Cameron Smith barely had time to enjoy his victory at the Open Championship before being asked the question seemingly every PGA Tour golfer gets lately: Would he be joining LIV Golf?
He attempted to shrug it off at first — but his follow-up answer was intriguingly noncommittal.
“I don’t know, mate. My team around me worries about all that stuff. I’m here to win golf tournaments.”
The 28-year-old Australian and newly crowned major champion made $2.5 million for winning the thriller on the Old Course at St. Andrews this past weekend.
But if some reports are to be believed, he could make $90 million just for deciding to play for LIV. After that, he could make $4 million per tournament win.
Smith is one of several high-profile names rumored to be on the move to the Saudi-backed golf competition in the latest round of defections, which include a foursome with a collective three major victories:
- Henrik Stenson
- Hideki Matsuyama
- Adam Scott
- Marc Leishman
Stenson is notably the captain of Europe’s Ryder Cup team. If he were to defect, he would be stripped of his captaincy, as LIV golfers are currently not permitted to play in that team competition.
With the majors cycle over, the PGA Tour and LIV Golf will be going head-to-head for golf viewership for the rest of the year — with no interruptions.
The arms race for golf’s best players shows no signs of slowing.
