Dustin Johnson makes expected announcement ahead of 2026 LIV Golf season

Dustin Johnson has confirmed the expected signing of PGA Tour and DP World Tour star Thomas Detry to his 4Aces GC on the LIV Golf League, while also announcing that he has extended his own deal with the Saudi-backed circuit.

Multiple publications had already reported Detry was heading to 4Aces GC, but Johnson officially confirmed the move on Wednesday, locking in an elite-looking roster for the 2026 season.

Detry joins a core that already features 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed and former European Ryder Cup star Thomas Pieters, strengthening one of LIV’s most established teams.

Captain Johnson, 41, needs little introduction as a two-time major champion, former World No.1 and winner of 24 PGA Tour titles. 

Detry, 33, replaces Harold Varner III, who is now expected to move across to Smash GC to fill the vacancy left by Brooks Koepka, who made a stunning return to the PGA Tour on Monday. 

Koepka, who quit LIV Golf on 23 December, was reinstated under the PGA Tour’s new Returning Membership policy and he will make his comeback at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in two weeks’ time. 

The five-time major champion will then tee it up at the WM Phoenix Open, a tournament he has won twice, in 2015 and 2021. Incidentally, Detry claimed his maiden PGA Tour victory at the same event last year.

Koepka was captain of Smash GC but that honour now falls to Gooch. 

Detry had long been linked with a move to LIV Golf, fuelled in part by his close friendship with Pieters, and several outlets reported earlier this month that he was planning to defect. 

Currently ranked 58th in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), Detry is coming off a career-best season and made history by becoming the first Belgian to win on the PGA Tour, capturing the WM Phoenix Open by seven shots.

Detry will now reunite with his former World Cup teammate Pieters on Johnson’s 4Aces GC. 

"This team is built for big moments, and 2026 is a chance for us to take another step forward,” Johnson said in a press release sent to GolfMagic. 

“Thomas Detry is a great addition; he’s confident, competitive, and that fits exactly what we’re about. We’ve got the talent, the chemistry, and the mindset to be right there all season.”

LIV also confirmed that Johnson, a two-time major champion and former World No. 1, has signed a new multi-year deal to remain with the league.

Johnson was the first marquee name to defect when LIV launched in 2022 and has since claimed three victories on the circuit. 

However, Johnson has struggled at the majors since, missing the cut in six of his last nine appearances and failing to record a top-20 finish.

LIV Golf’s 2026 season is set to begin in Saudi Arabia on 4 February.