One of the consequences of Smith’s 2022 defection to LIV Golf—which had its application to receive Official World Golf Rankings points for its no-cut, 54-hole events denied in October—has been his plummet down the OWGR. The problem is, the Olympics uses the OWGR as a basis to determine who qualifies to compete in its event.

When Australian star Smith joined LIV in the fall of 2022, he was ranked No. 2 in the World and the reigning Open champion with six-time PGA Tour winner to his credit. Now, he’s 18th—and only after a runner-up the previous week in the Asian Tour’s Hong Kong Open.

Smith has performed admirably on his new tour and at the majors in 2023. He won LIVs events in London and Bedminster and finished second on its season-long points list. Smith also recorded top-10 finishes at the PGA Championship (T-9) at Oak Hill and the U.S. Open (fourth) at LACC this year.

But it may count for little if he doesn’t perform well in the 2024 majors, likely the only tournaments where he’ll play where he can earn ranking points. The Olympics will automatically take the top 15 golfers on the OWGR to Paris, with a maximum of four per country. Outside the top 15, two players per country can be selected up to filling the 60-player field.

As it stands on the rankings, Australia’s team would be Smith (18) and Jason Day (21). But as his ranking continues to drop, Smith could be overtaken by Day and possibly Cameron Davis (44) or Min Woo Lee (45). Both those Australians play on the PGA Tour and have a much easier path to improve their rankings. Smith, who played at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo alongside Marc Leishman, desperately wants to compete in the Olympics again. The cut off for qualifying is June 17 for the men’s competition, the Monday after the end of the U.S. Open.

“I definitely want to be there, mate, 100 percent,” the 30-year-old said at this week’s Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland in Brisbane. “I know the criteria, I don’t know if that can change, but I’ve got these couple of events here [the Australian PGA and the Australian Open, which are co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and therefore receive world ranking points] and probably more looks again in the [2024] majors, so hopefully I can keep that ranking up and wear the (Australian national) coat of arms on the chest again, it’s pretty special.”

A solution, albeit a taxing one, is to add more Asian Tour events to his 2024 schedule in the lead up to the June. LIV Golf has invested $300 million into the Asian Tour, which does receive World Ranking points. In turn, the tour created the International Series, which typically has a handful of LIV players at each of its events.

“Yeah, I think I would,” Smith said of adding Asian Tour events to his schedule. “But I think that’s a kind of wait and see type of thing. Hopefully, like you said, these couple of events down here can do plenty for me and those majors can definitely lift it up a lot.”

Image: Eurasia Sport Images

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Campbell, who had not led at any stage of the tournament until that brilliant last putt, shot a four-under-par 66 to finish on 19-under-par and beat Smith by one and Phacahara by two.

Smith returned a 68 and Phachara a 69 here at the Hong Kong Golf Club, while Canadian Richard T. Lee came in with a 64 to tie for third.

All three players, playing in the final pairing, were tied playing the last with the chance of a sudden-death play-off very high.

Ben Campbell. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

However, Campbell won it in normal time after Smith had to lay up with his second shot and nearly holed his third before making a four, while Phachara missed his birdie putt from 25 feet and three putted after missing a three footer.

For Campbell, who also birdied the 17th, this is his maiden win on the Asian Tour, with his only other win in the professional game coming at the New Zealand PGA Championship in 2018.

“It’s good to finally get the monkey off the back and yeah, sort of just battling away all day,” said Campbell.

“Sort of didn’t get off to the greatest of starts and swing wasn’t feeling that great. Sort of went back to a few close losses and wrote a few notes down in my yardage book last night, and really used them on those last four or five holes.

“It was getting a bit tight in the swing and just from those past experiences managed to, I think, you know, put a couple of nice swings coming down the stretch which really helped.”

The victory is also just reward for a player who has struggled with injuries and missed six months last year due to a back issue which required surgery.

Cameron Smith. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

He said: “Even probably four months ago I was sort of battling with the body. I’ve had quite a few operations and bulged discs in the back and things like that, so had to change the swing quite a bit, especially in the last two or three years. So yeah, great to put that behind me now and the monkey’s off the back which is good.”

The most recent Kiwi winner of the Hong Kong Open was Frank Nobilo in 1997, while the only other was Walter Godfrey in 1972.

Smith and Phachara had started the day sharing the lead with Campbell one back.

Phachara looked to be heading for the win when he birdied three in a row from 11 and led by one from Smith and two from Campbell with three to go.

However, drama unfolded on the par-four 16th when he hooked his tee into the trees. He chose to try and hit his ball back into play from a treacherous lie but failed to get it out before just being able to advance his ball to the edge of the fairway with the next. He ended up making a costly double. He also birdied the next hole before his disappointing finish on 18.

