Cameron Smith backs LIV in huge claim

Cameron Smith has thrown his backing behind LIV Golf, while taking a thinly veiled dig at the PGA Tour.

Appearing on the Straight Talk with Mark Bouris, the Ripper GC captain claimed LIV will become ‘the tour’ in men’s professional golf.

The Saudi-backed league has already tied several top players to contracts and will attempt to add to its roster over the winter.

“The team and stuff, it’s so exciting,” Smith said. “The stuff we talk about at meetings, not only within the team but within the league.

“Being so worldwide is a really great thing for us, we travel a lot, but I think we also bring a really good product to places that haven’t seen world class golf for a long time.

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“I am really excited as a team but as a tour I think we are going to go from strength to strength.

“As time goes on, we are going to have better players, more depth and I think we are going to be the tour.”

Smith joined LIV in 2022 and enjoyed his most successful season on the upstart tour this year.

The 31-year-old’s all-Australian side lifted the Team Championship title in September and while new names could join LIV in 2025, they won’t alter his team.

“You’re always digging deep for these guys, genuinely, and it’s a pretty cool feeling to have, not having that before, and I can’t wait for next year,” he said after the triumph.

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“We’re going to be the same next year. It’s going to be the same line-up. I really think there’s going to be some added motivation before we start in Saudi next year.”

Meanwhile, Smith told Bouris how Greg Norman, LIV CEO and commissioner, convinced him to jump ship after winning The Open at the Old Course.

“There was a lot of movement on the Tour at the time, and agents would come up to you,” Smith explained.

“And then I remember it was after The Open, Greg rang me up and we had a really good chat. I spoke to a few really good friends that I knew I could lean on in the space.

“Then as a team we just decided to go for it.”

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.