Cam Smith, the Australian golfer, arrives at the Australian Open this week at Royal Melbourne, hoping to end a winless streak of more than two years. This year, he has played in seven tournaments outside of the LIV Golf League, including four majors, failing to make the cut after 36 holes in any of them. He also missed the cut at the Dunhill Links Championship, the Saudi International, and the Australian PGA Championship last week.
“Golf doesn’t owe me anything,” Smith said Tuesday at Royal Melbourne. “I have to go out there and work. During the season, I’ve had one or two bad shots and it’s like, ‘Oh, here we go again.’” Last week was a prime example of this; he started with a 69 and finished with a double bogey at Royal Queensland, closing with a 75 and missing the cut by four strokes. “I think it’s in my head,” Smith said last Friday, acknowledging that he missed four of those seven cuts by three strokes or more.
His performance in other tournaments hasn't been any better. In the LIV Golf League, which has no cuts and consists of 54 holes, he only managed five top 10 finishes in 13 individual tournaments, his best result being a tie for fifth place in Mexico City.
“I know the answer: keep working hard and be patient,” Smith said in Brisbane. “I’ve tried to be patient and do things right, but for some reason, it’s not showing up on the golf course. I don’t think about golf much, but I have been thinking about it quite a bit in the last few months. I just want to get back to where I was.”.
His position in the world rankings has suffered because the 54th Australian Open does not award ranking points. At the end of last year, Smith was ranked 79th, but now he arrives at the Australian Open ranked 354th.
Rory's perspective on the LIV
Rory McIlroy, formerly a harsh critic of the 54th Tour, has changed his stance and now supports reunification. However, he seems resigned to the existence of competing tours. “I think it would be better for golf overall if there was a unification,” McIlroy said at the CNBC CEO Council forum last week. “But, with what’s happened in the last few years, it’s going to be very difficult to achieve.”.
In February, there was an attempt at unity when President Trump met with both sides. McIlroy commented in Torrey Pines that everyone must overcome the past and move forward. Despite his desire for unification, he doesn't believe it's possible.
Opportunities through crisis
Brian Rolapp, CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises, isn't uncomfortable taking on a sport fractured by the Saudi money that attracted big names to the LIV Golf Championship. “The narrative around golf is that it’s fractured. There’s some truth to that,” Rolapp said. “I see it as an opportunity. No sport, if you study history, has ever become stronger without a good crisis.”.
The history of golf shows that, following the breakup of the PGA of America players in the 1960s, the PGA Tour emerged, which has thrived ever since.
Final Notes
The Australian Open, being played this year at Royal Melbourne for the first time since 1991, will return to Kingston Heath in 2026. Rory McIlroy has signed a two-year contract to play in the Australian Open in 2025 and 2026. Nelly Korda announced her engagement on Instagram after Thanksgiving. Fred Biondi, a former NCAA champion, earned his European Tour card through Q-school last month and is now looking to advance to the PGA Tour's Q-school Finals.
Finally, Will Zalatoris is participating in the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa, his first tournament since the PGA Championship in May due to back surgery.
Final word
“I remember when I turned pro and I looked at some of those guys who are now my age and how old I thought they were. And now it’s me.” — Adam Scott, 44, who turned pro in June 2000.
