Following weeks of rumors, Cameron Smith has formally joined LIV Golf, headlining a gaggle of six gamers who’ve been added to the rival upstart. Smith, the Champion Golfer of the 12 months and winner of the Gamers Championship — the PGA Tour’s flagship occasion — is LIV Golf’s largest acquisition so far because the 29-year-old is simply now getting into the prime of his enjoying profession.
The world No. 2 will not be alone in his transfer from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf. Smith is accompanied by Cameron Tringale, Harold Varner III, Marc Leishman, Anirban Lahiri and, most notably, his former Presidents Cup teammate Joaquin Niemann. The younger Chilean was a mainstay on leaderboards all through the 2021-22 season on the PGA Tour and captured the best title of his profession on the Genesis Invitational hosted by Tiger Woods in February.
The 23-year-old Niemann was reportedly firmly on the fence main as much as this choice. He was a participant within the PGA Tour players-only assembly the week of the BMW Championship and performed apply rounds with the likes of Rory McIlroy forward of the Tour Championship, the place the 2 mentioned his future. The world No. 19 traveled to the LIV Boston occasion with out a contract in hand and was in the end swayed to make the soar from the PGA Tour.
Initially considered seven new faces, presumed PGA Tour Rookie of the 12 months Cameron Younger was rumored to spherical out the newcomers for the LIV Boston occasion. With sweeping adjustments made to the PGA Tour’s schedule and compensation, along with future participation in crew occasions and majors championships being in query, the 25-year-old determined to remain put, nonetheless.
“Frankly, all through the entire course of with them I used to be very ,” mentioned Younger. “I feel they’ve a bunch of fine concepts. I feel they’re performing some cool stuff, and with a few of these adjustments coming, that is what actually helped me resolve to remain and pursue these targets that I’ve for myself, like making the Presidents Cup crew or Ryder Cup crew and successful a significant, when all of that’s simply unsure should you go.”
Leishman, Lahiri and Tringale all match the preliminary mildew of LIV’s goal participant: those that have loved reasonably profitable enjoying careers, however could also be thought-about by some to be over the hill. Whereas the departure of these three is not going to influence the PGA Tour, Smith, Niemann and Varner may every be seen as a considerable loss.
Phrase of Smith’s curiosity in LIV Golf first surfaced on the press convention following his spectacular victory on the a hundred and fiftieth Open at St. Andrews. Not denying any attainable hyperlink on the time, Smith was then peppered with questions on the St. Jude Championship after Cameron Percy informed an Australian radio station that Smith was pretty much as good as gone.
“I’ve no remark to that,” Smith said when requested if he deliberate to affix LIV Golf. “Like I mentioned, I am right here to play the FedEx Cup Playoffs. That is been my focus the final week and a half, that is what I am right here to do, I am right here to win the FedEx Cup Playoffs. And like I mentioned, it is going to come from me, it will not come from Cameron Percy.”
Smith, Niemann and Varner are at the moment underneath the age of 33 with Varner being the eldest. The East Carolina product is amongst fan favorites on a weekly foundation and, equally as essential, well-respected amongst his friends on the PGA Tour. Whereas Varner would not have a Tour victory, he has been shut on plenty of events and was victorious in dramatic trend on the Saudi Worldwide in February.
Younger in age however not essentially expertise, Niemann had been on the PGA Tour for 5 seasons, making his skilled debut within the spring of 2018. Placing Chilean golf on the map, he turns into yet one more worldwide participant jostled away from the PGA Tour.
With the Presidents Cup looming, Worldwide Workforce captain Trevor Immelman has been thrusted into an unenviable place. Dropping two of his eight computerized qualifiers and a secure of his fellow countrymen to LIV, his activity to defeat a closely favored United States facet turns into all of the harder.
Within the grand scheme of all of it, the dearth of allegiance from worldwide gamers to the PGA Tour could also be LIV Golf’s biggest calling card — along with the profitable contracts — because it embarks on changing into a world tour. Materials adjustments have been made to the PGA Tour schedule and tournaments in international nations could also be — or at the very least must be — on the desk for the longer term. Nonetheless, with zero visits to South America, Africa or Australia for the reason that 2001 WGC Match Play, it’s conceivable to counsel these from exterior america merely don’t view the tour in the identical mild as their former counterparts.
