LIV Golf makes historic rebrand amid Saudi – Sports News
Talor Gooch heads new United States primarily based workforce (Image: Getty Images)
LIV Golf has unveiled a main rebrand, reworking Smash GC into OKGC — marking the primary time a workforce has been linked to a particular U.S. state. The transfer carries a personal connection to workforce captain Talor Gooch, who stepped into the position following Brooks Koepka’s high-profile departure to the PGA Tour.
The launch comes at a turbulent time for the Saudi-backed circuit, with rumors swirling that the PIF will pull funding on the finish of the 2026 season. LIV Golf additionally entered the present season with out each Koepka and Patrick Reed. Despite the uncertainty, the league has now planted its first American roots, with Koepka’s former squad set to sport the new branding.
Smash GC will formally grow to be OKGC, with Oklahoma designated because the workforce’s home market. The squad will make their debut beneath the new identification at Maaden LIV Golf Virginia, carrying their Oklahoma banner to the nation’s capital as half of the 2026 season. It comes after the PGA Tour CEO drops LIV Golf trace amid Bryson DeChambeau rumors
“This is incredibly meaningful to me. Oklahoma is where I grew up and where I learned how to compete,” stated Gooch, Team Captain of OKGC.
“To now represent this state through OKGC and bring that identity with us around the world is something I’m really proud of. We’re building a team that people can connect with, one that reflects the pride, resilience, and mindset of Oklahoma everywhere we go.”
LIV Golf rebranded Smash and planted seed in America (Image: undefined)
The rebrand arrives as hypothesis mounts across the circuit’s future, with the PGA Tour additionally making important scheduling changes to their 2027 season — probably leaving some LIV golfers looking for a new home as soon as the season wraps up.
“This is an important step in the continued evolution of our team model, and a milestone moment as we establish our first team aligned with a U.S. market,” stated Katie O’Reilly, the EVP at LIV Golf.
“We’ve always believed in the power of team identity, and we’re now seeing our teams develop stronger, more authentic connections across the globe.
“We’ve seen that momentum construct in markets like Australia, the UK, South Africa and Korea, and OKGC represents the following step in bringing that method to the United States.
“Oklahoma gives us an incredibly strong foundation having been a market we’ve had success in before (LIV Golf Tulsa 2023), and with Talor Gooch leading the team, there is an authentic connection to the market.”
LIV Golf is at present working to distance itself from studies indicating that the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia intends to withdraw its financial backing from the league on the close of the 2026 season.
Further studies emerged this week that Bryson DeChambeau, broadly thought-about the figurehead of the breakaway league, held discussions with numerous officers during Masters week to discover his choices concerning a potential departure.
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