AUGUSTA: Like a perfect goodwill ambassador, Australia’s reigning Open champion Cam Smith never once dissed the PGA Tour, and he never once questioned his own decision to join the Saudi Arabia-funded LIV Golf.
In a 21-minute-long press conference that was a model on how to handle a delicate situation, the 29-year-old from Brisbane sidestepped a few loaded questions and also met a few of them head-on.
The world No. 6 admits he came to Augusta National Golf Club — his “happy place” where he has four top-10s in his last five starts since 2018 — with some trepidations this year.
“I just think there’s too much rubbish going on, basically. I spent an hour out there and saw lots of familiar faces, lots of smiles and hugs, and it’s been nice. I don’t think there’s any kind of hatred going on between the players. We are all happy where we are. I’m just as happy for the guys winning out on the PGA Tour as I am for the LIV golfers,” said Smith, who will be playing his seventh Masters.
“I really wasn’t sure what I was going to expect walking on to the range. I didn’t want to expect too much. I think there’s a lot of stuff going on at the moment that doesn’t need to be going on, especially in the media.”
In no mood to confront, Smith said it was important for LIV Golf players to do well at the Masters, one of the few opportunities they have to match wits against the PGA Tour players.
Asked about the chances of LIV players — who play a unique team format and have 48-man field in 54-hole tournaments — producing a Masters champion, Smith was candid again.
“I think it’s just important for LIV guys to be up there. I think there’s a lot of chatter about these guys don’t play real golf; these guys don’t play real golf courses. For sure, I’ll be the first one to say, the fields aren’t as strong,” said Smith.
“But we’ve still got a lot of guys up there that can play some really serious golf, and we compete against each other hard week-in and week-out and we’re trying to do the same things that we did six months ago. And it’s good to see Brooks win last week. He’s playing some really good golf again. Yeah, I think we just need a good, strong finish."
Smith also stood by his decision to move to LIV Golf, despite having one of the most phenomenal seasons on the PGA Tour in 2022 and rising to No. 2 in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Asked if he missed playing certain tournaments, or against certain players, on the PGA Tour, the 2022 Players champion said: “For sure there are a couple of tournaments that I really have enjoyed in the past that I feel like I’ve missed out on. But at the same time, I’ve made my bed and I’m happy … very, very happy. I’m happy to sleep in the bed I’m in.
“I do miss certain tournaments, certain golf courses. I’m looking forward to this week playing against the guys for sure.”
Smith scored another winner when asked about his own form this year compared to 2022, and if LIV Golf had a role to play in it.
“I think for me, I’m just trying to play the best golf I can. For me, it’s frustrating when I’m playing like this on any tour. As the LIV Tour grows and the fields get deeper and stronger and all that stuff unfolds, it's just going to be better and better. I can’t wait to see it unfold personally,” said Smith.
“I had a pretty long off-season, but I was in Australia and spending a lot of time with my family and friends. I remember having a pretty big off-season the year before as well. I didn’t really spend much time in Australia, but I did a lot of hard work in Ponte Vedra (Florida) and really sorted out a lot of stuff with my swing that I thought needed fixing for a long time. It paid off earlier in the 2022 season.”
And Smith was also honest with his answers. When asked if he is contractually obligated to wear the LIV logo, he said: “Basically, yes. I have another set of clothes made up this week without them. We haven’t really heard much from Augusta National about the logos, and for me personally, I’m really proud of where I’m at and what I’m doing. Unless it’s a problem for these guys, I’m going to wear it.”
