Market Analysis: High Quality Cap Assembly Machine Factory Trends and the Shift Toward Complete Turnkey Integration

Oct 22, 2026



Yuyao, Zhejiang Oct 22, 2026 (Issuewire.com) - Packaging automation is undergoing a quiet but significant transformation. Across cosmetics, food processing, daily chemical, and toy manufacturing sectors, procurement priorities are shifting. Speed and unit price no longer define the buying decision alone. Instead, manufacturers increasingly demand application-specific assembly solutions built around their exact cap geometry and production context. This evolving expectation is fundamentally changing what a High Quality Cap Assembly Machine Factory (https://www.hgautomachine.com/cap-assembly-machine-1/) must deliver -- not just capable standalone equipment, but engineering depth, cross-industry adaptability, and complete integration capability from a single source. The driving force behind this shift is straightforward: product portfolios are growing more complex, and cap structures are following suit. Component Count Inflation: Why Caps Are Getting Harder to Assemble A decade ago, most bottle cap assembly challenges centered on 2-piece or 3-piece configurations. Today, active product lines across cosmetics, food, and daily chemical sectors routinely require 4-to-6-piece cap sets -- a complexity increase that multiplies alignment tolerances, required detection stations, and assembly cycle time proportionally. The Cosmetic Bottle Cap Assembly Machine (https://www.hgautomachine.com/cosmetic-bottle-cap-assembly-machine-product/) (model HG-070) from Ningbo Huagong Automation Technology Co., Ltd. handles 3-piece all-plastic cosmetic cap sets -- inner cap, outer cap, and gasket -- used in lotion, cream, and serum bottles. At 30 to 40 pieces per minute, it delivers rotary assembly with plus or minus 0.1mm accuracy, online detection for missing components, misalignment, and incomplete pressing, with automatic rejection of defective units. The Pepper Bottle Cap Assembly Machine (model HG-6080) raises the complexity level further. It assembles 5-piece condiment cap sets -- inner stopper, valve core, gasket, top cap, and outer shell -- using five independent vibratory feeders and maintaining a yield rate above 99%. Then there is the Toy Bubble Water Bottle Cap Assembly Machine (model HG-5020), running at 140 to 160 pieces per minute with automatic blower orientation correction -- a function that directly addresses the leakage and misalignment problems specific to toy bubble solution bottles. These are not incremental product updates. They represent a structural escalation in what assembly automation must handle. Industry Cross-Pollination -- When Daily Chemical Technology Moves Into Food and Toy Markets One of the more analytically interesting trends in this market is technology transfer across industries. Assembly techniques developed and refined for daily chemical packaging -- where sealing integrity, throughput consistency, and multi-component feeding have long been engineering priorities -- are now being adapted to serve food, condiment, and toy sectors. The Toy Bubble Water Bottle Cap Assembly Machine explicitly builds on mature daily chemical cap assembly technology to resolve toy-industry-specific pain points. The Pepper Bottle Cap Assembly Machine applies the same rotary structure and intelligent detection logic used in cosmetic packaging to a condiment context previously dominated by manual labor. This pattern of cross-sector adaptation signals that leading cap assembly factories are no longer single-vertical specialists. Rather, they function as platform builders -- deploying transferable engineering foundations across diverse application environments. For manufacturers in adjacent industries still relying on manual assembly or early-generation equipment, this trend opens access to precision automation that was previously unavailable at commercially viable price points. The Intelligence Layer -- How PLC Recipe Storage Is Redefining Flexibility Beyond mechanical assembly capability, embedded control intelligence is reshaping the competitive landscape. Modern cap assembly machines now incorporate PLC touchscreen interfaces with recipe storage and one-touch formula switching. This means a single machine can accommodate multiple product specifications -- different cap diameters, component counts, or material tolerances -- through parameter recall rather than mechanical reconfiguration. The practical implication for multi-SKU producers is significant. Changeover downtime, which historically inflated the true cost of short-run production, shrinks substantially when operators retrieve stored recipes rather