LIV Golf Expected To Sign Its Best Player Yet

The LIV Golf Invitational Series is about to make one of its biggest splashes yet. After signing some of the world's most popular golfers, the league is expected to land its best player to date.

Cam Smith is joining LIV Golf for a deal worth $100 million, according to The Telegraph. Smith is the No. 2 player in the world golf rankings after winning the 2022 British Open.

Smith is competing for the FedExCup, and trails only world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler in the standings. The 28-year-old isn't expected to officially leave the PGA Tour for LIV Golf until after the FedExCup playoffs are completed.

Phil Mickelson reportedly inked a $200 million deal to become the biggest name on the LIV Golf tour. The likes of Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau are also among the sport's marquee names, but Smith will easily be the highest-ranked LIV Golf player. Dustin Johnson currently holds that distinction as the No. 18 player in the world golf rankings.

Smith has six career PGA Tour victories, three of which have come during the 2021-2022 season. The British Open champ has recorded seven top-10 finishes this year while earning just short of $10 million.

That pales in comparison to the kind of money that Smith is expected to earn with LIV Golf. The Saudi-backed league is scheduled to expand from eight tournaments in 2022 to 14 events in 2023. A total of $405 million in prize money will be on the line in next year's LIV Golf tournaments, which only feature fields of 48 players.

The addition of Smith bolsters a LIV Golf roster that is continuing to look more and more impressive. Johnson and Koepka are both ranked in the top-25. Abraham Ancer and Louis Oosthuizen are top-30 golfers.

It was only a few weeks ago that Henrik Stenson gave up his European Ryder Cup captaincy in order to play for LIV Golf. Paul Casey, the world's No. 31 player, also joined LIV Golf.

Smith evaded questions about joining LIV Golf when he won the British Open last month, and he did the same when questioned by reporters ahead of this weekend's FedExCup tournament at TPC Southwind.