Cameron Smith has called it “unfair” LIV Golf has been denied official world golf rankings points and says he still wants to play in the Presidents Cup after his $140 million defection to Greg Norman’s Saudi-backed league.
In his first press conference since confirming he had walked away from the PGA Tour, Smith said Norman had approached his representatives about a switch to LIV before his remarkable British Open win at St Andrews, and hailed the 48-man events as the “future of golf”.
Smith will captain an all-Australian team in LIV’s next 54-hole event in Boston this week, which will include the winners of 12 of the last 25 majors.
The Queenslander didn’t shy away from his defection being partly a “business decision”, but took a swipe at efforts to block him and other LIV golfers from earning world rankings points from their events. Smith is world No.2 and will plunge down the rankings in coming months.
“I think it’s really a shame that we are not getting world ranking points out here,” Smith said. “To have 48 of the best guys around the world playing and not to get world ranking points, I think is perhaps a little bit unfair.
“It’s still super competitive out here. I think this is the future of golf. I think it’s been the same for a very, very long time, and it needs to be stirred up a little bit. I’m excited about it, and it’s going to be awesome. I can’t wait for this to grow.”
Cameron Smith speaks to the media during a press conference at the LIV Golf event near Boston.Credit:Getty
Smith confirmed plans were well advanced to bring a LIV event to Australia next year, and said he still hadn’t resigned from the PGA Tour with an ambition to play this month’s Presidents Cup.
The PGA Tour has indefinitely banned players who have pegged it up in a LIV event, meaning Smith’s chances of featuring on the International team alongside fellow LIV defectors such as Marc Leishman and Chile’s Joaquin Niemann appear slim.
“We are still willing to compete in that,” Smith said. “I hope we can. [Captain] Trevor [Immelman] has become a really good friend of mine over the last couple [of] years, him being on the broadcast team out there. But I hope we can get to Charlotte and represent Trevor and the Internationals.
“I think it was a business decision but like Marc said, there’s so many positives to come out of this thing. For me, I haven’t been back in Australia for three years, as well.”
Smith spoke alongside world No.62 Leishman, who will be part of the Australian team in the LIV league. He admitted he had spoken at length with PGA Tour boss Jay Monahan after reports he had signed with LIV surfaced during The Open at St Andrews.
Leishman, more than Smith, is at risk of his ranking sliding quickly and putting his major qualification status at risk if the four governing bodies allow LIV golfers to play the game’s biggest events. He said “money was a factor” in his call to leave for LIV Golf.
“I think as far as the LIV Tour and the PGA Tour goes, I’ve not going bad to say about the PGA Tour,” Leishman said. “I think what they are doing is great. I’ve made a decision for my best interests, but I think the competition that LIV is providing is going to be really good for everything.
“It’s not like this Tour wants to take over or anything like that. They can both exist.
“I think any big decision you make in life there’s a potential to get criticism, and with that, I mean, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. There’s no right or wrong to their opinion and they have their opinion for their own reasons.
“As much as they are entitled to that, we are entitled to make a decision that’s in our best interests. So you deal with that criticism the best you can and try and block it out to be honest.”
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