than rebuilding machine settings from scratch. Variable frequency speed control adds another layer of adaptability, allowing production managers to modulate output rates in response to downstream bottlenecks or upstream supply variation. Across Huagong Automation's cap machine range -- from the 3-piece cosmetic model to the 5-piece condiment configuration -- this control architecture appears consistently, suggesting a deliberate platform approach rather than machine-by-machine feature additions. Agility, in this context, becomes a factory-floor competitive asset. The Turnkey Integration Imperative -- Why Single-Machine Procurement Is Losing Ground The shift toward intelligence and cross-industry adaptability is accelerating a parallel trend at the procurement level: manufacturers are moving away from sourcing individual machines from multiple vendors. Single-source integration -- where one factory designs, builds, commissions, and supports an entire assembly ecosystem -- is gaining ground across the packaging automation sector. The operational reasons are practical. Unified technical standards across all machines simplify maintenance scheduling and reduce the diagnostic complexity that arises when equipment from different manufacturers shares a production line. Coordinated spare parts logistics -- where a single supplier manages EMC express delivery for all critical components -- eliminates the lead time uncertainty that multi-vendor setups typically generate. Integration risk also concentrates in one accountable party rather than dispersing across several suppliers with misaligned incentive structures. Huagong Automation (https://www.hgautomachine.com/about-us/)'s stated scope of business reflects this integration orientation directly. Beyond individual cap assembly machines, the company's capabilities extend to complete production line design and manufacture, non-standard equipment development based on client-specific requirements, localization of imported equipment, and custom power machinery development. This positions the factory as an engineering partner capable of designing around a client's specific floor plan, upstream process, and output target -- rather than simply fulfilling a product catalog order. What Distinguishes a Factory-Grade Integration Partner From an Equipment Reseller Not every supplier offering cap assembly machines operates with genuine integration depth. The market distinction between factory-grade integration partners and catalog resellers has become more significant as buyer requirements grow more complex. Factory-grade partners hold in-house R&D capability, documented multi-patent product lines, and verifiable cross-industry deployment history. Huagong Automation earned High-Tech Enterprise certification in 2024 and holds ISO 9001 and EU CE certification. In the cap assembly market specifically, the more operationally relevant differentiator is pre-sales process depth: free sample testing with actual client cap components validates machine performance before design is finalized -- a step that catalog resellers typically cannot offer. Non-standard customization capability, documented through an engineering pre-sales workflow rather than just claimed in sales materials, is the practical test that separates factory-grade integration partners from distributors. Resellers, by contrast, typically lack the engineering resources to handle non-standard specifications, manage post-installation modifications, or provide meaningful technical input during the design phase. The gap between these two supplier profiles becomes most visible when a production challenge requires problem-solving rather than catalog browsing. Market Outlook -- Where Cap Assembly Automation Heads Next The convergence of rising labor costs, expanding SKU diversity, tightening quality regulations across food and cosmetics categories, and growing buyer preference for turnkey partnerships points toward sustained demand growth for intelligent, application-specific cap assembly solutions. Manufacturers investing in factory partners with broad product portfolios and genuine non-standard capability are better positioned to manage future production complexity. The key procurement signal: a factory-grade partner's after-sales commitments should be contractually specified -- not just cited in marketing materials -- covering response time, spare parts logistics, and warranty scope for each machine category. The market is moving toward integration. Factories that can deliver it, end-to-end, are increasingly the ones setting the terms of competition. For full product specifications and integration consultation, visit https://www.hgautomachine.com/.

