LIV Golf set to field brand new player at Korea event

In a break from convention, LIV Golf will field a brand new player this week rather than using one of their reserves as an injury replacement.

The Saudi-backed circuit has rolled into South Korea for the first time, over 7,000 miles away from the Mexico showpiece won by Joaquin Niemann just last Sunday.

Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and co. are making the long trek to the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Incheon, a city about an hour west from the Seoul capital.

However, that wild turnaround has come too soon for New Zealand’s Ben Campbell, the former reserve who was forced to withdraw after just one round in Mexico City with a wrist injury.

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John Catlin, who agonisingly missed out on a lucrative full-time contract last year, has assumed LIV reserve duties for the second straight season and filled in for Campbell’s Range Goats GC team for the final two rounds in Mexico.

LIV usually takes along reserves with them to every tournament to cover injuries and illnesses, with all expenses covered.

But this time, it won’t be Catlin or Ollie Schniederjans – the former world No.1 amateur who also now holds a reserve spot – teeing it up in the inaugural Korea event.

bunkered.co.uk has learned that homegrown favourite Minkyu Kim will instead replace Campbell in Bubba Watson’s Range Goats outfit this week.

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Kim is the world No.259 and won last year’s Kolon Korean Open on the Asian Tour.

The 24-year-old finished T31 in just his second major start at the Open at Royal Troon last year and has made numerous starts on the DP World Tour this season, including a T8 finish at the Qatar Masters.

He will join LIV’s first South Korean national signing Jang Yu-bin in the field, as well as Korean American Kevin Na, who leads the Iron Heads team.

It is understood that this won’t be a permanent arrangement, however.

Kim will return back to the DP World Tour immediately after his first LIV start.

Ben Parsons is the Senior Writer at bunkered and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.