“Today my putting was not so good like the last three days, but I played well since the beginning until the 16th hole,” said Phachara.

“I was in a very difficult situation at that moment that I couldn’t do anything. Also, there were broken trees which was an obstacle so I couldn’t step backwards to drop the ball. I had to keep trying to hit it. However, I’m satisfied with my overall performance that I can make under-par for today.

“Playing with world-class players like Cameron was an honour, and I did well until the last. However, it’s just not my time yet.”

Smith struggled with his driver and long irons over the weekend and was disappointed not to win for the first time in Asia.

“Pretty poor over the weekend I guess but I hung in there so lots of positives,” said the Australian

“Definitely wasn’t the nicest golf to be played over last couple of days, still lots to work on.”

Phachara Khongwatmai. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

American Andy Ogletree was the other big winner today after he was confirmed as the winner of The International Series Order of Merit, which hands him a ‘golden ticket’ onto next year’s multi-million dollar LIV Golf League.

He finished in joint 15th following a 69.

“At the moment it’s hard enough to think about the way I played today but I am so excited to win the Order of Merit,” said the American.

“It’s been a lot of hard work this year and a lot of great golf has gone into this and I just want to thank everyone that’s gotten me to this point. The Asian Tour for all that they’ve done and my team back home for allowing me to play the way I’ve played this year. I couldn’t be more excited, and I can’t wait to play LIV next year.”

Yubin Jang, the 21-year-old who turned professional last month after helping Korea win gold in the team event at the Asian Games, stormed through earlier in the day with a 63, spoiled only by a bogey on the last, to end in fifth place on 16 under.

The Asian Tour heads to the BNI Indonesian Masters presented by TNE next week. The US$1.5 million event will be played at Royale Jakarta Golf Club and is the final International Series event of the season, and the third from last tournament on the Asian Tour schedule.

Main image: Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour

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The pair lead on 11-under-par here at the Hong Kong Golf Club, with Bae recording a 63, after the morning session was completed.

American Micah Laurent Shin (63), Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana (64) and Harrison Crowe (65) from Australia are one shot back, in the penultimate leg of this year’s International Series.

Smith admitted he wasn’t quite at his best today despite nailing six birdies with two bogeys.

“It was a lot tougher [today],” said the 2022 Open winner, who made three birdies on the trot from the first.

Sangmoon Bae. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

“Early alarm this morning, body wasn’t quite working. But you know, it was alright, it was a little bit scrappy, to be honest. It was good to get out of there with three or four under there.”

His two round total is already three shots better than when he finished ninth here in 2014, the only other time he has played in the event.

He added: “I’d like to think that I improve every year. You know, that was a long time ago, I probably didn’t hit the ball as far, and I probably didn’t do anything as good as what I’m doing at the moment. So yeah, completely different scenario and hopefully I can keep improving.”

Bae, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, registered an eagle, seven birdies and two bogeys.

Said the Korean, who is making his first appearance here since 2007: “It was a really good round, I mean I started with bogey on my first hole, it was a little disappointing but after that I tried to really focus on my game, and it came back.”

“I really liked this course; this is a really tricky rough and the greens are really fast. So really, you need to hit the right spots from the second shot, so it’s more of an iron shot course and I really like it.”

His fine start to the tournament has ratified his decision to be here this week.

“I was in the field in Bermuda on the PGA Tour this week, but I made a decision to play in China, here, and maybe Indonesia next week, so I think it was a really good decision,” he said.

“And, you know, I’m trying to find my game, and so far it’s really good. I mean, the putting is good, iron shots are good so I’m really excited to play on the weekend.”

His compatriot Yubin Jang carded a 67 and is in sixth place on nine under.

Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho looked to be heading for an early exit but birdied his last two holes to shoot a 68 and move to two under for the event, which should see him through to the weekend.

He said: “Pretty rough first few holes I would say. Didn’t quite pick the right shots at the right times. And made some poor swings so that compounded errors.

Sadom Kaewkanjana. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

“But I am really happy I was able to stay in the present at all times. I was quite far out of the tournament, but I stayed disciplined to my game plan. I was really happy to finish mentally strong.”

Main image: Asian Tour

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One of the three will be crowned 2023 LIV Golf League Individual Champion on Sunday at LIV Golf Jeddah.

The season-long title comes with a substantial bonus: $18 million. And a place in history — as LIV Golf’s first full-season winner.

“Being the first one ever for a full season would be kind of cool,” Smith said. “This only happens once.”

Dustin Johnson was the Individual Champion for the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational beta-test year in 2022. He was a dominant force during the abbreviated seven-tournament regular season, arriving at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club having already clinched the title.

That’s not the case this time.

