Cameron Smith sets sights on qualifying for 2024 Olympics through LIV Golf and Asian Tour
Cameron Smith admitted that he will now be a frequenter on the Asian Tour in the hopes of qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Having left the PGA Tour for the LIV Golf series, he will now have to find his way into the Summer Olympics by adding the Asian Tour to his plans as well.
By joining the LIV Golf series, Cameron Smith essentially cut off his contact with the Official World Golf Ranking points and has since plummeted down the leaderboard. Unfortunately for Smith, the Olympics use the OWGR points to decide who qualifies for the event.
The originally World No. 2 ranked golfer is now ranked 18th in the world as he continues to slip down. He maintained his 18th-place position after a runner-up finish at the Asian Tour’s Hong Kong Open. Smith played at the 2021 Olympics and wants to tee it up once again on the biggest stage. Speaking via Golf Digest he said:
“I definitely want to be there, mate, 100 percent. I know the criteria, I don't know if that can change, but I’ve got these couple of events here [the Australian PGA and the Australian Open, which are co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and therefore receive world ranking points] and probably more looks again in the [2024] Majors, so hopefully I can keep that ranking up and wear the (Australian national) coat of arms on the chest again, it’s pretty special.”
How can Cameron Smith qualify for the 2024 Olympics?
The top 15 golfers in the world receive an automatic qualification for the Olympics, with a maximum limit of four golfers per country. After that, two golfers per country will be selected to fill up the remaining spots.
At this point, the two Australian golfers will be Cameron Smith and Jason Day. However, with their rankings slowly declining, both golfers risk being overtaken by Min Woo Lee and Cameron Davis. To keep up his rankings, Cameron Smith might be a more frequent visitor on the Asian Tour for the 2024 season.
The Asian Tour receives world ranking points. That, coupled with the two DP World Tour events for this week and the 2024 Majors, should hopefully be enough for Smith to retain his Olympic quota spot.