Greeted warmly on the range on Monday at Augusta National, Cameron Smith says a wave of relief washed over him. He was a little nervous about how, as a LIV golfer, he’d be received by his fellow PGA Tour colleagues in the first Major since he joined the rival league.
But handshakes and warm embraces from several top golfers put the reigning Open Championship winner at ease. “I wasn’t sure what I was going to expect,” Smith said in an honest press conference held on Monday at Augusta National.
Now he can focus on the Masters, where he feels he can finally win after several golden opportunities at Augusta National.
“Yeah, I’m confident I can win,” said Smith, who left the PGA Tour as a six-time winner for LIV last year.
“I just love the place. When I drive down Magnolia Lane each year, yeah the good vibes come back.”
The good vibes Smith feels at Augusta are as recent as last year, when he played in the final group with eventual champion Scottie Scheffler and came within one shot after two holes of the final round. But the Queenslander faded to a tie for third. It was his second top-three after tying for second behind Dustin Johnson at the November-held COVID-19 Masters in 2020.
Smith got to Augusta on Monday afternoon, later than he would normally arrive for Masters week. That’s because LIV Golf held a tournament in Orlando, Florida, last week which concluded on Sunday night, local time. Smith was in the thick of contention on Sunday but stumbled on the back nine and finished tied for a tie for 26th.
“I spent last night washing clothes and drying clothes and came up this morning,” Smith said with a laugh.
Smith’s form on LIV has not been up to his standards this year. He’s finished T-5, T-25, T-26 in three LIV starts as well as a missed cut at the Asian Tour’s full-field Saudi International in January. That’s because Smith admits he put the clubs down for too long during his offseason. It pales in comparison to his pre-Augusta form last year, when he had won the Tournament of Champions and Players Championship leading in.
“For me, it’s frustration when I’m playing like this on any tour,” he said. “As the LIV Tour grows and the fields get deeper and stronger and all that stuff unfolds, it’s just going to be better and better. I can’t wait to see it unfold personally.
Smith fielded several questions about his new tour given he is the only LIV golfer to hold a press conference this week. Mainly, if LIV golf’s format of 54-hole events with no cut would keep the games of the top players there sharp enough to compete once they’re at the Majors.
“I think it’s just important for LIV guys to be up there [this week on the leaderboard] because… I think there’s a lot of chatter about these guys don’t play real golf; these guys don’t play real golf courses,” he said. “For sure, I’ll be the first one to say, the fields aren’t as strong. But we’ve still got a lot of guys up there that can play some really serious golf.”
The world No.5 was asked if he missed playing against certain PGA Tour stars who didn’t join LIV. Rory McIlroy, Scheffler, Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas were among the vast majority of elite players who remained on the established PGA Tour.
“Yeah, for sure there’s been a couple of tournaments that I really have enjoyed in the past that I feel like I’ve missed out on. But at the same time, I’ve made my bed and I’m very happy where I am. I’m looking forward to this week playing against the guys. But I don’t know if I necessarily miss playing against any certain guys.”
Smith also revealed he had brought two sets of apparel this week. Those without Ripper GC and LIV logos, and a set of tournament clothing without them.
“I have another set of clothes made up this week without them,” he said. “We haven’t really heard much from Augusta National about the logos, and for me personally, I’m really proud of where I’m at and what I’m doing. Unless it’s a problem for [Augusta], I’m going to wear it.”
With four top-10 results from six previous appearances at Augusta, Smith said he felt ready to follow in countryman Adam Scott’s footsteps and don the Masters green jacket. Especially after a whirlwind year in which he won the three PGA Tour titles, among them the elite Players Championship and Open at St Andrews, before a LIV golf victory and an Australian PGA Championship title in Brisbane in December.
“Yeah, I’m confident that I can win,” Smith said. “Last week [at LIV Orlando], I think that was a really big positive. I had it going there Sunday afternoon, and didn’t really finish that well, but I feel like there’s lots of really nice stuff out of it. Just a few things to clean up and get back on this golf course, and I think I’ll be away.”
Smith has come a long way since arriving bright eyed and bushy-tailed at the 2016 Masters for his Augusta debut. Now, as a Major champion, he wants to go even further.
“[What’s changed in seven years] is how comfortable I feel,” he said. “The first time I came here, I was a young kind and I didn’t really feel like I belonged out here. But now I show up and I’m ready to [try] win this thing.”
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