Through the first 12 events of 2023, Smith, the Ripper captain, tops the standings with 170 points, having won twice this season. Gooch, the RangeGoats star with three wins in 2023, is his closest pursuer with 162 points.

DeChambeau, the Crushers captain, has won two of the last three LIV Golf tournaments after a slow start to vault into third place with 146 points.

With 40 points for a tournament victory, 30 points for second, and only the top 24 on the leaderboard (after tiebreakers) offering points, there are multiple scenarios for each player to emerge as champion — about a dozen each for Smith and Gooch, three for DeChambeau.

The maths can be a bit dizzying — except, perhaps, for DeChambeau, aka The Scientist ­— but there is one relatively easy way to guarantee the best possible outcome:
Win the tournament.

“The only scenario that I have control of is if I go and win,” Gooch said. “That takes care of everything.”

Added Smith: “For sure there’s a little bit more up for grabs this week.”

In addition to the first-place bonus, the season-long race also awards bonuses to the second- and third-place finishers. No matter how Smith and Gooch fare this week, they are guaranteed at least one of the top 3 bonus spots.

DeChambeau, however, does not have that fallback position. While he must finish on the podium in Jeddah to have any shot at winning the Individual title, there are five other players who enter this week with a mathematical chance of overtaking DeChambeau for third place in the season race.

That doesn’t seem likely to happen, given DeChambeau’s form at the moment.

He shot 61-58 on the weekend to win his first LIV Golf tournament in Greenbrier in early August, then rallied with a 63 in the final round in Chicago last month to overtake Crushers teammate Anirban Lahiri for his second win. He credits the new Krank Golf driver that he put in his bag with turning around his season. “That’s really ultimately what did it,” he said.

Now he seems unbeatable.

Still, he faces the challenge of needing to play aggressively to catch Smith and Gooch while also trying to protect his bonus-paying position. How will he balance the two approaches?

“It’s just a focus on winning,” DeChambeau said. “That’s all it is. I don’t know what else to say. If you try to think, oh, I’ve got to save my spot, you’re not in the right mindset. You shouldn’t be there.”

Seeing major winners Smith and DeChambeau in contention for the Individual title should surprise no one. If you’ve followed Gooch’s path as a LIV golfer, you shouldn’t be surprised he’s in the mix, either.

A year ago, while playing for 4Aces, Gooch started the season with four consecutive top-10 finishes and was a key cog in the team’s domination of the team race.

Jumping to Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats for 2023, he eventually began turning opportunities into victories. The breakthrough statement came with consecutive 10-under 62s en route to winning in Adelaide.

“It’s been a culmination of years of hard work and patience,” Gooch said. “I played really well last year, and I couldn’t close out some tournaments. Some of that experience of failing last year I think kind of set me up to succeed for this year when I was in those same positions.”

Smith, who won last year in Chicago in just his second start after joining LIV Golf, entered the 2023 season with high expectations.

After a couple of disappointing non-points finishes, he was re-energised back home in Australia with a strong performance and was trending toward a win, which he achieved in London — and repeated two starts later in Bedminster.

“I was a bit rusty,” Smith said about his 2023 start. “I spent a fair bit of time down in Australia, probably had a few too many pies. Golf really wasn’t the focus. Definitely in a much better spot than what it was in January.”

On Friday, with groupings arranged by position in the season-long standings, the trio of Smith, Gooch and DeChambeau will tee off on No. 1 to start the opening round.

Of course, the ideal scenario — at least for golf fans — would be to see them together again late Sunday afternoon, duelling for a tournament title, a team title, and, of course, the Individual Champion crown.

TEE TIMES

Main image: Cameron Smith, Bryson DeChambeau and Talor Gooch. LIV Golf

TALE OF THE TAPE

Breaking down the 2023 LIV Golf League season for the three contenders of the Individual Champion title

LIV Golf

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They will join last year’s Open Championship winner and Gooch’s fellow LIV Individual Champion front-runner Cameron Smith, two-time Hong Kong Open victor Wade Ormsby, and local hero Taichi Kho — winner of March’s World City Championship.

The world’s top golfers are making the trip to Fanling drawn by the Hong Kong Open’s history, its new status as an event on The International Series — 10 elite-level tournaments sanctioned by the Asian Tour, providing a pathway to the LIV Golf League — and its purse of $2 million.

The 31-year-old Gooch is making his Hong Kong Open debut in record-breaking form, having won three times already this season on LIV Golf — in Adelaide, Singapore and Andalucía — becoming the first-ever player to achieve that feat on the fledgling global circuit.

“I am excited to be making my debut appearance at the Hong Kong Open in 2023. I have heard a lot about the city and the Hong Kong Golf Club from other players, and I look forward to playing in front of the knowledgeable galleries in Fanling,” said Gooch.

