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LIV Golf are close to announcing its first mid-season signing as Sergio Garcia reportedly is dropping Spanish teammate Luis Masaveu from the Fireballs GC roster. The 22-year-old, who made his name as the lowest-scoring amateur at the Spanish Open in both 2022 and 2024, is set to be replaced by reigning US Amateur champion Josele Ballester, who infamously received himself into Rae’s Creek at the Masters.
According to reports from Flushing It and Spanish golf journalist Hugo Costa, Garcia’s team is set to announce the transfer ahead of LIV Golf Virginia this weekend. As per claims, Ballester will take up the fourth spot on the Fireballs roster for the rest of the season. It is pertinent to note that Masaveu joined the Spanish side earlier this year on a half season contract. Having failed to make an impact this year, the World No.762 is being dropped.
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Interestingly, Masaveu will still play this week in Virginia as a reserve. He’ll replace injured compatriot David Puig for the weekend. For the unversed, the outgoing Spaniard currently sits 44 on the Saudi-backed circuit’s 54-man leaderboard. He finished T42 in his last outing at LIV Hong Kong.
Listed below is Luis Masaveu’s LIV Golf season so far:
- LIV Golf Korea – T20 – 212 (-4)
- LIV Golf Mexico City – T30 – 214 (+1)
- LIV Golf Miami – T24 – 222 (+6)
- LIV Golf Singapore – T14 – 208 (-5)
- LIV Golf Hong Kong – T42 – 208 (-2)
It is pertinent to note that Garcia picked Masaveu after ditching Eugenio Chacarra as the fourth man in his team roster. Chacarra later slammed LIV Golf after finding his way back to the European circuit. If he’s evicted, Masaveu can play on the Challenge Tour and DP World Tour via invites in the coming months.
Josele Ballester to replace Luis Masaveu on LIV Golf
Josele Ballester is reportedly close to joining the Sergio Garcia-led Fireballs GC. This comes just days after the young golfer rejected a Korn Ferry Tour membership that could’ve paved a pathway to the PGA Tour. The Arizona State grad, who capped his college career with a T-4 finish at the NCAA Championship 2025, rejected the KFT membership landed after finishing No.3 in the PGA Tour University rankings.
For the unversed, Ballester qualified for the Masters this year as an amateur. He made headlines at the 89th edition of the prestigious event by taking a leak into Rae’s Creek from a ledge on Augusta National’s 13th hole. The 21-year-old, was playing alongside Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas, when he made the controversial move. The young Spaniard received an ovation from galleries after relieving himself into the iconic water stretch.
He failed to make the cut at the contest. His best ever finish on the PGA Tour came at the Mexico Open at Vidanta, when he finished T17. He’d also played the WM Phoenix Open last year. He missed the cut in the competition as well. Interestingly, the fresh college alum is trained by Sergio Garcia's father, Victor Garcia.
LIV Virginia is set to tee off on Friday, June 6 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. It’ll be interesting to see if the 2024 US Amateur winner turns professional this weekend with his LIV debut.
