"Back to the roots of who I am" - Bubba Watson breaks down RangeGoats

LIV Golf has revealed its 12 teams and captains ahead of its new season. The Saudi-backed series announced the team names for its 14-event 2023 season, just 17 days until the first tee off. Among the rebranded LIV Golf teams was RangeGoats GC headed by Bubba Watson.

Watson, who joined LIV Golf in the middle of last season as the non-playing captain for Niblicks GC, seems to fully enjoy the name and its goat logo. According to Watson, the team name that starts with the range goes back to his “roots.” The LIV golfer revealed that the name was developed by him, with input from teammate Harold Varner III, among others.

The two-time Masters champ said that the first half of the name denoted the time he spent on the range at Tanglewood Golf Course in Milton, Florida as a child.

Speaking to LIV Golf about the RangeGoats GC, Bubba Watson said:

“It just goes back to the roots of who I am, where I come from. You know, I didn’t live a glamorous lifestyle growing up and I’m taking a wild guess that Harold didn’t either. So that’s where the whole process started in my mind.”

He also linked it to his memories of the Summit Driving Range near his home, on the other side of Escambia Bay in Pensacola. Watson revealed that he purchased the Summit range in August of 2018 and renamed it the Pensacola Golf Center. He said that he wanted the range to represent his city.

Watson said:

“It’s a little hole in the wall range, right next to the airport. It was going under, kind of going away. So we bought it and took it over and renamed it Pensacola Golf Center because I want my city to be represented.

"It’s for the city. It’s a place to come and hit balls and learn the game of golf. Doesn’t matter what you wear. It’s just about having fun. That’s the kind of roots you think about in Bagdad and a guy named Bubba. We didn’t grow up in the country club lifestyle. The ‘range’ just made sense.”

Formerly known as the Niblicks GC, Watson’s team got a major facelift with its name and logo. The team also announced a pink and black color scheme it’ll follow in the season. RangeGoats quickly became a major talking point online, with trolls jumping in to crack jokes about its name. Spelt as one word, RangeGoats was the highlight among the rebranded teams.

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Bubba Watson explains the goat in RangeGoats

While the “range” part of his team’s name was important for Watson, the “goat” was added for the LIV Golf League fans.

According to Bubba Watson, the team needed a better name than Niblicks and the idea of goats being better than other players sounded interesting.

Watson laughingly said:

“If we keep losing like the Niblicks did last year, then we can just say we’re really good on the range, but we’re not very good on the golf course.”

He added:

“Like, either you’re not very good at golf, or you’re really good.”

As interesting as the explanations sound, fans are already behind the RangeGoats. Many have even shown interest in the team’s merch as the logo carries a goat in pink.