Cameron Smith Goes To LIV, Who Goes To LIV, Marc Leishman, Anirban Lahiri, Joaquin Niemann, Harold Varner, Cameron Tringale.
British Open champion Cameron Smith of Australia is among several US PGA Tour players set to defect to rival Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series, according to reports on Sunday.
World number two Smith had been the subject of several reports about joining LIV Golf shortly after lifting the Claret Jug last month but avoided discussing the subject while playing in this month's FedEx PGA Cup playoffs.
Golf Channel, unnamed sources reported that several big-name PGA players were waiting until Sunday after the PGA's Tour Championship in Atlanta to announce their plans to join LIV Golf.
Smith will play in next week's LIV Golf event in Boston along with countryman Marc Leishman, Indian Anirban Lahiri, Chilean Joaquin Niemann, and Americans Harold Varner and Cameron Tringale, according to Sports Illustrated and ESPN. At the same time, Golf Channel named everyone but Lahiri.
Chilean Mito Pereira will also be heading to LIV Golf but wasn't sure for Boston, leaving his status up for next month's Presidents Cup in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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The team event, which pits a US team against a non-European international lineup, would not be open to any players banned by the PGA, and all players who have teed off at any LIV Golf event have received instant indefinite suspensions.
LIV Golf's record $25 million purse and 54-hole format have attracted several big-name players to the new series, including Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Patrick Reed, and Dustin Johnson.
The Internationals lineup has already been affected by the defections to LIV Golf of South African Louis Oosthuizen, several compatriots, and Mexicans Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz.
"Our players chose me to lead the international team to the best of my ability, and I will fully carry out this honor," international captain Trevor Immelman of South Africa told Golf Channel.
Immelman is expected to be able to replace any unavailable players who were part of the points team with additional captain picks.
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