Dustin Johnson has revealed the amusing story behind the off-season trade that saw Harold Varner III join the 4Aces.
Dustin Johnson, the captain of the 4Aces, has disclosed that he was hesitant to acquire Peter Uihlein in exchange for Harold Varner III.
After the 4Aces had a terrible week—finishing second only to defeat Kevin Na’s IronHeads GC—Dustin Johnson gave the media a sneak peek at his transfer strategy—or lack thereof, it would seem.
After Varner finished dead last in the season opener in Mayakoba, Johnson, Pat Perez, and Patrick Reed wasted little time in making fun of their new teammate.
When asked how the trade came about, Johnson responded in a way that was characteristically casual.
The former World No.1 said:
“We weren’t really considering trading anyone, so I got a call asking if I wanted to trade Pete for Harold, and to be honest, I wasn’t really interested in doing that.”
Although Johnson signed a lucrative contract when he joined LIV, his transfer policy seems a little more loose-fitting.
On paper, the trade that sent Uihlein to the RangeGoats appears to have been fairly even given his rough start with the 4Aces. Varner finished seventh in the individual standings for 2023, while Uihlein finished the season just five spots behind him in 12th.
Uihlein had a difficult first week as well, finishing the event 11 over and in 51st place.
Varner, who never lets a smile escape his lips, took Jonhson’s remarks well and interrupted him momentarily to say:
“Comprehensible in light of last week. I really should play better, man.”
When asked how much preparation went into his off-season, Johnson disclosed that he had hardly touched his clubs and was taken aback by his fifth-place finish in Mexico.
He added:
“Woulda-coulda-shoulda in golf, of course, as always. I was at home a lot, spending time with the children. Yes, not much time spent on the golf course.
Nonetheless, it’s sometimes wise to take a break. I worked pretty hard at the game in Mexico after practicing a little before we left for Mexico.
I finished last week with a surprising amount of surprise. I will not be dishonest. I was content with it.”
This week, when the breakaway Tour makes its first trip to Vegas, the 4Aces will be hoping to resume their winning ways.
The tournament will be held at Las Vegas Country Club, and after a thrilling opening round in which Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII won the team event and Joaquin Niemann shot 59, it looks to be another exciting week of LIV Golf.
Leave a Reply