Diane Knox Balas
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As the 2021/22 season came to a close in the most perfect way imaginable for Jay Monahan and the PGA Tour — with a Rory McIlory FedExCup victory — we knew the party would be short LIV’d (pardon the pun). And, just as expected, the announcements came flooding in this morning.
Latest LIV Golf additions: Cameron Smith defects
The new signees to LIV Golf are Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, Joaquin Niemann, Anirban Lahiri, Cameron Triangle and Harold Varner III. All six will tee it up this week in Boston for the fourth LIV Golf Invitational.
As somebody who covers the PGA Tour week after week, I can’t help but feel a little deflated by the news that World No. 2 Cam Smith has left. I mean, we knew it was coming but to see it in black & white this morning brought up some emotions. He’s the reigning Players champion, the PGA Tour’s flagship event!
We both live in Jacksonville, and the Aussie calls TPC Sawgrass his home club. Or rather, he DID until this week; I can’t imagine his privileges will stand after he strikes his opening tee shot on Thursday in Boston. I’ve also heard that all the branding for the 2023 Players, which was printed and good to go, has to now be changed – tickets, commercials, billboards, the lot! Another blow to the Tour.
Out of all the new signings, Smith and Niemann are the biggest losses. Both are young, exceptional and international talents. Speaking of blows, the Presidents Cup takes place in just a few short weeks, and International captain, Trevor Immelman, will be scrambling to replace a number of his key members. However, on the flip side, it opens the door for the next wave of talent to step in. I try to see the positive in all of this, however with legal battles, social media jabs and a divided golf world, it’s often tricky these days.
Next Up: LIV Golf Boston
With the LIV Golf Invitationals, the field is set at 48. As new names are added at each event, other, lesser-known players are being left on the cutting room floor. This week, for the Boston event, Hennie Du Plessis and Justin Harding are among the crew who have been dropped. Tough break for both of them, who have each recorded a top-10 finish — Du Plessis even finished runner-up at the inaugural event in London! As the weeks unfold, it will be interesting to see, or hear, what happens to them.
Whichever way you look at it, the line-up for LIV Boston is stacked. Smith, Johnson, DeChambeau, Koepka — this field has won 12 of the last 24 major championships. These guys are not washed up “has-beens”; there’s a real depth of talent on the LIV Golf roster now.
Last week at the Tour Championship, Jay Monaham announced changes coming to the PGA Tour — twelve elevated events with the biggest players, an expanded PIP program and a $500k earnings minimum. In short, there’s a lot more money on the table. It seems these new measures were enough to keep some other rumored LIV defectors, such as Cameron Young and Hideki Matsuyama.
There’s still a huge buzz around LIV Golf, and the new signings are only going to amplify the noise. Plus, with the PGA Tour on hiatus for two weeks before the new season begins, this week, and possibly this month with the Chicago event also happening, belongs to LIV.
I’ll take a closer look at LIV Boston, the field and the odds on Wednesday right here on Pickswise.
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