Cam Smith admits he had a “giggle” when he fell out of the world’s prime 100 final month, however his rankings plummet might quickly finish with “optimistic issues occurring” for some form of unification between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour.
Smith, who celebrated his Ripper GC’s $20m win within the season-ending LIV group championship with a Mad Monday at his Florida house, is already in Australia readying himself for 4 tournaments, together with the Australian Open, having spent sufficient time already in 2024 along with his golf equipment down.
The previous world No.2 is dedicated to the NSW Open at Murray Downs in November in addition to the Queensland and Australian PGAs earlier than the Open as a part of a 3rd try and steadiness the day without work he will get with LIV and discovering his finest to win a title he craves as a lot because the Masters.
Whereas successful at Augusta stays key to his planning yearly, Smith desires to win an Australian Open so as to add to his three PGA crowns and goes the additional lengths, and taking part in within the further native tournaments, to make sure he will get out of “vacation” mode for his thirteenth try at successful the Stonehaven Cup.
“I feel most individuals would understand how a lot I need to win an Australian Open,” Smith mentioned from Brisbane having flown in on Monday.
“I don’t know if it’s been a tough match for me, however there have been a few laborious drugs to swallow up to now for positive. I’ve been shut a few occasions, misplaced in a playoff, so there’s positively some motivation to get that trophy.
“I really feel like I’ve prepped for it so much and haven’t been in a position to win it but.
“I’ve all the time been a course of particular person, been about doing issues proper main as much as the occasion and hopefully this 12 months I can handle that stuff a little bit higher.
“The final couple of years coming house for me has virtually been a vacation in a manner, an opportunity to place the golf equipment down. I really feel like (this 12 months) I’ve put the golf equipment down sufficient and had sufficient time to get the golf bug again.
“I didn’t need to have one other time period the place I had 4 or 5 weeks off with out competing.
“After the final couple of years, with the way in which that’s gone, I didn’t suppose that was a really brilliant thought. There was no purpose to not play, and why not play at house?”
Smith’s course of and preparation leaves little time for fascinated about the politics of his sport and the continuing wrangling between the PGA Tour and LIV’s Saudi-backers as gamers like Jon Rahm proceed to name for a formalised union.
On the Alfred Dunhill Hyperlinks occasion in Scotland final week, PIF boss Yasir Al-Rumayyan and PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan performed in a gaggle with Rory McIlroy, giving hope a deal was shut. Smith, whereas distanced from discussions, shared that perception.
“We positively have some conferences between the gamers and captains pretty regularly the place it’s typically introduced up,” he mentioned.
“I don’t wish to get caught up in that facet of the sport, however judging from what we’ve heard and what has been occurring that everybody is conscious of is sort of a step in the best route and hopefully they will preserve that ball rolling.
“It’s a very huge course of that everybody underestimates how huge it was going to be. It’s taking a while however I really feel like there are some optimistic issues occurring.”