PGA Championship: Dustin Johnson or Cameron Smith winning would land PR blow
RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: Dustin Johnson and Cameron Smith have found form at just the right time for LIV’s rebel alliance…or winning the major this week will hit the PGA Tour hard
- Dustin Johnson and Cameron Smith impressed at LIV’s Tulsa event last weekend
- They have been identified as players who may take the biggest PR hit
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With ominous timing, two of the big names of LIV’s Rebel Alliance have woken up in strong form the week of the second major of the season at the US PGA Championship.
If last month’s threats from Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and Patrick Reed caused any concern among the traditionalists at The Masters, then there will be similar concerns surrounding Dustin Johnson and Cameron Smith’s performances on the Tulsa breakout tour over the weekend.
That Johnson ended up winning his second LIV title in a playoff against Smith, The Open champ and Branden Grace suggests that they have gained momentum at just the right time.
It was also telling that Koepka, who led three rounds at The Masters, was in the top six.
Most questions about LIV’s suitability as a warm-up area for the majors have largely subsided since their successes at Augusta, and with that in mind, there will be a greater fascination with what Smith and Johnson can accomplish on the East Course in Oak Hill, Rochester.
Dustin Johnson eventually won his second LIV title in a playoff against Cameron Smith
The pair impressed LIV Golf Tulsa last weekend as they geared up for the second major of the year
As a pair, they’ve long been identified as the players who get arguably the most important PR blow for their new employers in one of golf’s flagship games.
Before he defected, Smith was world No. 2 and Johnson, 38, had the game in the not-so-distant past to nearly demolish everyone, so the fact they’re getting hot is worth noting.
“The game is really in shape,” said Johnson, who birdied the 18th at Cedar Ridge to force the playoff, then did it again to win it on the first extra hole. He had previously run a triple-bogey in 10th.
The two-time grand winner, who finished second at the US PGA twice in 2019 and 2020, added: “I feel like I’m doing everything really well right now.
“I’m really looking forward to next week, up and out of course.”
Playing on the political mess of the Gulf Civil War, Johnson’s victory dropped even further in the world rankings to 82nd.
Phil Mickelson’s performance in Augusta proved he can still amaze at age 52
It is rightly considered the most misleading aspect of a flawed system, as LIV has so far failed to secure official points for their events.
Smith, meanwhile, ranks No. 8 – the only Rebel in the top 10 – and leads the lead of 18 Rochester LIV golfers, including England’s Paul Casey.
Mickelson, who won the US PGA in 2021 before missing last year’s tournament due to the spectacular fallout from switching to Greg Norman’s circuit, finished 45th out of 48 in Tulsa.
His show in Augusta proved he still has the ability to amaze at age 52, but his form this week offers little evidence for a repeat.