Source :Ningbo Huagong Automation Technology Co., Ltd.

This article was originally published by IssueWire. Read the original article here.

More News

PH ends Asian Para Games with 7 medals
Oct 24, 2026

PH ends Asian Para Games with 7 medals

THE Philippines ended its campaign in the 5th Asian Para Games in Nagoya, Japan, with only seven medals, consisting of two golds, two silvers and three bronzes, finishing 18th in the overall medal tally. It was a far cry from its haul in the previous edition in Hangzhou, China, three years ago, where the country brought home 10 gold medals as well as four silvers and five bronze. Majority of the gold medals from the previous games came from chess, which was not included in this year’s edition. This year, the gold medals came from the swimming pool courtesy of para swimmers Ernie Gawilan and Ariel Joseph Alegarbes. Gawilan, a three-time Paralympian, won the country’s first gold medal in Nagoya in the men’s 400-meter (m) freestyle S7. He also bagged the silver medal in the men’s 200-m individual medley SM7. Alegarbes, on the other hand, topped the men’s 100-m backstroke S14. Raemond Adefuin added a bronze medal for swimming after placing third in the men’s 100-m backstroke SB6. Table tennis players Lhey Manginsay and Wilfred Redulla won a silver medal in the mixed doubles table tennis class XD17 after bowing to the Chinese pair of Zhao Shuai and Xiong Guiyan in the gold medal match. In athletics, King James Reyes captured the bronze medal in the men’s 1,500-m T46, while Ma. Ravinia Carpena finished at third place in the women’s shot put F20. Cyril Ongcoy was originally announced as a bronze medal winner in the men’s 1,500-m T12/T13, but was relegated to fourth place following a jury reinstatement of the event’s eventual gold medalist who was earlier disqualified. China topped the medal count with a 207-117-111 count followed by host Japan with a 64-60-62 medal tally. The 5th Asian Para Games ran from Oct. 18 to 24 in Nagoya, following the 20th Asian Games, where the Philippines won four golds, nine silvers and 16 bronzes.

TNT, Magnolia begin quarterfinal duel
Oct 24, 2026

TNT, Magnolia begin quarterfinal duel

DEFENDING champion TNT will be shooting for a strong start against Magnolia as both squads begin their PBA Season 50 Governors Cup best-of-five quarterfinal series on Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City. The Tropang 5G managed to reach the playoffs after overcoming an injury-riddled roster early in the conference en route to clinching the fourth seed in Group A with a 7-5 record. The Hotshots, on the other hand, sealed the top seed in Group A after ending the elimination round with a 7-3 card. Both teams collide in their series-opening game at 7:30 p.m. Import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Jayson Castro, Poy Erram and Calvin Oftana are all back since missing a big part of the elimination round with separate injuries. Hollis-Jefferson, who spent the last 10 months recovering from an Achilles injury he sustained last December in his stint with Meralco in the East Asia Super League, is back and hungry to lead TNT to another PBA title. He came in to take the spot of Nick Hornsby, who played just one game as temporary import. RHJ had a good workout during his first game back with TNT, firing 22 points, six rebounds, five assists and two blocks in 22 minutes in a 142-87 demolition of the Macao Giant Pandas. For the Hotshots, the latest of their playoff meeting with the Tropang 5G gives them a chance to try to exorcize the ghost of their past postseason failures. Magnolia has lost to TNT in their last two quarterfinal duels, thus giving coach LA Tenorio a chance for redemption. The Hotshots last won a PBA championship in the 2018 Governors’ Cup when they were still being handled by coach Chito Victolero. Meanwhile, the 5:15 p.m. match features Group A top seed NLEX going up against Phoenix. NLEX closed the elimination round with a 9-3 record, the same slate as San Miguel Beer. But the charges of new coach Jimmy Alapag got the No.1 ranking due to superior quotient. The Road Warriors tangle with the Fuel Masters, who got bludgeoned by the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 133-103, at the close of elimination round last Friday. “I think Rain or Shine just ran us out of the building, so a bit of a disappointing performance heading into the playoffs. But sana it’s a wake-up call for us that we have to be much better,” said Fuel Masters coach Charles Tiu after that game. RICHARD DY

