Korean Golf Club brought in a new captain, a new identity, and a clear mission to grow golf in Korea. Now, ahead of their home event, they have made one more move to swap an iconic golfer mid-season. The move didn’t just make the headlines; it also drew the wrath of the fans, with a few even calling it “embarrassing.”

As per the NUCLR GOLF on X, #ROSTER SHUFFLE — LIV Golf’s Korean Golf Club has abruptly announced that Danny Lee will serve as a ‘wildcard’ for the ‘remainder of the season’ following a roster shakeup. Lee had been a full-time LIV member since the league’s 2nd season. Doyeob Mun will replace Lee starting at this week’s hometown event in Korea. The 4Aces GC responded to the move on IG, commenting, “Is that allowed?”

Danny Lee has struggled for form all season as he failed to crack the top 30 in any of his seven LIV events in 2026. His best result was a T32 at Adelaide in February, followed by finishes of T52, T47, T52, and T52 in the next four events and a withdrawal at Virginia in May. He currently sits 55th in the individual standings.

Meanwhile, Mun won the KPGA Gyeongbuk Open in May at -14, went T6 at the KPGA Founders Cup, T6 at the Asian Tour Singapore Open at -8, and finished T10 at the Asian Tour Kolon Korea Open at +1. That run of form made him an easy call for a team holding its home event this week.

The move is legal as LIV’s 2024 rulebook allows mid-season transfers during specific windows, including straight swaps if both sides agree.

Both golfers played at the 45th GS Caltex Maekyung Open, Korea’s equivalent of the Masters, complete with a green jacket for the winner. There. Danny Lee finished T36 at +1 with rounds of 71-71-71-72. On the other hand, Mun, playing the same Maekyung Open as defending champion, finished T9 at -5 with rounds of 72-66-69-72.

He came into the tournament wanting a back-to-back, saying before it, “It’s always great to be a defending champion. I want to play well again. I want to win as Rory did; he won the Masters twice, right? I want to try to win again.”

It is also not the first time LIV has gone down this road. Back in 2025, Josele Ballester joined Fireballs GC mid-season to replace Luis Masaveu on a half-season contract. And the reason was the same: a performance drop.

However, what makes Lee’s situation different is that there is no corresponding team swap. Lee’s switch to wildcard status has no clear precedent for a player of his tenure in the league. Golfers like Anthony Kim were demoted, but it was never mid-season.

Korean Golf Club has changed significantly as it heads into 2026. The team changed names from Iron Heads GC before the season. Kevin Na left, Jinichiro Kozuma and Yubin Jang were fired, Younghan Song joined, and former PGA Tour player Byeong Hun An became captain.

He was direct about the team’s direction when he joined: “I could have stayed, but as soon as I heard about the team aspect, I loved growing golf in Korea. We don’t have many tour events there. We want to show how good we are. Also, I want to open the pathway from Korea. They’re very limited right now for Korean players to come out to the global stage.”

So, signing Mun, one of the most in-form players on the Korean circuit, fits that goal. But for fans, it’s not fitting well, and the backlash started as soon as the announcement came.

Fans react as the move news came out

“The lack of serious structural decisions has inhibited LIV from success since day 1,” said another.

Danny Lee’s situation added a specific edge to that criticism. A player with multi-season tenure in the league was shifted to wildcard status with no formal trade, no matching team involved, and no public explanation of what “wildcard for the remainder of the season” actually means contractually.

“Is that allowed? ” From 4 Aces is hilarious. “Golf beef is getting interesting lately,” read one reaction.

The amusement came from the fact that a fellow LIV team, not an outside critic, was the one publicly questioning whether the move was even within the rules.

And trolling became the theme of the comment section. With reactions reading like, “This league gets more embarrassing by the day,” “Mickey Mouse league,” and “an absolute joke.”

Well, these are not isolated reactions. LIV has faced credibility questions since 2022 over prioritizing money over competition, losing world ranking access for years, and recently had PIF pull its funding. This decision simply gave fans one more reason to criticize.

If Mun delivers at home, the gamble pays off; if Lee thrives as a wildcard, questions about the move will intensify.