Cam Smith became arguably one of LIV Golf’s biggest signings in 2022, after the former world No. 2 joined the breakaway league weeks after becoming Open champion
Cam Smith has admitted he has “no regrets” over joining LIV Golf, with the Australian more than looking forward to competing in his home country once again in 2024.
Smith was quite the catch for the LIV setup, signing just weeks after being crowned Champion Golfer of The Year with his win at the 2022 Open, whilst also being world No. 2 at the time. The Aussie’s Saudi switch came as a surprise to many, with one of the world’s hottest talents opting to give up the chance to compete on the PGA Tour.
15 months on, Smith has not looked back, winning three times on the circuit in Bedminster, Chicago and London, as well as raking in a mammoth £23.4 million in prize money in that time.
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Having completed his first full season with the breakaway circuit – coming second in the individual season standings -Smith is more than happy with the decision he has made. “Yeah, mate, I’m ecstatic. There’s definitely no regret here,” he told ABC Sport.
In 2023 the LIV setup enjoyed plenty of success in Smith’s home country of Australia, a nation starved of high quality professional golf in recent times. Spotting a gap in the market, Greg Norman took the Saudi-backed series to Adelaide, in what turned out to be a memorable week for the league.
The success of the event has ensured it has been added to the schedule again for 2024, with the Adelaide tournament the first to be confirmed by LIV for their second full season. One man who is looking forward to returning to his home country is Smith.
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“I think for me having an event in Adelaide this year and we’re going back there next year,” he added. “You know, that was so much fun. 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.
“I think naturally, being Australian, we’re kind of world travellers anyway, you know, we’re so far away from everything. And those 7 or 8 years on the PGA tour were really nice. Very easy to get around, but I did miss the international travel. It’s something that I’ve always enjoyed, travelling the world and seeing different cultures, seeing different golf courses.
“I think we’ve done a really good job of that and going forward I think we’ll do a bit more of that.” The Australian contingency within the LIV setup is a strong one, with both CEO Norman and Smith notable Aussie-born names, as well as Smith’s Ripper GC teammates.
The biggest key to their success in Adelaide in April appeared to be the popular ‘Watering Hole’ which delivered a party atmosphere to the par-three 12th at The Grange. Keen to make this bigger and better in 2024, Norman told Australian Golf Digest : “I think the success of the Watering Hole could be expanded because of the popularity of it.
“I think you can get more spectators around there… We used LIV Adelaide as the benchmark for all our other 13 events around the world. Because it created the true culture of what LIV is all about: the energy, the lifestyle, the integration of entertainment fandom. All that stuff was there and Adelaide was the one that stepped up to it.”
