Brandel Chamblee: Greg Norman has wrecked Cam Smith’s career

Cam Smith’s absence from this week’s PLAYERS Championship is the responsibility of one man, according to Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee. 

Smith’s fellow Aussie, Greg Norman.  

Smith, 29, is not in the field to defend his title at TPC Sawgrass as he serves an indefinite PGA Tour suspension for joining LIV Golf last year.  

Speaking to media yesterday, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said the Australian’s absence was ‘awkward’ but, according to Chamblee, it’s the fault of LIV Golf CEO and commissioner Norman. 

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“It’s ironic to me that it might possibly be an Aussie that will keep another Aussie in Cameron Smith possibly from ascending to a spot where he’s considered the greatest player of all time [from Australia],” he told the Golf Channel. “Supplanting Peter Thomson, he had that kind of talent. 

“Norman didn’t get there but [Smith] could have easily supplanted Greg Norman as the second-best player of all time from Australia. That’s at least in my view where Cameron Smith was headed.  

“That’s what he’s turned his back on and a lot of it has to do with Greg Norman, and Cam Smith got a lot of bad advice from his agents and other people in the game around him trying to suck him into LIV.” 

Chamblee added that Smith – who won his maiden major at last year’s Open Championship – had the potential to become one of the game’s greats. 

“If you look at the qualities that he had, the age that he was, he was a great scrambler – and is likely [still] – a great scrambler, great putter, a great shot maker. 

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“Players like Tom Watson come to mind. At the age of 25 until he was 35, Watson had 35 wins, won eight major championships, really hit his stride at 27, which is what Cam Smith was last year.  

“And when you think of Seve Ballesteros, from the time he was 22 until he was 31, he won five majors. He set the world on fire and was fairly much the same type of player that we saw in Cameron Smith last year at St Andrews.  

“These are exciting players – scramblers, they’re unpredictable, they break your heart and then they do monumentally unbelievable things.” 

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor