Cameron Smith, the number 5 ranked golfer in the world, could very well be casting a reel tomorrow as the rest of golf’s greatest tee it up at the Players Championship.
Smith, along with other golfers who left the PGA Tour to compete in the LIV Golf tour, are banned from playing in PGA Tour Events.
The Players Championship takes place at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, and outside of the four major golf tournaments, the Players Championship is one of the most coveted and sought after tournaments each year.
Smith won the tournament last year in 2022, but won’t have the chance to defend his title due to the restrictions for those golfers who left the PGA Tour for the newly formed LIV Golf League.
Funny enough, the Australian golfer now resides in the Ponte Vedra Beach area, where the Players Championship will be taking place.
In an interview with Golf Digest, Smith was asked what he might be doing during the tournament since he’ll likely be at his home close by:
“Fishing. I think it’ll be a pretty quiet week on the water. I think all the residents will be out watching the golf tournament.
So I’ll be able to strap out and have the water to myself.”
Props to Cameron Smith for playing it cool and making the most of his situation. He plays golf for a living and fishes for fun, so even though he can’t play at TPC Sawgrass, life can’t be that bad right?
Along with rest and relaxation, Smith also plans to use this time to prepare for LIV Golf’s next event, which takes place March 17-19 in Tucson, Arizona.
He’ll also begin to set his sights for golf’s first major tournament of the year: The Masters. Though LIV Golf Tour players are not allowed to play in PGA Tour events, they do have the ability to play in golf’s four biggest tournaments of the year (The Masters, US Open, British Open, and PGA Championship).
Smith finished third in the 2022 Masters Tournament, and with the backlash he and others have faced for joining the LIV Golf Tour, a win for him at Augusta National could add even more fuel to the “PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf” fire.
That being said, he just might show up to… watch.
