Cameron Smith happy to turn his back on 'brutal' PGA Tour schedule with LIV Golf move
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Updated 09/10/2022 at 10:26 GMT
The sixth LIV Golf event concluded in Thailand on Sunday, and Cameron Smith finished down the field behind Eugenio Chacarra. LIV Golf has two more events in 2022, in Jeddah and Miami, and Smith is looking forward to then having some time off in his native Australia before refocusing and getting ready for the 2023 campaign and what he hopes will be more major success.
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Cameron Smith is the highest-ranked player to jump ship to LIV Golf, and he has revealed a "brutal" PGA Tour schedule was one of the motivating factors.
Smith secured his maiden major championship this year when reeling in Rory McIlroy at the Open, after which he made the decision to join LIV.
His contract was believed to be worth a reported $140 million, while event winners scoop $4 million.
Money is a motivating factor, but Smith has claimed a pared back schedule was one of the driving forces.
“I think for me, I’m just really excited to have the opportunity to play around the world again,” Smith told ABC Grandstand.
He continued: “You have to be over here to keep your card, be competitive in the FedEx Cup.
“It’s (PGA Tour) brutal, to be honest. (But with LIV) having a smaller schedule condensed down into a small period of time, I think we’ll be quite busy there for four or five months but I’ve been able to have some time off and really develop the game.
“To have that time off at the end of the year, and really knuckle down and get in the gym and do some practice, and I am looking forward to that three or four months off to see what I can do."
The Australian will be in the field when LIV heads to the Royal Greens Golf Club in Saudi Arabia next week.
LIV’s season concludes in Miami at the end of October, after which Smith will head home and is looking forward to competing in the Australian PGA in his native Queensland.
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“I can't wait to get back to Brisbane, my home town,” Smith said. “I will play some of the best golf courses in the world.
“I think it's going to be awesome.”
The 2023 season is coming into focus, and as the champion golfer of the year one of the early goals for Smith should be a tilt at the Masters.
His move to LIV has cast doubt on his participation, with Augusta National officials yet to confirm whether players from the Saudi-funded series will be allowed to enter.
Smith is hopeful of teeing it up in the opening major of the year in 2023.
“I can’t speak for them, but I'm hopeful that I'll be able to get back there,” Smith said. “It's a place that I love and I've got a pretty good record around there too.
“It would be pretty heartbreaking if I couldn't get back there.”
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