AUGUSTA (Ga.) — Cameron Smith arrived Monday morning at Augusta National Golf Club and was unsure what his reception would look like once he got on the practice range.
LIV Golf and PGA Tour have not been friendly at all. This is especially true for who will be attending Tuesday’s annual Masters Champions Dinner. After an hour at the range, the Aussie was pleased with his interactions with other players.
“It was nice to see familiar faces. There were lots of laughters and many handshakes. It was really nice,” Smith, the only LIV player, said at a press conference this week. While I didn’t expect too much, I was also hoping for that, both for my own sake and for the good of the game of golf. There’s too much going on right now, especially in the media. It’s probably a bit too much.
LIV Golf was a disruptive force in the game from its inception. Many of its players didn’t hesitate to burn bridges when they left for the new circuit, which is led by Greg Norman and supported financially by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund.
Masters 2023 The latest news from Augusta
However, Smith, Brooks Koepka, and Bubba Watson recently downplayed tension between the two pro-golf factions. LIV CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman complained about being unable to attend this week’s event. stated that there would be a party at LIV on Sunday the 18 green, if one of his lots wins. Fred Couples remained firm in his flamethrower remarks about Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson.
“There hasn’t been any conversation with me. Smith laughed about Norman’s comments and said that if there were one, I would have been left out. “For sure, I’d love for one of us guys to get to the top on the leaderboard and really give this a shot.
Smith said, “It’s important for LIV guys be up there because we need to be there.” Smith said, “I think there is a lot of talk about, ‘these men don’t golf real golf’; these guys don’t play real courses. I know that the fields aren’t as strong. That’s what I said.
“But there are still a lot more guys out there that can play some serious golf and we compete against one another hard week in and weeks out. We’re trying to do exactly the same things as we did six months back.”
Cameron Smith and Billy Horschel have a chat at the practice range before the 2023 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo by Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Network
Smith will be playing in his 7th Masters and feels his game is in better shape than it was last year, when he finished third. The 29-year old said that his current form was due to his mistakes, and not lack of preparation due LIV’s schedule. Smith has played four times in the Masters before, and four more times in this event.
Smith said that he has been unable to feel good about his game many times and this has helped him get back on track. He’s finished in the top 10 in four out of five of his last five starts, with three of those being top-five. “So, I hope that this happens again this season. It wasn’t the best start for me.”
Smith described his 2016 first visit to Augusta National as a disappointing experience, especially after his T55 loss. Smith felt unat home as a young player on the field. Now, he is the world’s No. 6 was a major champion who came down Magnolia Lane to claim the green jacket.
Smith said that Augusta National reminds him of his home, and he called it his “happy place”. It allows me to be creative. The firmness and speed of the greens reminds of (Australia’s Sandbelt) and good memories. In a very long time, I haven’t had a bad week here.
Smith, who still lives in Jacksonville Florida, didn’t attend the Players Championship where he was the defending champion. Instead, he chose to spend the weekend fishing with his friends.
He laughed and said, “It was lovely; all the residents seemed be at the golf course so we had the water alone.” It was quite nice.
“Yeah, there have been tournaments I enjoyed that I felt like I missed. However, I feel like I have made my bed and am very, very happy right where I am.”
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