CAM OPEN TO MERGED GOLF TOURS BUT AT WHAT COST?

Australian golf superstar Cameron Smith is open to a return to a unified world tour – but not necessarily if it means playing more.
Smith is one of the biggest names plying his trade these days on the LIV Golf circuit, after defecting from the PGA Tour just weeks after winning the landmark 150th Open at St Andrews in 2022 and rising to World No.2.

With former World No.1 and reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm this year joining Smith and fellow major winners including Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson on the Saudi-back tour, unification talks have intensified.

After months of feuding, the PGA Tour first announced a surprise merger with LIV last June “to unify the game of golf”.

The whole process is probably taken a little bit longer than everyone anticipated,” Smith told Australian reporters on a zoom conference call from his Florida base on Tuesday.

“But there’s also a lot of stuff to work out and I haven’t asked too many questions about what’s going to happen, but I’m guessing that there will have to be sacrifices probably on both sides if we want that all to happen.

“I don’t know if I’m willing to sacrifice being away from my family and stuff as much as I had in the past, especially given the (enjoyment of the) last couple of years. It’s been so nice.” – Cam Smith.

But the fishing lover conceded one of the major appeals of the LIV league is the lighter tournament schedule and he’s unsure about committing to a return to more events.

“There’s a lot of really happy guys on our side,” Smith said ahead of next week’s Masters at Augusta National.

“For myself, I’ve probably got another four or five weeks off every year the last couple of years and been able to spend more time in Australia.

“I don’t know if I’m willing to sacrifice being away from my family and stuff as much as I had in the past, especially given the (enjoyment of the) last couple of years. It’s been so nice.

“So, I don’t really know if it means playing more. I think it’s going to be a tough sell.

“There’s a lot of guys on both sides that don’t play that much and, if they had to play more, I’m not sure how happy everyone would be.

“So, I don’t know if that’s the resolve.”

Smith openly admitted that he was not overly concerned about the merging of the two most profitable tours.  

“He mentioned that he is a golfer and simply enjoys playing the sport, being content with whatever outcome may arise from it.”   

“I’m uncertain if increasing the amount of time playing golf would solve the issue.”   

In any case, the 30-year-old will benefit from having the best of both worlds when the top players of the game reunite at the Masters and the other three major tournaments later this year.   

However, the event will also take place at LIV Golf Adelaide at Grange Golf Club from April 26-28.   

Smith stated that the entire tour likely agreed that the event was the highlight of the previous year.    “I believe that everybody had a great time and is excited about returning.”   

A few of the boys have expressed concerns to me about the time it takes to get there, but they are willing to make the journey if it means attending the best event of the year.