Cameron Smith spends Players Championship Day 1 near TPC Sawgrass; Will he really crash the event?
Cameron Smith, the defending champion of The Players Championship, was in the near vicinity of the TPC Sawgrass. Smith was seen spending the first day of The Players Championship near TPC Sawgrass.
As tweeted by Dylan Dethier of Golf Magazine, the defending champion was on a public course called The Yards on Thursday morning, which is around a mile away from TPC Sawgrass. He was seen playing with his friends.
Dethier tweeted:
"Today was the first round of the Players and the defending champ, Cameron Smith, spent the morning exactly 1.1 miles away from TPC Sawgrass at a public course called The Yards, where he played with buddies. Paid his greens fee and everything! What a bizarre time in the golf world."
Today was the first round of the Players and the defending champ, Cameron Smith, spent the morning exactly 1.1 miles away from TPC Sawgrass at a public course called The Yards, where he played with buddies. Paid his greens fee and everything! What a bizarre time in the golf world
As per GolfWeek, the Aussie also posed for photographs with his fans at The Yards. The Yards is a nine-hole course and has a green fee of $40. Sources at The Yards were all in praise of Smith, calling him an extremely cordial person.
Before defecting to the LIV Golf, Smith was on a roll after winning The Players Championship and the 150th Open within a span of a few months. A month after his victory at the Open Championship, he decided to switch to the Saudi-backed league, which resulted in his suspension from participation in any of the PGA-affiliated tournaments.
In a recent interview with Golf.com, the 29-year-old had said that it was disappointing for him to not be able to defend his title at TPC Sawgrass. However, he added that it ought to happen due to his decision and that he was at ease with this fact.
Smith will not have to make any special efforts to reach TPC Scottsdale as he resides in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. On the possibility of crashing this year's event, he said he would love to go but wasn't sure how it would be taken.
“I don’t know how it would be received," said Smith. "But going out there and walking around in the crowd might be pretty funny.”
It will be interesting to see if Smith makes any appearances at the TPC Sawgrass as a spectator.
What's next for Cameron Smith?
Cameron Smith was last seen competing at the inaugural event of the LIV Golf League's second season in Mayakoba, Mexico. The league now moves to the USA for the second event that takes place from March 17 to March 20, at The Gallery Golf Club, Tucson, USA. After Tucson, the third event will take place at Orange County National, Orlando, USA, from March 31 to April 3.
The Mayakoba event was won by Charles Howell III with Crusher GC winning the team event. Smith captained the Ripper GC and finished at T-4.
The 29-year-old will be even more excited for the Masters, which will be the first ranking event where LIV Golf players will feature after a while. It is important to note that all four majors have allowed Saudi-backed league players to participate.