From LIV Golf’s million-dollar paydays to the Murray River: Cameron Smith’s big call

Australia’s best male golfer, Cameron Smith, will momentarily step away from the multimillion-dollar paydays of the lucrative LIV Golf league to play in regional NSW as part of what he says is a commitment to “give back to Australian golf”.

The 2022 British Open champion has handed a boost to the Australian summer by committing to feature in the $800,000 NSW Open, which will be played at Murray Downs Golf and Country Club on the NSW-Victorian border in November.

It will be the first time Smith has played the NSW Open as a professional and a major diversion from his regular Australian schedule, which traditionally includes the Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane and the Australian Open, to be played in Melbourne this year.

Smith’s presence will supercharge support for the NSW Open, which will feature an $800,000 purse for the first time after the bold decision to head to regional venues following a financial stimulus from the NSW government.

The tournament will also provide Smith with the chance to earn valuable world rankings points. He has slipped to No.91 in the world given Greg Norman’s LIV Golf has withdrawn a longstanding application to be granted official tournament status.

Organisers are already bracing for an influx of spectators to watch Smith at Murray Downs, which is 10 minutes from the Victorian border town of Swan Hill.

Cameron Smith will depart from his usual schedule to play in the NSW OPen.Credit: Getty

It is the first time the NSW Open has been played in its traditional November timeslot in five years after experimenting with a March window.

The last NSW Open was played early in 2023 and was won by David Micheluzzi, but the star power of Smith will mean the battle for Kel Nagle Cup will take on another dimension.

“I love supporting Australian golf and when the opportunity arises to play, I want to be there,” Smith said. “I try to get back home as much as I can.

“The NSW Open is growing into a major event, and I’m excited to be able to play in the tournament this year, which will be part of a great summer of Australian golf. It’s fantastic it is being played in a regional area and I can’t wait to see how many fans are at Murray Downs.”

Smith’s last event in Australia was the record-breaking LIV Adelaide event where he led his all-Australian team of Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert and Matt Jones to a dramatic play-off victory in the team component in front of raucous crowds.

More than 90,000 people filed through the gates at Grange Golf Club for the three days of the Saudi-backed tournament.

Smith has had a mixed year in the majors, recording another top-10 finish at The Masters but struggling to get into contention in the PGA Championship (tied-63rd) and US Open (tied-32nd) before missing the cut at the British Open.

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