"To spend more time in Australia"- Cameron Smith reveals the real reason for joining LIV Golf
Cameron Smith's decision to join LIV Golf soon after winning a major tournament shocked everyone. The Australian golfer was ranked No. 2 in the Official World Golf Rankings when he turned his back on the PGA Tour.
Cameron Smith has missed several PGA Tour events and slipped from his ranking. Moreover, he was slammed by golf enthusiasts for leaving the Tour for money. However, something else convinced the Aussie to sign a million-dollar contract with LIV Golf.
He is finally back in the PGA Tour event to compete in this week's Masters at Augusta. Smith arrived in Georgia after the conclusion of the LIV Golf Invitational Orlando.
He earned The Masters invitation with a win in the Open Championship last year. Ahead of The Masters, Cameron Smith opened up about his decision to join LIV Golf. In a conversation with Sky Sports, Smith revealed:
"(I go to LIV) to spend more time in Australia with friends and family."
Next, the journalist asked him if he was happy with the decision. Cameron Smith replied:
"Absolutely, wouldn't change a thing."
Cam Smith answers the question "Why did you go to LIV?" 💬
https://t.co/4ZoLuJ0QOr
The Masters will start with the opening round on Thursday, April 6, and will run through Sunday, April 9. The golfers reached Augusta on April 2 and started with a practice session.
"I am ready to go win this" - Cameron Smith looking for a victory at the 2023 Masters
The Masters is unarguably the most prestigious title for golfers. Cameron Smith is also looking for his second major tournament victory at the 2023 Masters.
In his interview on Monday, April 3, Smith recalled his first time playing on the Augusta Golf course. Cameron Smith said:
“I feel like the first time I came here, it wasn’t really, I guess, a nice experience. I was a young kid [and] didn’t really feel like I belonged out here."
He went on to say that he is now ready to win the title. Smith added:
"I feel like now I show up, I’m ready to go win this thing.’’
Interestingly, LIV golfers and PGA Tour players will compete on the same field to win the title. Cameron Smith opened up about the Saudi-backed series golfers and revealed that they are looking for good competition. Smith said:
“It’s just important for LIV guys to be up there because I think we need to be up there. There’s a lot of chatter about ‘These guys don’t play real golf; these guys don’t play real golf courses."
He continued:
“For sure, I’ll be the first one to say the (LIV) fields aren’t as strong. But we’ve still got a lot of guys up there that can play some really serious golf. It’s a good feeling to have that competition, and it’s good to see Brooks (Koepka) win (LIV Golf Invitational Orlando). He’s playing some really good golf again. Yeah, I think we just need a good, strong finish.’’
The LIV golfers playing at the 2023 Masters are Brooks Koepka, Jason Kokrak, Kevin Na, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Charl Schwartzel, Bubba Watson, Abraham Ancer, Bryson DeChambeau, Talor Gooch, Joaquin Niemann, Louis Oosthuizen, Mito Pereira, Thomas Pieters, Cameron Smith, and Harold Varner.