Cameron Smith will play with world No.1 Jon Rahm at PGA Championship

The boss of the PGA Championship made some bold statements about LIV players including Cameron Smith and their future.

When he made his pre-tournament address ahead of this week’s PGA Championship, Seth Waugh, the PGA of America chief executive, gave LIV players a slap and a cuddle all at once.

He was adamant Greg Norman’s Saudi-backed league was not a “sustainable business model” and said those players who had joined, like Aussie superstar Cameron Smith, had “largely disappeared from the landscape” when it came to exposure.

All that while declaring “we’re happy to have them” in relation to the 17 LIV players teeing it up at Oak Hill in upstate New York this week.

So happy in fact to have someone like Smith, who has drifted from mainstream eyeballs, according to Waugh, that officials paired him with world No.1 Jon Rahm for the opening two rounds, ensuring the LIV “rebel” would have millions of eyeballs on him again.

Cameron Smith is still a star of the game despite his defection to Greg Norman’s LIV Golf. Picture: Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Smith, the defending British Open champion and one of seven Australians in the field at the PGA, will play alongside Masters winner Rahm and reigning US Open champ Matt Fitzpatrick as he looks to add a second major to his resume.

The grouping is a nod to Smith’s status as a reigning major champ but equally recognition that while he may play, according to Waugh at least, off the main radar these days, his status as a star of the game has not waned.

Rahm said he “never got into the feud” between the tours and had no issue with any LIV players, including Smith.

“I’ve never had any negative feelings towards any player that went over to LIV,” he said.

“In fact, I’ve mentioned many times I still play with many of them and still try to play practice rounds with Phil (Mickelson), played with Talor Gooch yesterday, really doesn’t make a difference to me.”

Rahm said he had “no clue” whether LIV was sustainable.

“It all depends who you talk to. If you talk to a LIV player, this is going to be great, it’s only going to get better,” he said.

“You talk to people on the other side, in two years they’re going to be done. I really couldn’t tell you. I have no clue.”

Jon Rahm has no issue with LIV players. Picture: Andrew Redington / Getty Images via AFP)

For his part Waugh, who is also on the board of the Official World Golf Rankings which continues to deny LIV events points that will; become crucial for qualifying for events like the PGA, said while the welcome mat was laid out for Norman’s players this week, he didn’t think the tour was good for the game or sustainable long term.

“We don’t think division is in the best interest of the game,” he said.

“As a former businessman who looks at things, I think disruption is a good thing. I think good things have happened from that.

“Certainly, the players are better off in a lot of ways from what it was. I think having more the fans deal with … get to see more of the great players together more often is a good thing. I think there‘s more interest in the game frankly as a result of all this disruption.

“But I’m not sure that it’s a superior product and I’m not sure that it’s a sustainable business model.”

While the US Open moved some of its qualification criteria to exclude two-time LIV winner Gooch, Waugh said rules around getting into the PGA had been the same “for 30 years” and he didn’t envision adjustments to cope with golf’s new world.

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

Oak Hill Country Club, Rochester, New York

AUSTRALIAN TEE TIMES (ALL TIMES IN AEST)

Round 1 – Thursday/Friday

9.27pm: Min Woo Lee, Andrew Putnam, Emiliano Grillo

10.33pm: Cameron Smith, Matt Fitzpatrick, Jon Rahm

11.06pm: Jason Day, Keegan Bradley, Bryson DeChambeau

2.30am: Cam Davis, Matt Cahill, Taylor Montgomery

3.20am: Lucas Herbert, Brian Harman, Callum Shinkwin

3.36am: Adam Scott, Max Homa, Tony Finau

4.15am: David Micheluzzi, Chris Sanger, JJ Spaun

Originally published as Cameron Smith will play with world No.1 Jon Rahm at PGA Championship