Cameron Smith, the world’s No. 2 golfer and the recent British Open champion, headlines a new wave of golfers who are bolting to LIV Golf after the conclusion of the PGA Tour’s season and ahead of the Saudi-backed circuit’s fourth event.
Smith, a mulleted Australian with a wispy mustache, is joined by one other highly ranked player, No. 19 Joaquin Niemann, along with a handful of other notable names such as Harold Varner III and Marc Leishman, LIV said in a statement.
The new additions are the latest stage in a growing battle that’s dividing golf. LIV, backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign-wealth fund, has lured players away from the PGA Tour with exorbitant appearance fees and the richest prize funds in the sport’s history. The PGA Tour has, in turn, suspended the players who have left while many have resigned their Tour memberships.
The fissure is proving acrimonious on numerous fronts. Critics of LIV, including many politicians, have accused LIV Golf of being a means of “sportswashing”—or using the glow of a popular sport to improve the country’s global reputation after accusations of human rights abuses such as the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. LIV, and many players, have sued the PGA Tour over the suspensions and alleged anticompetitive behavior.
Smith’s defection from the PGA Tour had been widely rumored for weeks, especially as he declined to comment or shoot down the rumors when asked about it. He is the highest ranked player to enlist with the upstart league that has already gathered some of golf’s biggest names.
Smith and Niemann, in particular, are notable additions to LIV because they bring something its ranks had largely lacked: thriving young players. Smith, a 29-year-old Aussie, is coming off a stellar season in which he won the Open Championship and the Players Championship—the PGA Tour’s signature event. Niemann is just 23 and has already made his case as one of the brightest young talents in the sport.
Joaquin Neimann celebrates after winning the Genesis Invitational in February.
Photo:
JAVIER ROJAS/Zuma Press
Many of the highest profile LIV players are either older or weren’t at the top of their games before joining LIV, either due to form or injury. Some of the stars who previously made the jump include Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka and Bubba Watson, the latter of whom still hasn’t played because he’s hurt. Smith is the first to join who is in the top-10 of the world rankings.
The timing of this latest batch of defections is not a coincidence. LIV’s announcement came on the heels of the Tour Championship, the end of the PGA Tour’s lucrative FedEx Cup playoffs where Smith and Niemann were both competing. A number of the suspended LIV players had sought a temporary restraining order in court that would allow them to play in the events, but a judge denied them.
In an exciting finish, Rory McIlroy—who has been the most outspoken supporter of the PGA Tour and critic of LIV all season—came from behind to win the $18 million prize. LIV’s fourth event begins later this week outside Boston.
Write to Andrew Beaton at [email protected]
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Appeared in the August 31, 2022, print edition as ‘Cam Smith Is Joining LIV Golf.’
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