stopover. Gooch and Koepka should see eye-to-eye on things, which will improve team chemistry. They have mutual respect. And something that Gooch said late in the season could’ve easily been from a Koepka press conference.

“I always play with a chip on my shoulder. … It’s a driving factor,” Gooch said.

WHY’S BUBBA GIVING UP HIS BEST PLAYERS? On the surface, a one-for-one trade involving the League’s best player is automatically going to seem unequal in value.

And on the surface, a team trading away its two best players from 2023 also seems a bit illogical – especially when those two players accounted for four individual wins.

Uihlein for HV3 is fairly equal. Uihlein has been rock-solid since joining LIV and while he hasn’t won a tournament – which Varner has – he’s a proven LIV commodity.

Gooch for Wolff, who finished 27th in points, obviously is not equal from a pure results standpoint. But the trade makes sense from the RangeGoats' perspective if you consider this …

BUBBA AND WOLFF ARE TWO OF A KIND. Bubba has a unique swing. Wolff has a unique swing. Bubba has been open about his mental health challenges. So has Wolff.

If any captain can get the most out of Wolff’s massive potential, it likely will be Watson.

This exchange from the RangeGoats’ video posted on X after the trade may explain the motivation behind the Wolff acquisition.

Watson to Wolff: “I’ve loved you since day one … For me personally, this is a big deal for me because I’ve always wanted to help you. I love who you are. I love who you are off the course and love who you are on the course and so for me, it’s a dream come true. I tried two years ago to get you. I tried last year to get you and now it finally worked out. The way you play golf, the free-flowing swing, that’s what I love.”

Wolff to Watson: “I know we’ve talked about in the past about just dealing with everything that goes on with life and you’ve definitely been someone that’s always been wanting to reach out. I told you before, I might have had to learn some lessons before it worked out between us, but it seems like I’m in the right spot.”

This is the part of team chemistry and camaraderie that’s difficult to measure. Yes, the RangeGoats are giving up a three-time winner this year, but Watson is determined to help a young man (Wolff’s still just 24) improve his game and his life. And if Wolff responds … well, who’s to say he’s not the next Gooch?

It’s the potential feel-good story of 2024.

THE RANGEGOATS ARE LETHAL OFF THE TEE. Uihlein lead the League in driving distance last season with a 322.5-yard average. Wolff ranked ninth at 309.9. Watson was 13th at 308.3 and Pieters was 19th at 305.2.

That’s all four players within the top 20 of driving distance. No course is too big for them.

“I might be the shortest hitter on the team,” joked Watson.

ONCE AGAIN, UIHLEIN, GOOCH AND WOLFF ARE LINKED. Last offseason, the biggest merry-go-round of player movement involved Gooch deciding to leave the 4Aces to play for the RangeGoats, then Uihlein leaving Smash to join the 4Aces, then Wolff transferring from HyFlyers GC to play for Smash.

None of those moves a year ago were technically trades, so at least this offseason is a little different.

EVIDENTLY, HV3 NO LONGER HATES THE ACES. During a press conference last year at LIV Golf Greenbrier, Varner was asked about the 4Aces.

“They piss me off,” he said.

Then a few minutes later, “I hate the Aces.”

Varner talked all season about trying to catch – and beat – the 2022 Team Champions. As Harold tends to do, he made the storyline fun. But in retrospect, you could also tell how much he admired the ability of Dustin Johnson’s team to consistently be in the mix each week.

Just like with the other two teams, Varner and the Aces might very well be the perfect fit. Plenty of swagger, plenty of trash talk, keeping things loose. Varner and Pat Perez should get along well.

For Varner, it’s the perfect if-you-can’t-catch-them-join-them move. And it may very well be the perfect team for

“Super-excited about the future,” Varner said via video posted on the 4Aces’ account. “2024 is going to be a great year. Something new. Something proud. Let’s go, Aces.”

Of all the interesting angles and quirky sidenotes spinning off the two trades, HV3 enjoying the move to a team he despised may top them all.