“Last year I didn’t get a win, so this year I was just so focused on getting an individual win. You don’t think much past the first one until you get it. I definitely didn’t have three in mind for the season, but it’s cool to be here.”

Cameron Smith. LIV Golf

Gooch and Smith are two of the three LIV Golf stars in contention, along with American Bryson DeChambeau, for the 2023 LIV Golf Individual Champion crown to be decided at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on October 13-15.

A top-10 finish for Gooch at the LIV Golf Chicago has him in contention for the individual title on 162 points in the individual standings, eight behind Smith’s leading 170.

Another confirmed star for the Hong Kong Open, Lahiri, performed even better in Chicago, finishing tied for second in what was his third top-10 finish this season.

The 36-year-old is no stranger to Fanling, with seven Asian Tour titles to his name, he has a best finish of tied for seventh at the Hong Kong Open back in 2015.

Lahiri will also be familiar with fellow headliner Smith, having finished as runner-up to the young Australian at The Players Championship in 2022.

Chacarra is ranked eighth in The International Series Order of Merit standings. The Spanish star turned pro in 2022 to join the LIV Golf League and struck gold on his fifth ever event winning the LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok.

His debut non-LIV Golf win came on The International Series at the Asian Tour’s inaugural St Andrew’s Bay Championships in August, when he defeated Matt Jones in a 10-hole playoff, the longest in Asian Tour history.

Main image: Talor Gooch. Asian Tour

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Ripper captain Cameron Smith, RangeGoats star Talor Gooch and Crushers skipper Bryson DeChambeau are the only golfers with a mathematical chance of claiming the title, which will be decided in Jeddah at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club on October 13-15.

Those three players have combined to win seven of the first 12 regular-season tournaments and are the only ones with multiple victories this season. Gooch has three wins, while Smith and DeChambeau have each won two of the last four tournaments.

Smith tops the Individual standings with 170 points, while Gooch is at 162 points and DeChambeau at 146 points following his victory on Sunday at LIV Golf Chicago.

Smith led by 21 points entering Rich Harvest Farms but failed to finish inside the top 24 that receives points. Gooch finished seventh in points in Chicago, allowing him to close the gap. DeChambeau moved from seventh to third in the standings with the win.

LIV Golf

Smith, of course, can clinch the title by winning in Jeddah. Gooch would also clinch the title with a victory, even if Smith finishes second. In that scenario, both players would have the same number of points (202), but Gooch would win the tiebreaker due to more tournament wins this year.

If DeChambeau wins in Jeddah, he would win the title provided Smith finishes no better than fifth or Gooch finishes no better than third.

If DeChambeau wins and Smith finishes fifth, they would both have 186 points. DeChambeau would win the tiebreaker due to more victories.

If DeChambeau wins and Gooch finishes third, they would both have 186 points. Although each would have three wins at that point, DeChambeau would claim the tiebreaker due to his next best finish, a second in Andalucia.

4 Aces’s Patrick Reed, currently fourth in points with 121, can finish no better than third in the standings should he win in Jeddah.

Reed, Smash captain Brooks Koepka, Stinger’s Branden Grace, 4 Aces Captain Dustin Johnson and Torque’s Mito Pereira each have a mathematical chance to claim the third place, which is the last bonus-paying position.

Johnson won the Individual Champion title last season in LIV Golf’s debut, while Grace finished second.

Main image: Cameron Smith, Talor Gooch and Bryson DeChambeau. LIV Golf

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Cameron Smith collected another LIV Golf victory on Sunday as the league returned to Trump Bedminster, host of the event for the second straight year. The Aussie cruised to victory too, shooting 12-under total to top Anirban Lahiri by seven shots. Abraham Ancer, Patrick Reed and Dean Burmester tied for third place at four under.

Smith earned $4,000,000 for his win from the $20-million individual purse in the 54-hole, no-cut event. His Ripper GC team — Smith with fellow Aussies Marc Leishman, Jediah Morgan and Matt Jones — won the team competition in runaway fashion too, topping Crushers GC by 11 shots to earn another $3,000,000 that is to be distributed evenly among the four members.

Last year’s winner at Bedminster, Henrik Stenson did not record a round under par for the week and tied for 33rd place at five over.

Here’s the prize money payout for the field at Trump National.

