Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka. Patrick Smith

As Cameron Smith bids to seal the LIV Golf League 2023 individual title at Rich Harvest Farms just outside Chicago this weekend, he will have some major company.

He begins the Friday shotgun start on Hole 1 alongside six-time major winner Phil Mickelson and five-time winner and current PGA Championship title-holder Brooks Koepka.

The  Australian 2022 Open champ, having won two of the last three LIV Golf tournaments, currently has a 21-point lead over RangeGoats’ three-time winner Talor Gooch, while 4 Aces’ Patrick Reed sits in third, 50 points behind.

Smith will clinch the title in Chicago if he wins (worth 40 points) and Gooch finishes no better than fourth (worth 18 points). Smith won for the first time as a LIV member last year at Rich Harvest Farms and will enter as the favourite.

Gooch is matched with Harold Varner III and Thomas Pieters, while defending champ Dustin Johnson goes out with Joaquin Niemann and Louis Oosthuizen.