Tatum delivers as Celtics down winless Knicks
Oct 24, 2026

Tatum delivers as Celtics down winless Knicks

LOS ANGELES, California — Jayson Tatum scored 36 points as the Boston Celtics defeated the New York Knicks, 107-103, to leave the NBA champions waiting for their first win of the season on Friday (Saturday in Manila). Tatum, back at full fitness after missing most of last season with a ruptured Achilles, delivered a mesmerizing performance at the TD Garden to give Boston their first win of the campaign after an opening-day loss to Detroit. The six-time NBA All-Star shot 14-of-26 from the field, including three three-pointers, with nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Nine of Tatum’s points came in the fourth quarter as the Knicks, who had trailed by as many as 12 points early in the final frame, closed to within one point. Tatum’s superb all-round display earned words of admiration from Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. “That was a really well-balanced game from JT on both ends, and you were able to kind of see his greatness,” Mazzulla said after the home opener. Tatum received scoring support from new signing Paul George and Neemius Queta, who both finished with 15 points apiece. The Knicks were led by 22 points from Karl-Anthony Towns, with OG Anunoby and Miles McBride scoring 20 each. Knicks talisman Jalen Brunson chipped in with 19. In other games on Friday, the Minnesota Timberwolves stayed unbeaten with a 115-93 defeat of the Orlando Magic on the road. Minnesota’s new-look offense, with Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball working in tandem, produced a balanced scoring display that saw seven players finish in double figures. Edwards and Jaden McDaniels each netted 15 points to top the scoring. Orlando fell to 0-2 with the loss. Elsewhere, the Atlanta Hawks moved to 2-0 with a 128-81 drubbing of the Charlotte Hornets, with Jalen Johnson and Aaron Wiggins scoring 19 points each. The Toronto Raptors are also unbeaten, thanks to a 112-102 defeat of the Washington Wizards on the road. Scottie Barnes scored 28 points for Toronto with RJ Barrett adding 23 and Kawhi Leonard 16. Kyrie Irving’s 24-point haul helped the Dallas Mavericks to a 121-105 defeat of the Indiana Pacers while the Milwaukee Bucks were left waiting for their first win of the campaign after falling 132-125 to the Chicago Bulls at home.

Brewers edge Rays to win World Series opener
Oct 24, 2026

Brewers edge Rays to win World Series opener

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin — Milwaukee captain Christian Yelich tripled in one run and scored another to lead the Brewers over Tampa Bay, 3-2, in Friday’s opening game of the 122nd World Series. Yelich did his damage in the first inning and strong pitching from Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski and relievers frustrated the Rays, who put the tying run on third base in the ninth before Milwaukee secured the victory. “It feels great. The guys settled in right away and did a great job,” Yelich said. “We’ve still got a ways to go but nice to get that first one.” A sellout crowd for the first World Series game at Milwaukee in 44 years cheered on the Brewers, who host Game 2 on Saturday before the best-of-seven Major League Baseball (MLB) finale shifts to Florida. “It was amazing. Just to have the city behind me, it means the world,” Misiorowski said. “We couldn’t ask for anything better.” The 24-year-old American right-hander became the youngest pitcher since 1997 to win a World Series opener. “Not perfect but good enough to get a win,” Misiorowski said of his performance. Each club seek its first World Series title. The Brewers’ only other appearance was in 1982 while the Rays are in their third World Series after 2008 and 2020. It’s only the second World Series in more than a century featuring two teams that have never captured the crown, the other in 1980 when Philadelphia beat Kansas City. Misiorowski, known for his fiery fastball, hurled the fastest World Series pitch ever recorded at 103.5 miles per hour (mph), or 166.5 kilometers per hour, to begin the game. Misiorowski, who went 16-5 with an MLB-best 252 strikeouts and an MLB-best 1.80 earned-run average this season, broke the old mark of 103.2 mph set by Aroldis Chapman of the Chicago Cubs in 2016, eight years after pitch speeds were first recorded. He struck out three and scattered four hits over five innings while allowing only one run to earn the victory. Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio hit the first offering from Rays starting pitcher Nick Martinez for a leadoff single in the first inning. Chourio scored when designated hitter Yelich smashed a triple off the glove of diving Rays outfielder Jonny DeLuca. “He prepares, he’s a leader, and he has helped us a bunch all year,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said of Yelich. William Contreras followed with a single to drive in Yelich for a 2-0 Brewers lead. Tampa Bay’s Jonathan Aranda walked to open the fourth inning, reached third on Junior Caminero’s double to the centerfield wall and scored on an infield ground out by Liam Hicks to cut the lead in half. Milwaukee added what proved to be the deciding run in the seventh after Cooper Pratt walked, advanced on a ground out and scored on Chourio’s single to right field. Scary finish Brewers relief pitchers dominated down the stretch with Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby combining for five strikeouts while allowing only one hit over three innings. But in the ninth, Milwaukee closer Trevor Megill allowed back-to-back singles to Aranda and Chandler Simpson, then pinch-runner Jorge Mateo and Simpson executed a double steal to reach second and third bases. Caminero walked to load the bases and Hicks appeared to ground into a game-ending double play. Video replay showed an errant throw pulled the fielder’s foot off the bag at second and Mateo scored with Rays runners on second and third. With the game on the line, Megill struck out DeLuca to secure the victory. “A big range of emotions,” Yelich said. “Big credit to Trev for locking back in right there, making some huge pitches after you have that emotional dump. “Everybody had faith in Trev. It’s the World Series. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. He did a great job.”