INDIVIDUAL
Win: Cameron Smith, -12, $4,000,000
2: Anirban Lahiri, -5, $2,250,000
T-3: Abraham Ancer, -4, $1,100,000
T-3: Patrick Reed, -4, $1,100,000
T-3: Dean Burmester, -4, $1,100,000
6: Branden Grace, -3, $700,000
T-7: Joaquin Niemann, -2, $570,000
T-7: Marc Leishman, -2, $570,000
T-9: Charles Howell III, -1, $437,500
T-9: Phil Mickelson, -1, $437,500
T-11: Richard Bland, E, $331,428.57
T-11: Graeme McDowell, E, $331,428.57
T-11: Brendan Steele, E, $331,428.57
T-11: Dustin Johnson, E, $331,428.57
T-11: Talor Gooch, E, $331,428.57
T-11: Kevin Na, E, $331,428.57
T-11: Carlos Ortiz, E, $331,428.57
T-18: Bryson DeChambeau, +1, $240,000
T-18: Harold Varner III, +1, $240,000
T-18: Mito Pereira, +1, $240,000
T-18: Cameron Tringale, +1, $240,000
T-18: Charl Schwartzel, +1, $240,000
T-18: Jason Kokrak, +1, $240,000
T-18: Bubba Watson, +1, $240,000
T-25: James Piot, +2, $202,500
T-25: Thomas Pieters, +2, $202,500
T-27: Jediah Morgan, +3, $190,000
T-27: David Puig, +3, $190,000
T-27: Bernd Weisberger, +3, $190,000
T-30: Matt Jones, +4, $176,000
T-30: Paul Casey, +4, $175,000
T-30: Sergio Garcia, +4, $175,000
T-33: Sihwan Kim, +5, $155,500
T-33: Henrik Stenson, +5, $155,500
T-33: Peter Uihlein, +5, $155,500
T-33: Louis Oosthuizen, +5, $155,500
T-33: Laurie Canter, +5, $155,500
T-38: Brooks Koepka, +7, $141,250
T-38: Sebastian Munoz, +7, $141,250
T-38: Ian Poulter, +7, $141,250
T-38: Scott Vincent, +7, $141,250
42: Matt Wolff, +8, $135,000
T-43: Eugenio Chacarra, +10, $131,250
T-43: Pat Perez, +10, $131,250
45: Chase Koepka, +14, $127,500
46: Danny Lee, +15, $125,000
47: Martin Kaymer, +17, $122,500
48: Lee Westwood, +20, $120,000

TEAM
Win: Ripper GC, -20, $3,000,000
T-2: Crushers GC, -9, $1,000,000
T-2: Stinger GC, -9, $1,000,000

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The all-Australian quartet left nothing to chance on Sunday at LIV Golf Bedminster. With Smith running away with the individual trophy and young Jediah Morgan having the most impressive round of his LIV career, the Rippers won their first-ever team title by 11 strokes, the biggest team margin of victory this season.

“I won a couple of weeks ago in London, and I wasn’t happy with the way that I won,” Smith said. “… I didn’t want the same thing to happen today.”

Starting the day with a four-shot lead, Smith overcame a shaky start and pulled away with a stretch of four birdies in five holes midway through his round. His three-under 68 left him at 12-under as he won by seven strokes over Anirban Lahiri. Abraham Ancer, Patrick Reed and Dean Burmester tied for third at 4-under, with Ancer claiming the third-place points finish with the better final round.

Smith’s individual winning margin is the largest in LIV Golf history, besting the six-stroke victory by Bryson DeChambeau last week at Greenbrier. It also moved Smith into first place in the Individual Champion points standings. With two regular-season events left, Smith now has a 21-point lead over three-time winner Talor Gooch as he seeks the season-long title.

“It’s something that I’ve worked for, something that was a goal of mine at the start of the year was to be up there with at least a chance for the last event,” Smith said, who won for the third time in 15 regular-season LIV starts dating back to last season.

While Smith has done plenty of celebrating since joining LIV Golf, his Ripper teammates were happy to join him atop the podium on Sunday for the first time.

“Just the satisfaction of being able to celebrate a win with some of your best mates in the world,” said Marc Leishman. “We got close in London as a team, but it was a weird feeling on the 18th green.

“For us to pull ahead as a team and be able to celebrate on that 18th green an individual victory, a team victory, eight happy blokes -— caddies, teams, everything -— it was more than that. That’s what LIV Golf is all about, that team side of it, and just celebrating together.”

Besides Smith’s 68, the key contribution for the Rippers on Sunday came from the 23-year-old Morgan, who bounced back from a second-round 78 to shoot a five-under 66, the low round of the day. Morgan had three birdies during a four-hole stretch on his first nine, then eagled the par-5 eighth and birdied the par-4 ninth late in his round.

“I was not very happy with myself after yesterday. To shoot seven-over and just kind of let myself down and obviously these guys down a bit, it annoyed me a little bit,” said Morgan, who spoke to his dad after Saturday’s round. “I just had to let some emotion out. To come back — I didn’t change anything today. I just played better.”

Matt Jones, whose one-under 70 was the other contributing score Sunday, added: “I think all of us will say that we’re very more than happy for Jed to be doing that because we all know what he can do. We all believe in what he can do.”

