Why LIV call was the ‘best decision’ of Cam Smith’s life as he talks about his life, tour rivalry and more
Australia’s best golfer Cam Smith goes one-on-one with CRASH CRADDOCK to talk about his monster $140 million contract, life in LIV, Shark’s future, what a PGA merge could look like and more.
Cam Smith answers the phone for our interview with the understated, almost whispered “hello’’ of a man trying not to draw attention to himself.
It’s the sort of “hello’’ you might drop when your phone rings on a plane just before take-off and it leaves a simple question hanging in the air.
Where are you?
“I am just on the 18th at Keperra (Golf club in Brisbane) watching one of my scholarship kids (Wesley Hinton) in the Keperra Bowl - I think it’s going to go to a play-off,’’ said Smith.
The 18th at Keperra may be a golfing moon ride away from where Smith won the 2022 British Open at St Andrews but it’s a good place to start the chat because it sums up the double life of golf’s $140 million man.
For much of the year Smith is a globe-trotting high flyer in the mega-dollar world of LIV golf but when he returns to Brisbane he melts seamlessly back into the life he left behind.
You might find him at his uncle’s coffee shop or at his beloved Wantima Golf Club where he grew up and still finds instant comfort.
“Just being back at Wantima is so cool for me. There is a bit of nostalgia going on. Every time I get back there it is if I am seven years old again. Just having a good time with dad, catching up with the family. There is nothing I dislike about being at home to put it plain and simple.’’
This year’s trip home will include not just the Australian PGA at Royal Queensland but a visit to Nudgee Golf Club for the Queensland PGA which will feature a marquee behind the last hole which might well be christened the Cam Smith Pavilion.
“I want to give back to where I came from. To help grow the game of golf in Australia has always been really important to me.
“Also, I had a lot of time off last year and my game did not appreciate it. You can hit as many balls as possible but you need to compete.’’
THE MARRIED MAN
Smith married Shanel Naoum in Brisbane last December. A chiropractor, she works as an orthopaedic specialist in Jacksonville, Florida, where she was born and raised where the couple now lives.
Smith says the couple do not have a long term plan but this much is certain – they will be regular visitors to Queensland.
“I think our plan is to spend as much time as we can here,’’ he said.
“It is logistically a lot easier to travel (globally) from America for us so during the season for most of the time we will still be in the States.
“But once the season done … Shanel loves it here so it is really easy. It is never a problem to come home wherever we want. We will spend as much time here as we can and then go back to the United State and get into work basically.’’
BREAKING: Open Championship winner Cameron Smith signs $100 million deal to join #LIVGolf! pic.twitter.com/44TlJ8WrBl
— LIV Golf Nation (@LIVGolfNation) August 9, 2022
THE SIGNING
Smith’s decision to join LIV on a reported $140 million contract came after months of anguish but he has no regrets.
“It was the best decision of my life,’’ said Smith, who won around $12 million on the LIV circuit this year.
Cam Smith and Ripper GC win the 2024 LIV Golf Team Championship. 🆠pic.twitter.com/v3H2CsqeOm
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) September 22, 2024
“Not only from where the tour is going and where it will end up but also from a life standpoint as well. The extra time I get to spend in Australia compared to what I used to means a lot.
“I feel like I am a much happier person now compared to where I was before.’’
LIV’S FUTURE
It’s the multi-billion dollar question no-one can answer – when will the LIV and PGA tours merge?
But nothing major has happened since. So what happens next?
“It is a tricky one and I think it has been a lot trickier than all the executives thought it was going to be at the start as well,’’ Smith said.
“The plan was to have something in place by the end of 2023 and here we are near the end of 2024 and it does not look as if anything is going to happen in the really short term. It is a really big puzzle that a lot of guys are working really hard to try and solve.
“It has taken a lot longer than everyone thought but I know there are some really smart guys on both sides who are trying to work out the best thing.’’
THE RANKINGS SLIDE
Because LIV players do not get world ranking points outside the major their players are sliding down the list and Smith, a one time world Number two, has slipped to 109.
“I don’t care. I don’t look at it any more. It does not bother me.
“The majors are a big part of things for us now but it almost doesn’t matter. We just four opportunities a year where the guys on the PGA tour can get 25 to 30.
“It’s really hard to determine what is what. I bet if you asked the PGA tour guys who is going to be contention in a major there will be a few guys outside the top 100 who have never been thought of before.’’
NORMAN’ S FUTURE
Reports that LIV backers, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), have hired a global recruitment firm to seek a replacement for LIV boss Greg Norman were news to Smith.
“I definitely was not aware of it. I was pretty surprised myself. I think he has been under a lot of (public) scrutiny for a few years. They had said he was going to go and he hasn’t. I would not be surprised if it was all just a rumour. But by the same token I am not in the loop as to what is going on on the tour.’’
It’s on in Vegas 👀
— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) October 14, 2024
CONFIRMED: The Showdown will take place December 17th at Shadow Creek ðŸ¤#LIVGolfpic.twitter.com/ReWLcEpqgH
THE TOUR RIVALRIES
When LIV stormed on to the world scene with a group of big name signings the traditional United States PGA tour was rocked and there was obvious animosity between officials from both tours.
“The first major that we had at Augusta last year was definitely awkward but it did not feel mean or that there was any aggression towards anyone or anything,’’ Smith said.
“It was kind of like almost having a new girlfriend. It was awkward for a while and then all the tension went away and everything was good again. There is no hard feelings between the tours. Whoever writes that is rubbish.’’
WHO ARE THESE GUYS
After travelling on the LIV circuit for three years Smith has seen some of the game’s most colourful characters up close. Here are his thoughts on four of the most intrigueing.
Phil Mickelson: “I have a good relationship with him. I wouldn’t call us best mates or say we hang out together all the time but we talk a fair bit. He is a f------ character that guy. He is just one of a kind. People don’t realise how witty he is. Very funny behind the scenes. Always has a lot to say.
Brooks Koepka: “He’s a great guy. A hard worker. His mentality is probably one of the strongest in the game. He is like a bulldog. He wants to win all the time. When he is in a close fight you just sense he will win. I like him.’’
Patrick Read: “Ahhh (laughs) ... you have got me there ... he is a hard worker.’’
Sergio Garcia: “He is a good guy. He is very competitive and I don’t really know how to say this but he is just so good. He is in his mid-40s and I just can’t see anything in his game which could disintegrate.
“He is just so good at every aspect of the game. He is one of the best ball strikers I have ever played with. He’s unreal. He has that Spanish trait where he wants to be like Seve Ballesteros and I think Seve would be proud of the way he plays.’’
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