Cameron Smith acknowledges the crowd at the 2023 Hong Kong Open. | Photo by Jason Butler/Getty Images
Cameron Smith recently played at the Hong Kong Open, where he made some comments about his decision to join LIV Golf.
Cameron Smith has no regrets about joining LIV Golf.
While speaking on the Australian Best of ABC Sport podcast, Smith detailed why he ultimately went to LIV, and the PGA Tour should take note of the reasons why:
“There’s definitely no regret here,” Smith said.
“I think for me, having an event in Adelaide this year, and we’re going back there next year. That was so much fun. It was fun to play in front of the home crowd, and it’s also really nice to have an off-season at home in Australia as well. It’s something I haven’t been able to do for a long time. So, no complaints here.”
LIV Golf’s Adelaide event proved to be a resounding success, as the land down under has been starved of top-tier professional golf for years. Thousands of Australians flocked to the tournament, becoming one big party.
Knowing this, just this past week, LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman announced that LIV will return to Adelaide in late April.
That will satisfy Smith, as he will get to return home to play in front of his fellow Aussies.
But he also shared the importance of spending ample time in his home country—something Australian golfers do not have the luxury of having.
“I think naturally, being Australian, we’re world travelers anyway, you know, we’re so far away from everything,” Smith said.
Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images
Cameron Smith speaks to reporters ahead of the 2023 LIV Golf Invitational – Miami event.
“Those seven or eight years on the PGA tour were really nice. It was easy to get around, but I missed the international travel. It’s something that I’ve always enjoyed: traveling the world, seeing different cultures, and seeing different golf courses. I think we’ve done a really good job of that (on LIV), and going forward, I think we’ll do a bit more of that.”
Indeed, the PGA Tour’s schedule is much less strenuous than that of an international circuit like the DP World Tour. It predominately stages events in the United States, which has led many international players to pursue opportunities on LIV Golf.
Of course, LIV Golf has a more international schedule but fewer events.
International stars like Smith want to play events worldwide, whether in his native Australia, Asia, the Middle East, or continental Europe.
Meanwhile, the PGA Tour staged only one tournament in any of those places in 2023, the ZOZO Championship in Japan.
Perhaps the Tour should look to partner with more global events—like the Australian Open—to diversify the game even further and expand its reach across the globe.
After all, golf is a global game.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