Although the Rippers are mathematically eliminated from claiming one of the top four spots in the team standings that receive byes, they will enter the final stretch of the 2023 season with plenty of momentum. Last year, they claimed second at the Team Championship.

“Today was awesome,” Morgan said. “I didn’t look at the leaderboards all day, and then my caddie on the last hole just said, mate, we’ve got a 10-shot lead, and I was like, you’re kidding. Yeah, it’s been nice.”

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There was nothing weird about his play in Friday’s first round at LIV Golf Bedminster. Dialled in on a tough, challenging course, the Ripper captain opened with a five-under 66 to grab a one-stroke lead over Charles Howell III at Trump National Bedminster.

“A little bit different to last week, which was the goal — especially today,” said Smith, seeking his second individual win of the season after last month’s victory in London.

The Australian star wasn’t the only one having a bounce-back moment.

Charles Howell III of Crushers shot a 67 on day one of LIV Golf Bedminster. Team leaders 4 Aces suffered thier worst-ever team result, a last-place finish in Greenbrier. But with Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed shooting twin three-under 68s on Friday to share third place on the individual leaderboard, the Aces are tied for second with Stinger, one shot behind the Rippers.

“Definitely shocked, of course,” Reed said about last week. “Our team is way better than finishing last in a golf tournament. But at the same time, you just kind of go to one of those golf courses that doesn’t really fit your eye. If it happens not to fit a couple other guys on the team’s eye, either, you can just kind of get in one of those funks.”

With just three tournaments left in the regular season, a poor result can be costly in both the individual and team races. With Torque winning in Greenbrier, the 4 Aces’ lead was reduced to seven points.

Dustin Johnson. LIV Golf

But after a hot start by the Aces on Friday, and Torque back in the pack in 10th place, it’s an opportunity for the Aces to rebuild their lead and create some separation from the closest chasers. They won at Bedminster last year during a stretch of four consecutive victories.

“Obviously coming in here, it’s a really good golf course, tough golf course. I think our team plays better on courses like this,” said 4 Aces captain Dustin Johnson. “We want to have a good week, and obviously we need to extend our lead a little bit.”

Smith is in his own race for the season-long Individual Champion title. He entered this week in second place, 15 points behind three-time tournament winner Talor Gooch, who is tied for 15th after the first round after shooting an even-par 71.

Trying to chase down Gooch, who has won three times this season, was one of the reasons Smith put in extra work on the range and practice greens this week.

“That was part of the reason for the work … to be the best at the end of the season. That’s what you want to be,” Smith said. “Sure, you want to win tournaments, but I think proving it over 13 tournaments is much better than one.”

TEAM COUNTING SCORES

Here are the standings and counting scores for Friday’s opening round of the team competition at LIV Golf Bedminster. The three best scores from each team count in every round for their total team score. The team with the lowest cumulative score after three rounds wins the team title.
1. RIPPER (-4): Cameron Smith 66, Marc Leishman 71, Jediah Morgan 72
T2. STINGER (-3): Dean Burmester 69, Branden Grace 70, Charl Schwartzel 71
T2. 4 ACES (-3): Dustin Johnson 68, Patrick Reed 68, Peter Uihlein 74
T4. HYFLYERS (-2): Phil Mickelson 70, Cameron Tringale 70, Brendan Steele 71
T4. RANGEGOATS (-2): Bubba Watson 69, Harold Varner III 71, Talor Gooch 71
6. CRUSHERS (-1): Charles Howell III 67, Paul Casey 72, Bryson DeChambeau 73
7. FIREBALLS (E): Abraham Ancer 69, Carlos Ortiz 70, Sergio Garcia 74
T8. SMASH (+1): Jason Kokrak 69, Brooks Koepka 72, Matthew Wolff 73
T8. CLEEKS (+1): Bernd Wiesberger 69, Graeme McDowell 72, Richard Bland 73
10. TORQUE (+3): Joaquin Niemann 70, Sebastian Munoz 73, Mito Pereira 73
11. IRON HEADS (+4): Kevin Na 71, Sihwan Kim 72, Scott Vincent 74
12. MAJESTICKS (+7): Henrik Stenson 71, Laurie Canter 74, Lee Westwood 75

The post Cam Smith back to the top in LIV Golf Bedminster as 4 Aces bounce back appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Last month in finishing fourth at the US Open, Cameron Smith was happy with the way his driver performed. “Feels better than what it did last year,” he said.

Two weeks ago in winning LIV Golf London, Smith wasn’t as completely satisfied, especially on the weekend as he tried to protect the lead. “I have to do some work on that,” he said. “If there’s one thing, I think it would just be tidy up that driver.”