Blakely bags all-around world title
Oct 24, 2026

Blakely bags all-around world title

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands — American Skye Blakely kept her nerve on her closing routine on Friday (Saturday in Manila) to take her first solo gold in the individual all-around competition at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam. The 21-year Texan finished ahead of teenagers Liudmila Roshchina and Qinqin Ke. Blakely had previously collected two team golds, the second in 2023 in a quartet led by star gymnast Simone Biles, who is absent from Rotterdam and has left the future of her career in doubt. Blakely has often been hampered by injuries. In 2021, a torn ligament in her elbow forced her to withdraw from the Tokyo Games. History repeated itself in June 2024: during the United States Olympic trials, just as she had cemented her place among the favorites for Paris, another injury — this time to her Achilles tendon — ruled her out of the Olympics. Having topped the qualifying round on Monday, Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour had to settle for fourth after almost missing the springboard in her opening event, the vault. She managed to complete her leap but by sacrificing difficulty and, despite strong showings in the three remaining events, finished fourth. As the second-best qualifier, Blakely went second last, ahead of Nemour. After 18-year-old Russian Roshchina scored 13,400 and Chinese 16-year-old Ke 13,266, the American started her routine knowing a safe routine would win. She scored 12.933 for an aggregate of 55.733 with Roshchina totaling 55.199. Ke finished with 55.032 to edge Nemour by 0.034 of a point.

Olympic marathon champ suspended    
Oct 24, 2026

Olympic marathon champ suspended    

OLYMPIC and world marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir has been provisionally suspended over a positive drug test for the banned substance EPO, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said on Friday. Jepchirchir won women’s marathon gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the world title last year. The 33-year-old Kenyan runner is also a former world record holder in the half marathon. The AIU, which investigates doping in track and field on behalf of the sport’s governing body World Athletics, posted on X that “an out-of-competition sample, collected in Kenya prior to her recent Sydney Marathon victory, returned an adverse analytical finding for EPO.” Jepchirchir won the Sydney Marathon in August. Her representative Gianni Demadonna declined to comment when contacted by the Associated Press (AP). In most doping cases in international sports, athletes are provisionally suspended from competing until the case is either resolved with a verdict or dropped. Jepchirchir’s win in Sydney was another award in a glittering career which includes victories in the 2021 New York Marathon, the 2022 Boston Marathon and 2024 London Marathon. She is ranked fifth in the world for the women’s marathon. Jepchirchir also made history when she broke the half-marathon world record in 2017 while in the early stages of pregnancy, according to governing body World Athletics. She gave birth to a daughter eight months after that. Sydney Marathon organizers said in a statement on Friday they were “extremely disappointed” to hear of Jepchirchir’s suspension. “Jepchirchir is entitled to due process, and we will make no further comment on the case until that process has concluded,” the statement said. “Our commitment to clean sport is unwavering. Every athlete who lines up in Sydney deserves to race on a level playing field, and every participant and spectator deserves to trust the result they see at the finish line.” It’s the latest in a long series of doping cases involving distance runners from Kenya, which was awarded the 2029 world track championships last month. It will be the first African country to host the event, but Kenya has long-faced scrutiny over performance-enhancing drug use by its world-leading runners. Women’s marathon world record holder Ruth Chepng’etich, who is also from Kenya, was banned for three years in 2025 after admitting a charge related to a positive test for a banned diuretic. Former New York Marathon winner Albert Korir was given a five-year ban in March. World Anti-Doping Agency president Witold Banka said this month Kenya needs a “more determined approach” to retain its credibility in sports. “Kenya proudly calls itself the home of champions. But for that home to remain respected and credible, it must also be clean,” Banka said during a visit to the East African nation. “That is why Kenya needs a strong culture of clean sport, zero tolerance for doping, and a more determined approach to preventing and fighting doping.” The suspension of Jepchirchir was announced a day after the AIU said it issued a six-year ban to Ruti Aga, a top marathon runner from Ethiopia. The AIU said Aga tested positive for a banned substance and then submitted a fake prescription for the substance from a clinic which turned out not to exist.

