Cameron Smith and Dustin Johnson headline LIV Golf's Saudi Arabia debut

Open champion Cameron Smith and two-time major winner Dustin Johnson are among the lead names confirmed for next week’s inaugural LIV Golf event in Saudi Arabia.

The LIV Golf Invitational Jeddah, the series’ first foray in the Middle East, runs from October 14-16 at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club.

The 48-man field, who also compete in a 12-team competition, features current world No 3 Smith, fresh off his victory last month in Chicago in only his second LIV Golf start, and past Saudi International winners Johnson, Harold Varner III, and Graeme McDowell. Smith won the Open this summer, triumphing by a single shot at St Andrews.

The tournament offers a $25 million prize purse, and forms the final international stop in LIV’s inaugural season. The Saudi Arabia-backed series, launched earlier this year amid much controversy, this week holds its first event in Asia, with the LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok, at Stonehill Golf Course just north of the Thai capital.

LIV Golf will stage its finale after Jeddah: the Tour Championship at Trump National Doral, in Miami from October 28-30.

In a statement released on Sunday, LIV Golf CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman said: “LIV Golf can’t wait for our first stop in the Middle East, where interest in both sport and golf is growing. We couldn’t be more pleased to bring the biggest names in golf to Jeddah and debut our innovative league.”

Hello Bangkok