So, the question becomes upon entering this week’s Open Championship: Did Smith solve enough of whatever issues he was having with the driver to successfully defend his title? And if not, will it even matter given his prowess with the putter and his short-game ability?

Despite the victory at Centurion Club, the Ripper captain acknowledged he’s yet to have a complete tournament, one in which he’s fired on all cylinders. But he’s definitely trending. Perhaps this week will be the culmination of the work he’s done lately to fine-tune the few parts of his game that still need it.

“My 5-iron and up has always been a bit of a struggle for me, and that’s an area of the game that we’ve worked probably harder than we have on in the past,” Smith said at Royal Liverpool. “I feel like it’s right there. It just all has to come together. I think the first round I had at Centurion a couple of weeks ago was the first time where I felt like it had all come together, and then the driver, again, wasn’t my best friend on the weekend there.

“But I managed to kind of scramble out a good week, so, yeah, it’s there. It just hasn’t been there for all four rounds. But it feels really close.”

Smith is one of 16 LIV Golf League members in this week’s field at Hoylake. At least one LIV golfer has finished inside the top five in each of the previous three majors this season – Phil Mickelson (T2), Brooks Koepka (T2) and Patrick Reed (T4) at the Masters; Koepka (winner) and Bryson DeChambeau (T4) at the PGA Championship, and Smith (4th) at the US Open.

Here’s a quick look at each of those 16 players. Also included are their results in the two most recent Opens played at Royal Liverpool, in 2006 and 2014:

Brooks Koepka. Ramsey Cardy

BROOKS KOEPKA
Top exemption category: 4. Top 50 OWGR (for Week 21 in 2023)
Open starts/best finish: 8 starts/T4 (2019)
Royal Liverpool results: T67 (2014)
Major starts/best finish: 37 starts/5 wins (2017 US Open, 2018 US Open, 2018 PGA, 2019 PGA, 2023 PGA)
Outlook: Koepka missed the cut at last year’s Open but does have four top 10s in his last six Open starts. With one major already in his pocket this season, he’s looking to double up — and add the third leg to the career Grand Slam.

CAMERON SMITH
Top exemption category: 1. Open Champions
Open starts/best finish: 5 starts/Win (2022)
Royal Liverpool results: none
Major starts/best finish: 28 starts/Win (2022 Open)
Outlook: The defending champ comes in on a high note off his individual victory in London. His last two major starts are a T9 at the PGA and a solo fourth at the US Open. No one will be surprised if he becomes the first player since Padraig Harrington in 2008 to successfully defend the Claret Jug.

DUSTIN JOHNSON
Top exemption category: 3. Top 10 in 2022 Open
Open starts/best finish: 13 starts/T2 (2011)
Royal Liverpool results: T12 (2014)
Major starts/best finish: 56 starts/2 wins (2016 US Open, 2020 Masters)
Outlook: He’s finished T8 and T6 in the previous two Opens, and he comes off his best major result of 2023 with a T10 last month at the US Open. With three top 10s (including the Tulsa win) in his last four LIV Golf starts, DJ arrives at Hoylake with a decent amount of momentum.

Bryson DeChambeau. Andrew Redington

BRYSON DECHAMBEAU
Top exemption category: 3. Top 10 in 2022 Open
Open starts/best finish: 5 starts/T8 (2022)
Royal Liverpool results: none
Major starts/best finish: 27 starts/Win (2020 US Open)
Outlook: Still seeking his first win since 2021, but he’s been rounding into form. Was runner-up in Andalucía and has shot 17 consecutive LIV rounds under par. His T4 at the PGA is another good sign, and his T8 in last year’s Open was a links confidence booster.

TALOR GOOCH
Top exemption category: 12. Top 30 in 2022 FedExCup
Open starts/best finish: 2 starts/T33 (2021)
Royal Liverpool results: none
Major starts/best finish: 10 starts/T14 (2022 Masters)
Outlook: The biggest tournament of his career? Perhaps. Gooch has three wins and leads LIV Golf’s points race this season. Now he has an opportunity to send a message to others in professional golf that he’s an elite performer. Lots at stake beyond the Claret Jug.

PATRICK REED
Top exemption category: 4. Top 50 OWGR (for Week 21 in 2023)
Open starts/best finish: 8 starts/10th (2019)
Royal Liverpool results: MC (2014)
Major starts/best finish: 38 starts/Win (2018 Masters)
Outlook: Has been impressive in his two LIV starts in Europe, with a T5 at Andalucía and a T2 in London. Slow opening rounds have kept him out of the individual winner’s circle since joining LIV but expect him to make things interesting on the weekend.

