Cam Smith suggested that he was extremely confused by the PGA Tour not hosting an event in Australia after making the jump to LIV Golf back in 2022.
Smith leaving for LIV four years ago felt like one of the biggest blows the PGA Tour had to deal with during the game’s civil war.
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At the time of his move, the Australian was the world number two. He had recently won The Open Championship in stunning fashion at The Old Course, while he had also won The Players Championship earlier in the year.
His defection also came just weeks before the Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow.
Why Cam Smith criticised the PGA Tour after joining LIV Golf in 2022
Given that it was not yet clear what LIV Golf would develop into, it felt hugely disappointing to see Smith decide to walk away from the PGA Tour.
And it seemed that he had one or two complaints with the organisation. Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald shortly after joining LIV, he explained that the PGA Tour was missing a trick not holding a tournament Down Under.
Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images
“For me, the PGA Tour is a great place. It’s a great tour that does really good things. But as you look back, Adam [Scott] has been one of the best golfers in the world for 20 years and I just think it’s really weird for them [PGA Tour] to not have an event [in Australia] just because of him,” he said.
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“”Then you have Jason [Day], Marc [Leishman], there’s a bunch of guys they could have done so much for. The Aussie crowd gets around it so much.
“But I just don’t think it’s that profitable for them and that’s kind of the reason behind it all.”
Cam Smith’s decline in form has done LIV Golf no favours
Smith has had an interesting time on LIV. He has won three times since joining, including on his second ever start.
However, his most recent victory on LIV came back in 2023.
Incredibly, he has missed eight cuts in his last nine major starts. It is impossible to argue against the idea that there has been a significant drop-off in his game since he lifted the Claret Jug.
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But in fairness to Smith, he seems very content with life on LIV. He did not take up the chance to return to the PGA Tour when the Returning Member Program was launched earlier this year.
And there has been little speculation about him leaving LIV in the coming months amid uncertainty over the league’s future.
His form may have dropped off anyway had he stayed put. We will never know what would have happened. However, there is no question that he has not become the force that many expected after his maiden major win.
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