The winds of change are blowing in males’s skilled golf, however two of Australia’s most interesting could also be pushing again in opposition to them.
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A merger deal between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf seems imminent with common updates drip feeding into the media concerning the standing of the talks which have dragged on for roughly a 12 months and a half, however Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman are seemingly not desirous about any adjustments.
Talking at Royal Queensland Golf Membership on Tuesday forward of the Australian PGA Championship, the pair beamed when discussing how life has been higher with the LIV’s 14-event schedule permitting them to spend extra time at dwelling with household and mates each in America and Australia.
Leishman even declared this 12 months to be the most effective of his life as he and Smith — together with fellow Australians Lucas Herbert and Matt Jones — gained the LIV Golf staff crown with Ripper GC, whereas he relished extra time away from the golf course.
“I used to be fairly pleased with the 12 months. I received off to a quiet begin however then Adelaide – issues type of kicked off there with the win as a staff,” Leishman mentioned.
“I got here second in Singapore and had just a few high 5 finishes, so fairly pleased with the 12 months.
“The fields are simply so good each week. You’re taking part in in opposition to some actually good gamers and it’s onerous to win on the market. Clearly that’s a field I’d prefer to tick, to win on LIV individually.
“I’ve put it down as a fairly good 12 months on the golf course and off the golf course, it’s most likely the happiest I’ve ever been.
“It’s been the most effective 12 months of my life.
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“Attending to spend a lot time with my youngsters, they got here to some tournaments and those who they got here to I performed rather well. Travelling round with seven or eight of us, consuming out for dinner and having enjoyable each evening, I’ve actually loved that about it.
“Taking part in some good golf and profitable as a staff – it’s very uncommon in golf that you simply get to really have fun with different individuals if you win who’re equally as completely satisfied as you might be, and that’s the cool factor about what we get to do now.
“We’ve had some memorable nights out and made some nice reminiscences all-round.”
Life is nice when they’re spending with household, happening golf journeys with mates and getting paid astronomical quantities to take action.
Leishman reportedly signed with LIV for as a lot as $A30m and earned nearly $11 million in prize cash from LIV occasions this 12 months, whereas Smith reportedly signed for roughly $150 million when the pair jumped ship collectively two years in the past.
The downsides don’t reduce as deep as they may have up to now.
This week’s Australian PGA Championship would be the first occasion Leishman has performed for world rating factors since final 12 months’s Australian Open.
The 41-year-old has watched each main from the sofa since he missed the reduce at St Andrews two years in the past when Smith claimed a historic main triumph on the one hundred and fiftieth Open Championship.
The perfect mates have been caught at dwelling for the Paris Olympics earlier this 12 months – after they donned the inexperienced and gold in Tokyo – as a consequence of their world rankings plummeting.
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Leishman is at the moment quantity 914 on the earth, whereas one-time world quantity two Smith is 128th as his presence within the majors together with two appearances to this point this Australian summer time have prevented a slide as dramatic as Leishman’s.
Smith completed tied for second eventually week’s NSW Open after a tied third end on the Queensland PGA Championship two weeks prior.
The Queenslander drew loads of reward for giving again to the PGA Tour of Australasia by taking part in in these occasions, however they have been additionally a part of a calculated plan for extra silverware.
He labelled lacking the reduce eventually 12 months’s Australian PGA as “a horrible feeling” and he’s striving to win his first Australian Open title.
The poor showings 12 months in the past got here off the again of little preparation after the LIV season ended, so this time round he has performed competitively and been hitting the vary persistently to rectify for letting down his dwelling followers.
Smith is already feeling the advantages, issuing a warning to the remainder of the sector that his sport is nearly again to the extent of when he turned a serious champion greater than two years in the past regardless of not lifting a trophy this 12 months.
“I feel (my sport) is correct there,” he mentioned. “I might say the final 12 months, it’s been actually shut. There’s been a number of swing adjustments and generally you must take a pair again to take a pair ahead, and I really feel like that’s actually shut.
“I’m hitting the ball significantly with my driver and my longer irons pretty much as good as I’ve ever hit it. The previous couple of weeks I’ve felt very comfy and that’s a sense I haven’t had for a really very long time.”
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Extra staff silverware for Ripper GC can be on Smith’s thoughts in the course of the Australian summer time.
He has been paying shut consideration to the up-and-comers on the native tour and raised the potential for drafting one or a few of them into his LIV Golf staff – like he did with 2021 Australian PGA Championship winner Jed Morgan final 12 months – regardless of the uncertainty that surrounds {the golfing} panorama.
Studies from the LIV and PGA Tour talks have indicated the LIV occasions will stay and Smith goes full steam forward along with his plans.
“It’s been superior to see,” he mentioned of the younger expertise he has performed in opposition to in latest weeks. “For me, being a franchise proprietor, it’s one thing that you simply have a look at, younger guys coming by means of.
“It’s been actually cool to see as a result of we don’t get to see that fairly often and being so distant on a regular basis, generally you don’t even actually get to take a look at the scores.
“It’s been cool to play with them, see how they compete and get just a few concepts within the head.”