Louis Oosthuizen. Patrick Smith

LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN
Top exemption category: 1. Past champion
Open starts/best finish: 15 starts/Win (2010)
Royal Liverpool results: MC (2006), T36 (2014)
Major starts/best finish: 56 starts/Win (2010 Open)
Outlook: He’s showing signs of good form, especially at LIV Golf London when he shot a second-round 63 and eventually finished solo fourth. His only previous major start this season was at the Masters, where he withdrew due to injury.

BRANDEN GRACE
Top exemption category: Final qualifying, Royal Cinque Ports
Open starts/best finish: 10 starts/T6 (2017)
Royal Liverpool results: T36 (2014)
Major starts/best finish: 37 starts/3rd (2015 PGA)
Outlook: Playing in his first major of the year, Grace knows how to make some noise at the Open — he’s the only player to shoot a round of 62 in the tournament’s first 150 years (2017 at Royal Birkdale). It’s been a bit of a roller-coaster in form during the LIV Golf season but he’s dangerous when on.

JOAQUIN NIEMANN
Top exemption category: 4. Top 50 OWGR (for Week 21 in 2023)
Open starts/best finish: 3 starts/T53 (2022)
Royal Liverpool results: none
Major starts/best finish: 18 starts/T16 (2023 Masters)
Outlook: From a team standpoint, it’s been a terrific season for the Torque captain. Individually? Not so much, although he’s had a couple of backdoor top 10s. Still, he remains one of LIV’s best performers with the irons.

THOMAS PIETERS
Top exemption category: 5. Top 30 Race to Dubai, 2022
Open starts/best finish: 5 starts/T28 (2018, 2022)
Royal Liverpool results: none
Major starts/best finish: 21 starts/T4 (2017 Masters)
Outlook: By his own admission, the big Belgian hasn’t played great this season, but the tie for sixth in London in his most recent start was his best result since joining LIV.

Henrik Stenson. LIV Golf

HENRIK STENSON
Top exemption category: 1. Past champion
Open starts/best finish: 17 starts/Win (2016)
Royal Liverpool results: T48 (2006), T39 (2014)
Major starts/best finish: 64 starts/Win (2016 Open)
Outlook: Has missed the cut in seven of his last nine major starts, but he may have found something lately, with top 10s in two of his last three LIV starts. Said he’s out to prove that he can still be competitive. “When things are working,” he said. “I still have the game to compete.”

PHIL MICKELSON
Top exemption category: 1. Past champion
Open starts/best finish: 28 starts/Win (2013)
Royal Liverpool results: T22 (2006), T23 (2014)
Major starts/best finish: 120 starts/6 wins (2004 Masters, 2005 PGA, 2006 Masters, 2010 Masters, 2013 Open, 2021 PGA)
Outlook: Since his runner-up finish to Henrik Stenson in their epic Open battle in 2016, Mickelson has missed the cut in four of his last five Open starts. The T2 at the Masters this year was a statement performance, but for most of 2023, the results have been disappointing.

ABRAHAM ANCER
Top exemption category: 4. Top 50 OWGR (for Week 21 in 2023)
Open starts/best finish: 4 starts/T11 (2022)
Royal Liverpool results: none
Major starts/best finish: 17 starts/T8 (2021 PGA)
Outlook: Has spent most of the season searching to find the form he showed by winning in Saudi Arabia in early February. Maybe things are starting to turn his way, as he comes off his best LIV result of the year in London (tie for 11th).

RICHARD BLAND
Top exemption category: 5. Top 30 Race to Dubai, 2022
Open starts/best finish: 4 starts/T22 (2017)
Royal Liverpool results: none
Major starts/best finish: 8 starts/T22 (2017 Open)
Outlook: At age 50 and with no guarantees of future major starts, he’s going to cherish this opportunity. Played well in London (T6), so he should have some confidence entering this week.

Laurie Canter. LIV Golf

LAURIE CANTER
Top exemption category: Final qualifying/Royal Porthcawl
Open starts/best finish: 3 starts/T37 (2017)
Royal Liverpool results: none
Major starts/best finish: 4 starts/T37 (2017 Open)
Outlook: Was four strokes better than anybody else in his qualifying field and had a good start in London. He and Bland will carry the English banner for the LIV contingent.

CHARL SCHWARTZEL
Top exemption category: Final qualifying/Royal Cinque Ports
Open starts/best finish: 14 starts/T7 (2014)
Royal Liverpool results: T22 (2006), T7 (2014)
Major starts/best finish: 57 starts/Win (2011 Masters)
Outlook: 2023 has not been a productive season for the South African but there have been occasional flashes, like the second-round 66 in London, his weekend in Tulsa, and his T9 in Adelaide. This will be his first Open start since 2018. His best result came at Royal Liverpool in 2014. Maybe some good vibes will return nine years later.

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