Late Tuesday, Kevin Na was out. Early Wednesday, Byeong Hun An was in. The Iron Heads GC’s name was dead. The Korean Golf Club was born. LIV Golf executed a complete franchise overhaul in under 24 hours. Na, an original 2022 defector who captained Iron Heads GC for 48 events, was released on January 13, 2026, without an official explanation. His team finished last among 13 squads in 2025, managing just one top-10 across the entire season.

Byeong Hun An, 34, steps in as captain of the rebranded Korean Golf Club. The World No. 99 earned over $21 million on the PGA Tour without securing a victory. In 2025, he made 19 cuts in 27 starts with eight top-25 finishes.

“I felt it was time for a new chapter and a fresh challenge,” he stated in his announcement. The chapter for Na, meanwhile, closed without ceremony.

Two years ago, his tune sounded different. “I would not play LIV if no money was offered,” An posted on X in December 2023. “I like playing on the PGA tour. Don’t see a reason for trying LIV without lots of money.”

What changed? An now frames the move as purpose-driven rather than financial.

“I have always been passionate about supporting junior golfers and the next generation of players,” An wrote. “Leading the Korean Golf Club is the perfect opportunity to achieve that goal.”

That goal has a face: Minkyu Kim. The 14-year-old prodigy, the youngest player ever to appear on a Korean Tour leaderboard, joins the roster alongside Younghan Song. Danny Lee remains the sole holdover. Jinichiro Kozuma, the team’s top performer in 2025, was cut despite outplaying his captain—proof that the rebrand prioritized Korean identity over competitive results.

The rebrand drips with calculated nationalism. Korean Golf Club’s new logo features a white tiger, a symbol of strength in Korean mythology, alongside the Rose of Sharon, the national flower of Korea. LIV is weaponizing national pride to sell merchandise and capture eyeballs. Korea ranks as the third-largest golf market globally, trailing only the United States and Japan.

An arrives not as a conqueror but as a stabilizer. He previously rejected LIV’s advances. Now he frames the move as purpose-driven.

“I have always been passionate about supporting junior golfers and the next generation of players,” An wrote. “Leading the Korean Golf Club is the perfect opportunity to achieve that goal.”

That goal has a face: Minkyu Kim. The 14-year-old prodigy, the youngest player ever to appear on a Korean Tour leaderboard, joins the roster alongside Younghan Song. Danny Lee remains the sole holdover. Jinichiro Kozuma, the team’s top performer in 2025, was cut despite outplaying his captain—proof that the rebrand prioritized Korean identity over competitive results.

But An’s arrival raises a harder question: Was he LIV’s best option, or simply the one who said yes?

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An wasn’t LIV’s first choice. He wasn’t even the second.

The league pursued Sungjae Im aggressively. The world No. 21 dismissed the speculation as “fake news” on social media. Si Woo Kim, fresh off a strong 2025 campaign, firmly denied any interest and committed to the PGA Tour for 2026.

With its marquee targets rebuffing the offer, LIV pivoted to An—a consistent earner but not a headline-grabber. The 2009 U.S. Amateur champion, who broke Tiger Woods‘s record as the youngest winner at 17, has built a solid career. His 2024 Genesis Championship victory proved he can still close. But his profile lacks the wattage LIV craves as stars like Brooks Koepka bolt back to the PGA Tour.

Na, meanwhile, faces an uncertain future. Unlike Koepka, he doesn’t qualify for the PGA Tour’s Returning Member Program—no major wins in the last five years, no clear path forward.

LIV’s message lands with brutal clarity: original defectors carry no immunity. Finish last, and the guillotine falls.