Blanchet, Hirata share lead in Bermuda
Oct 24, 2026

Blanchet, Hirata share lead in Bermuda

SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda — Chandler Blanchet turned trouble off the tee into a birdie on the 18th hole, giving him a 4-under 67 on Friday and sharing the lead with Kensai Hirata of Japan going into what figures to be a windy weekend at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Hirata played bogey-free at Port Royal for a 64 to join Blanchet at 13-under 129. Hirata had never shared the lead after any round in his rookie season on the PGA Tour. Blanchet tugged his drive on the par-4 closing hole and was hoping it would land in the bunker to at least give him a reasonable lie. It cleared the sand, but his golf ball was on a slight slope above his feet, leaving him a blind shot to a front pin. The wedge came out perfectly, setting 5 feet away for a final birdie. “Had a pretty uphill, above-the-feet lie and completely blind shot,” Blanchet said. “It was kind of a fun creative one, which I think you’ve got to be pretty solid at this week with the wind. Can’t just take your stock shots. So it was a good way to end it.” Seamus Power, who won the Bermuda Championship in 2022 when the Irishman was among the top 50 in the world, shook off a poor finish to the opening round with a bogey-free 64. He was one shot behind, along with Corey Conners (67), Eric Cole (65), Ben Silverman (67) and Danny Walker, who birdied his last two holes for a 67. Wind is the strongest defense of Port Royal, and it has not been up to full strength through two rounds. That much was evident by the scoring, so low that the 36-hole cut came at 5-under 137. Among those missing the cut were defending champion Adam Schenk and Chandler Phillips, who came into the tournament at No. 98 in the FedEx Cup Fall standings. Five tournaments remain for players to finish in the top 100 and keep full status for 2027. Power is at No. 103, so a big weekend would go a long way. He finished at No. 114 a year ago and still managed to get into most tournaments (except the signature events). “But it was the unknowns,” he said. “Not knowing where I was going to get in and when I was going to get in was the tough part. Trying to get back into that top 100, get yourself back to full status, I just feel like you’re in a better, more comfortable spot starting off in January. “So like that’s going to be the big goal.” The immediate goal is to handle the wind, which was forecast to be gusting stronger than it has all week at Port Royal. “The weather’s going to be pretty difficult, so try and stay patient and excuse a few bad shots here and there, some wind gusts,” Cole said. “Just try and stay patient and have fun with it a little bit.”

Poulter and Hatton leave LIV Golf
Oct 24, 2026

Poulter and Hatton leave LIV Golf

LOUIS Oosthuizen one day, and then Ian Poulter and Tyrrell Hatton. The players departing from LIV Golf seem to be increasing by the day with a Sunday deadline potentially looming for other players to decide if they are staying for the new version that no longer includes Saudi money. Former world No. 1 Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia already have separated from LIV Golf, which is emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy with BC Partners Credit and its $300 million pledge. Poulter and Hatton both posted Friday on Instagram that they will not be part of LIV 2.0. “I am excited for what the next chapter of my career holds,” Hatton wrote in a brief note to confirm the Englishman is leaving. Hatton, who has played on the last four Ryder Cup teams, won twice on the European tour and twice on LIV since defecting to the rival league in 2024 to join Rahm on his Legions XIII team. Poulter, 50, won 14 times worldwide on six tours and is best known for his Ryder Cup heroics, particularly in leading Europe to a record comeback on the road at Medinah in 2012. His son, Luke, is a senior at Florida and is No. 9 in the world amateur ranking and No. 8 in the PGA Tour University ranking. “Ultimately, the opportunity to spend more time at home with my family, reduce international travel, focus on senior golf and have the opportunity to purse other interests was something that I felt was right for me at this stage of my life and career,” Poulter wrote. Louis Oosthuizen, a 44-year-old South African, announced Wednesday he was leaving his Southern Guards team in LIV. “I realized I have a lot more in me, and my biggest fear was that the schedule on LIV 2.0 would be tough to manage,” Oosthuizen wrote in a social media post. ”I feel I have a few more years of good, competitive golf left in me, and the only way to be really sharp and competitive is through a schedule I control.” Oosthuizen, known for having one of the purest swings in golf, won the British Open at St. Andrews in 2010 and has the Grand Slam of runner-up finishes in all four majors. Others who have said they would not stick around include Abraham Ancer, David Puig and Adrian Meronk, whose victory in the Dunhill Links Championship gave him renewed status on the European tour. The European tour issued an ultimatum Oct. 12 that anyone signing up for LIV 2.0 would not be able to hold European tour membership, key for players who want to be eligible for the Ryder Cup. A New Jersey bankruptcy court last week approved the amended restructuring support agreement with BC Partners, allowing LIV to carry on with restructuring. But it needs ample support from the players, and only four of them — Cameron Tringale, Brendan Steele, 53-year-old Richard Bland and Ben Campbell — have said they are staying put. BC Partners set a Sunday deadline for players to decide, though it has the right to extend or to waive that deadline. Under the amended agreement the court approved, BC Partners no longer has a set number of players it requires to move forward, giving it some latitude. LIV has said it would make no comment on players’ decisions. Golf Digest reported 2022 British Open champion Cam Smith of Australia has asked for separation from LIV. Joaquin Niemann has not decided which way he will go, his manager said Friday. Bryson DeChambeau has been a proponent of LIV’s future, though he has not indicated what he will do. The PGA Tour currently offers membership to the leading 10 players from the European tour points list not already exempt, which has created a path back in 2027 for Patrick Reed and Eugenio Chacarra, both no longer with LIV. The tour has said it is not contemplating a returning members program that Brooks Koepka accepted in January, and which Rahm, DeChambeau and Smith declined. That was three months before the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia said it would no longer support LIV after 2026. The next bankruptcy hearing for LIV is scheduled for Nov. 5.

