Cameron Smith BEGS for LIV major spots as report surfaces of early PGA struggles

Cameron Smith has made an impassioned plea for LIV Golf players to be allowed to play in golf's four major championships in 2023.

Ben Smith

14 Nov 2022

Cameron Smith BEGS for LIV major spots as report surfaces of early PGA struggles — Cameron Smith BEGS for LIV major spots as report surfaces of early PGA…

Cameron Smith has made another impassioned plea for LIV Golf players to be allowed to participate in the major championships in 2023 as it emerged he reportedly had a difficult start to life on the PGA Tour.

Smith has given an interview to the Australian Daily Telegraph in which he explained what has "irked me most" about the angst that has been created since the emergence of the breakaway tour.

The 2022 champion golfer of the year joined LIV in August for a fee reportedly in the region of $100m in what was perhaps the worst-kept secret in golf this year.

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He has described that deal as "generational money" and appreciates the players who have crossed the divide for pointing this out.

Like Harold Varner III who joined LIV and simply said his decision was about the money. Varner conceded it was going to suck knowing some people were going to look at him differently.

But chief of Smith's gripes is that he feels as though some players who have joined LIV have "bagged" on their former tours.

The 28-yea-old Australian said he doesn't believe you should criticise what has made you.

He told the publication:

"The angst comes from guys who have come through pathways on the DP World Tour backstabbing that tour or saying how bad it is. That is the part that irks me. I just don't think you should bag where you have come from."

A few weeks ago the chief executive of the R&A, Martin Slumbers, provided LIV players a boost by saying that The Open won't ban players.

It remains to be seen what the U.S. Open, PGA of America and The Masters do.

Smith said:

"I think the majors really have to stand above all the politics. If they really want the best product and the best players playing against each other in the world, they have to let us play. There's no reason other than playing another tour that should suggest we shouldn't play. We're definitely good enough players. We should have those spots."

Smith was also discussed in the most recent No Laying Up podcast.

Listen to that here.

Evin Priest of Golf Digest Australia joined the show where he made the claim Smith was 50/50 about playing in America when he first moved.

Apparently, Smith was so uncomfortable in the environment he didn't go in the locker rooms for three months.

He said:

"For Cam Smith, he values the majors and the Players Championship for that matter, more than anything in golf.

"And outside of that, he was always open to playing to wherever was the most enjoyable for him.

"Outside of the majors, golf is not really about money for Cameron Smith. It's about the camaraderie and the bonds with team players and sort of connections back to Australia.

"He just didn't get that with the PGA Tour sadly. Even when he moved over he was 50/50 whether he was really enjoying living in America and playing golf in America.

"For the first three months of his PGA Tour career he didn't go inside a single locker room.

"His caddie Sam Pinfold used to go in and grab whatever he needed from the locker rooms and head straight out onto the range and Cam would literally walk from the cart out onto the range until he got comfortable in that PGA Tour environment."

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He continued:

"For him he's really excited by a new frontier. Whether you agree that it is the right frontier with LIV Golf ... I think Cam's excited by a new challenge and for him it was a free-kick. He has five years' worth of exemptions into the majors as we know without the major organisations making their stances known.

"But for him it was like, 'I get to do something exciting. I get to spend three months in Australia [and] I'm getting paid handsomely to do all of the above and also I could be part of something in 20 years' time [that] could be seen as a revolutionary league."

Smith will be a team captain once again in the 2023 LIV Golf League.

It has been confirmed that Adelaide will host one of their 14 tournaments.

Next page: Nine players who changed their mind about LIV Golf