As the PGA Championship tees off next week at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, the golf world is buzzing about the usual suspects — world No. 1s, recent major winners, and PGA Tour stalwarts. But two names from LIV Golf’s headline-grabbing 2022 signings are quietly determined to rewrite the script: Cameron Smith and Dustin Johnson.
The narrative has been relentless for the past few seasons. Since joining the breakaway circuit, Johnson, as one of the first megastars, and Smith, fresh off his emotional 2022 Open Championship victory at St. Andrews, both have struggled to produce results in the majors.
They’ve both missed cuts in recent majors with alarming regularity. Critics argue the shorter LIV schedule, team format, and its original 54-hole events softened their games, robbed them of the competitive edge needed for 72-hole grinders against the best, and left them ill-prepared for major pressure.
“LIV players are becoming increasingly irrelevant in majors,” headlines declare, pointing to missed weekends and vanishing contention — all while ignoring major wins by Brooks Koepka (2023) and Bryson DeChambeau (2024), and a boatload of top-10 finishes for LIV players.
Smith and Johnson aren’t buying it. Their recent words and form suggest the obituary is premature.
“Let’s be clear: these guys didn’t lose their talent overnight,” says one longtime swing coach familiar with both (speaking off the record). “LIV took them off the PGA Tour hamster wheel, but it didn’t erase what made them champions.”
The 2022 Pivot and the Backlash
Johnson, the former world No. 1 with 24 PGA Tour wins including the 2016 U.S. Open and 2020 Masters, was LIV’s marquee early coup. Smith, the wizard of the short game who holed clutch putts to claim the Claret Jug, followed weeks after his Open triumph, turning down PGA Tour overtures. Both landed life-changing money and captained teams — Johnson with 4Aces GC, Smith leading Ripper GC.
The trade-off was immediate scrutiny. Fewer individual events. No cut-throat 72-hole Sunday pressure every week. World ranking points were nonexistent for years until a partial lifeline in 2026. Major exemptions dried up as rankings tumbled. By 2025, both had largely vanished from leaderboards on golf’s biggest stages.
Smith has missed six straight majors, including all four in 2025. Johnson’s major record since 2023 has been similarly spotty: six missed weekends in his last 10 starts, including last year’s PGA at Quail Hollow via a special invite.
The easy story: LIV softened them. Too much exhibition golf. Not enough real stakes.
The Counter: Form Is There, Fire Is Burning
Both players beg to differ — and their 2026 LIV performances offer evidence the rust is shaking off. In the young 2026 LIV season, Smith has posted multiple top-10s (including T8s in Adelaide and Singapore) and posted four rounds in the red in both Riyadh and South Africa en route to top-20 finishes. He ranks competitively in key stats like putting (1.51 average) and scrambling.
Smith has spoken openly about tweaking his team and regaining the swing confidence that once made him a top-3 player. Ahead of this weekend’s LIV Golf Virginia event, the 32-year-old Australian was defiant.
“I want to win tournaments. I want to win majors,” Smith said. “It’s been a while since I’ve been truly competitive at the top of the leaderboard.
“So the fire is really burning at the moment. It feels like I’m getting a lot of confidence back out on the golf course again, which I’ve struggled with. I can promise you, the fire is in the belly. It’s just a matter of time. I don’t think time is running out on my major career by any means.”
Johnson, 41, has been even more vocal after earning a surprise special invitation to the PGA Championship — preserving a remarkable streak of major appearances dating back to 2008. His LIV results have been steadier than critics admit: a T10 in Singapore, and three other T17s, along with signs that his driving — the bedrock of his power game — is returning.
“I’ve been playing better the last six months or so,” said Johnson at Trump National D.C., ahead of the LIV Golf Virginia tournament.
“Driving is the biggest part of my game, and it’s coming back. Now I’m able to focus on my short game, putting, and wedges again like I was playing my best… I feel like my game is still good enough to compete with everyone and still can win.”
Both point to the same truth: LIV keeps them playing and competing at a high level against fellow big-hitters like Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm, among others.
The team dynamic adds camaraderie without the solitary weekly pressure of the PGA Tour. And when majors roll around, they arrive fresh, not battle-weary from 20+ events.
Aronimink Sets the Stage for Redemption
Aronimink, a classic Donald Ross design with tree-lined fairways, strategic bunkering, and demands for both power and precision, could play to their strengths. Johnson’s length off the tee has always thrived on bomber-friendly major setups (remember his near-misses at the PGA in 2019-20). Smith’s touch around the greens — still elite when his putter cooperates — could shine on Ross’s undulating complexes.
The PGA of America clearly believes they belong. Johnson’s invite reflects legacy and the organization’s history with him. Smith earned his spot through past champion status. Both see it as validation.
The golf world loves a redemption arc, and Smith and Johnson are writing their own. The “LIV has ruined them” storyline was always too tidy — convenient for those invested in the PGA Tour vs. LIV wars. Talent doesn’t vanish.
Next week at Aronimink, don’t be surprised if two of 2022’s biggest LIV additions remind everyone why they were signed in the first place.
The majors still separate the greats from the good. And Smith and Johnson aren’t ready to be counted among the latter just yet.
