Within the Tokyo Olympics of 2021, Cameron Smith completed only one shot away from an extra-hole shootout for third place.
This time round, the person extensively considered Australia’s most interesting males’s golfer may not even qualify.
The highest two Australians within the World Golf Rankings (WGR) as of June 17 can be chosen to signify the nation in Paris – however LIV Golf occasions don’t depend.
That implies that Smith has simply three majors to attain WGR factors and qualify for the Olympics.
Smith left the PGA Tour in 2022, simply weeks after his famed victory on the a hundred and fiftieth British Open at St Andrews noticed him rise to world No. 2, having additionally gained The Gamers in March that 12 months.
Leishman additionally joined LIV in 2022, with the pair a part of an all-Aussie Ripper GC crew additionally that includes Lucas Herbert and Matt Jones.
At present, Jason Day is Australia’s top-ranked participant (22), forward of Min Woo Lee (32), Adam Scott (52), Cam Davis (60), Cam Smith (62) and Lucas Herbert (82).
Watch each spherical of The Masters LIVE & Unique on Fox Sports activities, out there on Kayo. New to Kayo? Begin Your Free Trial At the moment >
MORE NEWS
‘Bored of the mullet’: Cam Smith bombshell proves too surprising to be true
Hollywood celebrity’s determined plea to ‘save’ Sydney icon
‘I used to be in fairly dangerous form’: US Open champ’s pre-Masters damage scare
Exterior of a shock last-minute invitation, six Australians will compete in subsequent week’s Masters event, the primary of the three majors in fast succession that Smith can be hoping earns his place on the aircraft to Paris.
The 5 top-ranked Aussies above – Day, Min Woo Lee, Scott, Davis, and Smith – will compete in Augusta, as will beginner Jasper Stubbs.
However by lacking the Masters, it successfully implies that Smith’s Tokyo 2020 teammate Marc Leishman (461st) is out of the working to again up his Olympics look, and the identical case applies to fellow LIV opponents Herbert and Matt Jones.
Smith is in sizzling type, having gained three particular person titles in LIV and final month coming near a record-breaking fourth when he fell in a playoff in Hong Kong to Fireballs GC’s Abraham Ancer – his second playoff defeat in LIV competitors.
Chatting with Australian reporters at the moment about his Paris Olympics dream, Smith stated: “It’s desperately a spot that I wish to get to and signify Australia,” per The Guardian.
“I’ve to play nicely to get there, I do know I’ve to play nicely, and I’m in all probability solely going to get three or 4 photographs at it earlier than they make the choice,” he stated. “I suppose it’s extra stress.”
These three photographs are the three majors, with subsequent week’s Masters in Augusta adopted by the PGA Championship in Might and the US Open in June.
Smith has acquired an exemption to all 4 majors till not less than 2028 due to his 2022 British Open victory, however this 12 months’s version of that event takes place a month after the June 17 Olympic qualification cut-off (July 18–21). The Paris video games start July 26.
Malnati wins first PGA title in 9-years | 01:09
The one factor that might change the qualification course of is that if golf’s long-awaited PGA-LIV merger is lastly sorted and LIV occasions awarded WGR factors – one thing that LIV has repeatedly requested for, however been denied.
A merger was introduced in June final 12 months in a bid to finish golf’s civil warfare, however the particulars are nonetheless being hashed out.
“The entire course of might be taken just a little bit longer than everybody anticipated,” Smith stated.
He added that there’s in all probability “a whole lot of spectators and followers that desperately need it to occur too”.
“So hopefully simply by some dedication they’ll get to a resolve fairly quickly,” he stated.
However in February, he stated that it was unlikely that Olympics officers would change the principles in time for him to be chosen if he isn’t considered one of Australia’s two highest ranked gamers.
“It’s a little bit of a drawback in comparison with the opposite Aussie guys,” Smith advised SEN in February.
“However I actually wish to be there. I’ll try to put together pretty much as good as I can for these majors.”
He added that he didn’t count on guidelines officers to vary the factors to choose him
“They’ve already set standards for that and I’m not positive they’ll change it to swimsuit me,” he stated.
“We’ll see what occurs, however I desperately wish to be in Paris.”
Watch each spherical of The Masters LIVE & Unique on Fox Sports activities, out there on Kayo. New to Kayo? Begin Your Free Trial At the moment >