Cameron Smith sends warning before PGA Championship despite major slump

Cameron Smith insists the “fire is in the belly” as the former Open champion looks to reignite his major career after a difficult run of form, while also backing LIV Golf to survive beyond 2026 despite uncertainty surrounding its future funding.

The former world number two has endured a miserable spell in the majors of late, missing the cut in his last six appearances, but the Australian says he remains fully confident he can contend again on golf’s biggest stages.

Smith will get his first opportunity to reverse that trend at next week’s PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club.

“I can promise you, the fire is in the belly, it's just a matter of time. I don't think time is running out on my major career by any means,” Smith told reporters ahead of LIV Golf Virginia. 

The 32-year-old admitted his recent performances have fallen below his own standards and revealed he is already making changes in a bid to turn things around.

Smith’s form on the LIV Golf League this season has also been mixed. 

The Australian has recorded two top-10 finishes in his opening six events of the 2026 campaign but has struggled to consistently challenge for victories.

Smith was speaking as questions continue to swirl around the future of LIV Golf after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) confirmed it will withdraw funding at the end of the 2026 season.

PIF has invested more than $5 billion into LIV Golf since the breakaway circuit launched in 2022, but Smith says players have been reassured the league will continue as planned. 

The captain of the all-Australian Ripper GC team, who reportedly signed a deal worth around $100 million to join LIV Golf, insisted confidence remains high behind the scenes.

“I promise you will hear it first from someone else, rather than me,” Smith said.

“I know the team are working hard behind the scenes and they're doing everything they can for us.

“So I am excited, I know Scott O'Neil is really excited for the progress and challenge in the coming months.”

LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil also struck an optimistic tone ahead of the league’s event in Virginia, revealing there has already been significant interest from potential investors.

“I had about a dozen inbound calls this weekend from potential investors,” O’Neil said.

“It was a split between private equity, family office and then your traditional high net worth guys who invest in sports and sports teams. So that has been really positive.”

However, O’Neil stopped short of confirming whether PIF would continue to honour player contracts beyond 2026.

“I mean, they own the majority of the business now, and they've agreed to fund through the season, as they said. Nothing there has changed,” he said.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding LIV’s long-term future, Smith’s immediate focus appears firmly fixed on rediscovering the form that made him one of the game’s most feared major performers.

The Australian etched his name on the famous Claret Jug in 2022, but his struggles over the past few seasons have raised questions about whether he can return to that level.

Smith, however, appears determined to prove he still belongs among golf’s elite.

His comments follow those of two-time major champion Dustin Johnson, who told LIV's Matt Vincenzi earlier today that he still considers he is "one of the best players in the world."

Read that interview with Johnson here.