World No. 2 Golfer Transfers to LIV Due to Schedule... What Are the Differences with the PGA Tour?

'Number 2' Cameron Smith "Attractive Schedule Led to LIV Decision"
8 LIV Series Events This Year vs 48 PGA Tour Events

Cameron Smith is kissing the Claret Jug immediately after winning The Open.

[Asia Economy Reporter Tae-won Choi] Cameron Smith (Australia), ranked 2nd in the world, chose to join LIV Golf due to its "attractive schedule." This reason has drawn attention to the schedules of the PGA Tour and the LIV Invitational Series.

On the 30th (local time), the LIV Series announced that it had signed six players who were active on the PGA Tour, including Smith, Mark Leishman (Australia), Joaquin Niemann (Chile), Anirban Lahiri (India), Harold Varner III, and Cameron Tringale (both USA).

Smith, who won The Open Championship, a major tournament, in July, became the highest-ranked player in the LIV Series. Before his transfer, Dustin Johnson (USA), ranked 22nd in the world, was the highest-ranked player among LIV Series participants.

Smith won three tournaments this year: the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January, The Players Championship in March, and The Open in July. He is a star player who earned $10,107,897 (approximately 13.6 billion KRW) in the 2021-2022 PGA Tour season alone, finishing 20th in the FedEx Cup last week.

The players who confirmed their transfer to the LIV Series will participate starting from the 4th LIV Series event, held over three days from September 2 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Smith stated that the "attractive schedule" was the primary reason for his transfer. Due to the relatively relaxed LIV Series schedule, he can find more personal time compared to his PGA Tour activities.

Smith explained, "The biggest reason I moved to LIV Golf is the attractive schedule. I can spend more time at my home in Australia and participate in events. I couldn't do that before. Being able to find a part of my life was appealing. Life in the US is good, but I couldn't attend friends' weddings or birthday parties. Also, just watching friends have fun at rugby games was tough in small ways."

The LIV Series has significantly fewer tournaments compared to the PGA Tour. Launched in June, the LIV Series will hold 8 tournaments this year and 14 next year. This season, LIV starts its first event in June and holds 8 tournaments until the end of October in Miami, USA, before entering a break. The off-season lasts until mid-February next year.

The PGA Tour held 45 tournaments and 3 playoffs in the 2021-2022 season. The season opened last September with the Fortinet Championship in Napa, California, USA, and continued for nearly a year until last week's Tour Championship. Smith also emphasized, "The decisive reason I decided to go to LIV Golf is that I can spend three months a year in Australia."

It was also reported that at least one LIV Golf tournament will be held in Australia next year. Australia Golf Digest reported that an LIV Golf tournament will take place in Sydney at the end of April next year. Smith said, "I am confident that participating together with Leishman will enhance the appeal of LIV Golf."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.