This week sees the newest player in professional golf play its brand of 54-hole shotgun start tournament golf just north of Bangkok at an all-new course before LIV visits Saudi Arabia the following week, then concludes its inaugural schedule at the Teams Championship at Doral.

Smith will of course be one of the main focuses again this week as both one of the newest signees and the highest ranked player, while Dustin Johnson can lock up the season long individual title with a win this week.

Johnson’s team, the 4 Aces, have also won four straight events in the four player, three score counting format, while Smith noted his desire to end the streak last time out, with his all-Aussie Punch GC one of the leading challengers to the American team’s dominance.

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Inaugural event.

COURSE: Once again, LIV Golf heads to a course owned by a wealthy businessman who has created something of a private playground in the form of Stonehill Golf Club which is located in the Pathum Thani province just north of the middle of Bangkok.

RIGHT: Dustin Johnson will once again enter this week as a favourite to claim another LIV Golf trophy, both in the individual and team competitions. PHOTO: Chris Trotman/LIV Golf via Getty Images.

Owned by Sarath Ratanavadi, who made his money as the founder of one of Thailand’s largest energy firms, Stonehill only opened for play this year, so getting a detailed read on what to expect this week is near on impossible.

What is known is that Americans Timothy Slattery and Kyle Phillips are the architects responsible for the design that features an “atmosphere that makes you feel like you're in a foreign country, so you don't have to travel abroad to play a good game of golf” according to Ratanavadi’s son Saris.

At this early stage, vegetation and trees are sparce on the property, while multiple holes share fairways, the bunkering is expansive yet not overly done and water comes into play on numerous holes through a meandering creek as well as more expansive hazards.

PRIZEMONEY: US$25,000,000 ($20 million for the individual event; $5 million to be split among the leading teams)

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Cam Smith tops the list as the last up LIV Golf winner, and one with plenty of experience playing in Asia and generally being a master on grainy surfaces.

Smith played his early professional golf on the Asian Tour and made his way to the PGA Tour via good results there, and having grown up in Queensland is well and truly accustomed to reading and putting grainy greens, while his impeccable short game will hold him in good stead around a new layout.

Of course, like many in this field, Smith hasn’t played competitively since his win at The Oaks, so assessing form is made a little difficult ahead of this week.

Same goes for Dustin Johnson who has started to find some of his best golf of late after being the first big signing for LIV Golf earlier this year.

The former World No.1 won the Boston event in dramatic fashion, then gave a good account of himself last time up when Smith was victorious.

Khongwatmai will lead the local challenge this week near Bangkok. PHOTO: Chris Trotman/LIV Golf via Getty Images.

Johnson is another with plenty of experience in Asia, and the wide open nature of Stonehill should suit him down to the ground.

American Peter Uihlein shared runner-up honours with Johnson last time LIV was in action, and could be one to keep an eye on here.

Uihlein is another with lots of experience playing professional golf all over the world and in different conditions from his time on the Challenge Tour, and will be looking to continue his recent form after an indifferent start to his LIV career.

Of the locals, Phachara Khongwatmai will be leading the Thai hopes of hometown win.

A prodigious talent as a youngster, Khongwatmai will be very comfortable in the conditions this week and might take advantage of perhaps some slightly less settled Americans in the field who weren’t renowned travellers in their days on the PGA Tour.

One American who did travel well to these parts is Pat Perez who has been a regular talking point in the ongoing discussions around LIV Golf, more for his success as part of the 4 Aces than for his own play.

Perez is a streaky kind of player who could just have a little extra motivation this week, while it will be interesting to see how the ongoing up and down form of Marc Leishman this year travels.

AUSTRALIANS IN THE FIELD: Cam Smith, Marc Leishman, Matt Jones, Jed Morgan and Wade Ormsby

COVERAGE: Beginning Friday local time, coverage will be available via the LIV Golf website, YouTube and Facebook channels.