Cameron Smith and Joaquin Niemann will be part of the Saudi-funded LIV Series.
Money, according to Open champion Cameron Smith, was “a factror” in his becoming the highest-ranked player to join the series.
The world number two, 29 years old, has been confirmed for the next LIV tournament in Boston.
Smith refused to comment on his future after winning The Open, his first major, in July at St Andrews.
The world number 19 Joaquin Niemann of Chile will compete alongside the Australian from September 2-4.
Smith told Golf Digest that one of the reasons he left the PGA Tour was the guaranteed money on offer for participating in the LIV series.
“[Money] was definitely a factor in making that decision, I won’t ignore that or say that wasn’t a reason,” Smith said.
“It was obviously a business decision for one and an offer I couldn’t ignore.”
Smith also stressed that the schedule and opportunity to spend several months each year in his native Australia had also been a major consideration.
Smith and Niemann, both 23, are among six newcomers competing in the 48-person field at the fourth LIV event of its inaugural series in Massachusetts.
They include Australia’s Marc Leishman, 38, who finished second at the 2015 Open at St Andrews, as well as Americans Harold Varner III, 32, and Cameron Tringale, 35, and India’s top-ranked professional Anirban Lahiri, 35.
Players in the LIV series are currently barred from competing in PGA Tour events, though the DP World Tour has temporarily lifted LIV Golf suspensions.
Smith joined the LIV series following the FedEx Cup, which marked the end of the PGA Tour season.
He has risen in the world rankings as a result of his consistent performance on the PGA Tour, particularly in majors. He has six PGA Tour victories, including this year’s Players Championship, and has also tied for second at the 2020 Masters and 13th at the 2022 US PGA.
Niemann, the world’s top amateur for nearly a year, won his first PGA Tour title in February with a wire-to-wire victory at the Genesis International in California.
While Smith is the highest-ranked player to join the LIV Golf series, he is not the only major champion.
Americans Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Patrick Reed have joined the Saudi-sponsored tour, which is led by two-time major winner Greg Norman.
