Cameron Smith, who joined LIV Golf shortly after winning The 150th Open at St. Andrews, called it the “best decision” he has ever made.
He made these comments to the Herald Sun, an outlet from Smith’s native Australia.
“It was the best decision of my life,” Smith said.
“Not only from where [LIV Golf] is going and where it will end up but also from a life standpoint as well. The extra time I get to spend in Australia compared to what I used to means a lot. I feel like I am a much happier person now compared to where I was before.”
Smith is still one of the best players in the world, despite his Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) saying otherwise. The Aussie has dropped out of the top 100, not because Smith has played poorly but because the OWGR does not award points at LIV events.
Since his win at St. Andrews, Smith has missed only one cut in a major, which came at Royal Troon this past July. On the flip side, he tied for sixth at Augusta National this past April. Smith also posted a top 10s at Oak Hill and the Los Angeles Country Club in 2023. He remains one of the top players in the sport despite primarily playing on LIV Golf, where he has won three times.
His LIV schedule allows him to return to his homeland towards the end of the calendar year, too, and Smith will play numerous events in front of his hometown fans between now and January.
Next week, Smith will tee it up in the Queensland PGA Championship at Nudgee Golf Club, which is in a suburb of Brisbane, Smith’s hometown.
Then, in November, Smith will play in three more events: the New South Wales Open, the BMW Australian PGA Championship, and the ISPS Handa Australian Open, the latter of which Jack Nicklaus once called “The Fifth Major.” For years, the PGA Tour has neglected Australia, opting to host most of its tournaments in the United States or other locales, such as this week’s ZOZO Championship in Japan. That has led the once proud Australian Open to diminish in notoriety in the professional golf landscape. Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Arnold Palmer competed in it annually, as the ‘Big Three’ combined to win the Australian Open 14 times. More recent winners include Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott, and Rory McIlroy.
You can see how golf-starved and sport-crazed the Aussie population is through LIV Golf’s annual stop in Adelaide, which has become the biggest tournament on the circuit’s calendar. Thousands of Aussies show up daily, most swarming Smith and his all-Aussie Rippers GC LIV Golf team. It has become one of the biggest sporting events in all of Australia.
“I think for me, having an event in Adelaide this year, and we’re going back there next year. That was so much fun,” Smith said in November 2023. LIV will return to Adelaide for a third time in February 2025.
“It was fun to play in front of the home crowd, and it’s also really nice to have an off-season at home in Australia as well. It’s something I haven’t been able to do for a long time. So, no complaints here.”
Smith seems quite satisfied with his life, now that he has played two full seasons on LIV Golf. He certainly has no regrets.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