Steelman: From eBay finds to Korn Ferry champ
Oct 24, 2026

Steelman: From eBay finds to Korn Ferry champ

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida — Ross Steelman worked in a golf repair shop during the winter in Missouri when he was in high school. He didn't own a new club until he was 14, instead rummaging through 50-gallon bins for used clubs and making them work. That was the case even this year when he won the Korn Ferry Tour points list. During a month break in the schedule in late spring, Steelman was so frustrated with his driving that he went on eBay and bought a driver shaft, a 3-wood shaft and a hybrid head. He also bought a putter, an old TaylorMade Rossa Daytona, that he used the rest of the season. And he wasn't done. “Two weeks later, I bought off True Temper's website a steel fiber graphite iron shaft and put it in an 8-iron and messed around with it on the range at home,” Steelman said. “I took it out on tour and showed the guys this is what I want. They said: ‘This is terrible. It’s too light, it's no good, you're going to hate it.' The swing weight was five weights too light. I said, 'Perfect. Can you build a set?’” He said his approach statistics improved two shots the rest of the year. He figures it worked in part because “I did it myself so I trust it even more.” But it was how he found it that showed that Steelman isn't afraid to try anything. He loved the driver shaft he bought on eBay so much that he went on ChatGPT and wrote, “Is there an iron shaft that has a similar feel?” “It was perfect,” Steelman said. “I cut it, glued it, put it in and it felt great. I trust it because it came from me. I swing fast, I hit it a long way, I hit it high. No rep in his right mind would say, ‘I think you should use this graphite shaft in your irons.’” He is the ultimate gear head, developed from his high school days when he worked in a club repair shop in the winter and learned how to build, grind and bend clubs. He got away from it while at Missouri and Georgia Tech, but it never really left him — especially this year. “That's the romantic part of golf, finding something you're really excited about and knowing you have a special connection to it because it's something you found,” he said. “It gets lost as a professional because we can text somebody, and it (a club) will show up in two days. That's never been my path in golf.” Tiger's field in the Bahamas announced without Tiger — yet Scottie Scheffler returns to the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in December, the holiday event hosted by Tiger Woods, where Scheffler has won twice and never finished more than two shots behind in his other three appearances. The 20-man field has nine of the top 12 in the world ranking, missing Masters champion Rory McIlroy, US Open champion Wyndham Clark and Tommy Fleetwood. Also missing — for now — is Woods. The field has reserved three spots for exemptions for players from the top 50 in the world ranking published after the Tour Championship, with an exception made for the tournament host.

YOUR NEWS, OUR NETWORK.

Do you have Great News you want to tell the world?

Be it updates about your business or your community, you can make sure that it’s heard by submitting your story to our network reaching hundreds of news sites across 6 verticals.