Cameron Smith. LIV Golf

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.