The number two in the world, the Australian Cameron Smith, who won his first Grand Slam at the British Open held last July, has officially joined this Tuesday, with another group of golfers, the new and millionaire golf league financed by the Government of Saudi Arabia, known as LIV Golf.
In addition to Smith, the Australian Marc Leishman, the Chilean Joaquin Niemann, the Indian Anirban Lahiri and the Americans Harold Varner III and Cameron Tringale also join the competition, as announced by the Saudi league itself, whose circuit this year, made up of eight events, will distribute a total of 255 million dollars.
Smith, who also won this year's Players Championship, is the highest ranked player to join LIV Golf to date.
The 29-year-old Aussie, who has been linked to the Saudi league for weeks, will make his debut at the September 2-4 event at The International Golf Club, just outside Boston.
Leishman is a veteran player who has posted six PGA Tour wins during his career.
The 23-year-old Niemann scored his second win on the US circuit in February.
Lahiri, Varner and Tringale have not won any tournaments on the PGA Tour.
Welcome to LIV Cameron Smith đź‘‹#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/XhZeAyneyg
– LIV Golf (@LIVGolfInv) August 30, 2022
Since last June the Super League promoted with funds from Saudi Arabia announced the first list of players who were going to play the first of the eight tournaments with which they are challenging the American circuit (PGA Tour) and the European circuit (DP World Tour ), the world of golf lives in war.
The PGA suspended golfers who participated in the inaugural LIV event in London last June, including Spaniard Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson.
In a statement published at the time, he reported that LIV participants will not be able to participate in events organized by the PGA because it goes against its regulations, which caused more than a dozen golfers to sue the PGA in early August. PGA for violating antitrust rules – among the players who joined the lawsuit are Mexicans Carlos Ortiz and Abraham Ancer, as well as Phil Mickelson and Bryson De Chambeau.
The LIV is distributing, in each of its first seven stops, 23 million euros in prizes, which is more than the event with the largest prize pool on the PGA circuit, The Players, which distributes 18.5 million euros .
In addition, the eighth and last stop of the LIV, which takes place in Miami, will deliver 46.5 million euros.
The PGA measure has not stopped long-distance players like Sergio GarcĂa, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Brooks Koepka, Abraham Ancer or Louis Oosthuizen, who joined the LIV.
Moreover, the Saudi super league has continued to incorporate players, as seen on Tuesday.
At the end of July, the American Bubba Watson, winner of two majors, also announced his incorporation to LIV.
However, LIV has not been able to seduce Tiger Woods, who rejected an offer between 700 and 800 million dollars from the millionaire Saudi league and decided to stay on the PGA Tour.
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