Cameron Smith is among the next wave of LIV renegades

Australians Cameron Smith and Harold Varner III are among the next wave of golfers planning to defect to the fledgling LIV Golf Series, multiple outlets reported Saturday.

The pair, along with Aussie Marc Leishman, Chile's Joaquin Niemann, Cameron Tringal, and India's Anirban Lahiri, are expected to play at the LIV event outside Boston next week.

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Chilean Mito Pereira is also expected to make the move, but according to reports he will not play in the LIV tournament next week.

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LIV has landed its highest-ranked player to date in Smith, who is ranked second in the world and won The Open Championship last month.

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Smith has been rumored for weeks to jump on a new tour. Cameron Smith also won The Players Championship in March2022.

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Smith and Niemann earned automatic berths to next month's President's Cup in North Carolina. Niemann is the number 18 player in the world.

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Varner is ranked 44th but has yet to win an event on the PGA Tour.LIV's next golf tournament - the fourth of eight on the schedule in 2022 - is The International in Bosnia

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Earlier on Saturday, Golf Channel reported that LIV Golf had joined a lawsuit filed by players against the PGA Tour over the suspension of the tournament. for playing at LIV events.

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