After making point at Masters, LIV seeks major win at PGA Championship

After three LIV Golf players finished in the top six at last month's Masters, few will write off the Saudi-backed circuit's chances to produce a PGA Championship winner.

Elite golf's civil war gets its second showdown of the year starting Thursday at Oak Hill, where the best players from the US PGA Tour and LIV Golf League battle for bragging rights and a major title.

Rich deals from the Saudi-supported breakaway group lured several top stars from the PGA Tour, which then banned LIV players from its events. Lawsuits followed but the court fight is at least a year away.

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In the meantime, the four major tournaments have kept their entry rules and serve as the crucible for such LIV stars as reigning British Open champion Cam Smith of Australia to face top PGA talent like Masters champion Jon Rahm of Spain.

Phil Mickelson, who won the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island to become the oldest major winner at age 50, skipped last year's PGA after critical comments about LIV's Saudi backers were made public.

The six-time major champion is back this week after sharing second in the Masters with fellow LIV Golfer Brooks Koepka, confident the upstart players have made their point.

"There are players from all over the world on many different tours and you're bringing the best to play against each other in the majors," Mickelson said. "That's what the game of golf should be."

Or as LIV's Harold Varner put it about the breakaway crowd: "I guess they don't suck."

Masters fans and PGA players welcomed LIV players at Augusta National, setting aside harsh words in some cases to focus on golf.

"It was good for the fans to see that we still communicate, still play together,