AP

Smith, Niemann among players to join Saudi-backed LIV Golf

Aug 29, 2022, 8:20 PM | Updated: Aug 30, 2022, 8:23 am

Cameron Smith, of Australia, hits from the third tee during the second round of the Tour Championsh...

Cameron Smith, of Australia, hits from the third tee during the second round of the Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club, Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

(AP Photo/John Bazemore)


              Harold Varner III watches his shot on the 17th tee during the first round of the BMW Championship golf tournament at Wilmington Country Club, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
            
              Cameron Tringale watches his shot on the third tee during the first round of the BMW Championship golf tournament at Wilmington Country Club, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
            
              The crowd reacts after Joaquin Niemann made an eagle putt on the eighteenth green during the second round of the Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club, Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
            
              Cameron Smith, of Australia, hits from the third tee during the second round of the Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club, Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

British Open champion Cameron Smith and Joaquin Niemann are among six players to leave the PGA Tour for Saudi-funded LIV Golf, which returns this week for a fourth tournament, this time outside of Boston.

The signing of Smith, who had been deflecting questions about his imminent departure since the day he won the claret jug, gives Greg Norman his first player from the top 10 in the world.

Smith, a 29-year-old from Australia, rose to No. 2 in the world ranking after winning at St. Andrews. He could have reached No. 1 with a victory at the start of the FedEx Cup playoffs. Now, that opportunity is gone. LIV Golf does not get ranking points, though it filed an application last month.

The PGA Tour is suspending members as soon as they put a ball in play at LIV Golf events.

Others to sign are Marc Leishman, a six-time PGA Tour winner from Australia who at age 38 has dropped out of the top 50 in the world, and three others who leave without ever having won on the PGA Tour — Americans Harold Varner III and Cameron Tringale and Anirban Lahiri of India.

Smith and Niemann, who is from Chile, were among the eight qualifiers for the International team at the Presidents Cup, which will be played in a month at Quail Hollow. Leishman and Lahiri previously have played in the matches.

Because the PGA Tour exclusively operates the Presidents Cup — unlike the Ryder Cup, which Europe operates on home soil — players who join LIV Golf are not eligible.

Niemann, 23, considered joining the rival league in February until Phil Mickelson’s disparaging comments about the Saudis and the PGA Tour stalled the launch of LIV Golf. Niemann then won the Genesis Invitational at Riviera and cited the competition and history as reasons he wanted to stay on the PGA Tour.

But all his best friends in golf have joined the rival series — Carlos Ortiz and Abraham Ancer of Mexico, Sergio Garcia of Spain — and they often shared a house and brought in their own chef for the week. His manager, Carlos Rodriguez of GSE Worldwide, said Niemann still had not signed a LIV Golf deal when he flew to Boston on Monday.

Along with winning the British Open for his first major, Smith won The Players Championship in March by one shot over Lahiri. Paul Casey was two shots behind, and now all three players have joined LIV Golf.

Along with big signing bonuses — The Daily Telegraph reported $150 million for Smith — players complete for $25 million in prize money at each of the LIV Golf Invitational events.

The Boston event is at The International, which about 45 minutes west of Boston. LIV Golf takes off next week because of the European tour flagship event at Wentworth in England, and then returns Sept. 16-18 to the Chicago suburbs.

___

More AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

1 year ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

1 year ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

1 year ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

1 year ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

1 year ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

1 year ago

Smith, Niemann among players to join Saudi-backed LIV Golf