Cameron Smith is set to become the latest golf star to default to LIV Golf in a mega-money deal.
Just a day after Australian golfer Cameron Percy let slip that Smith and fellow Aussie Marc Leishman were set to join the breakaway tour, The Telegrpah reported Smith has inked a $AUD140 million deal.
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Smith’s first tournament with the rebel tour is set to be the LIV’s International in Boston which begins September 2.
Despite the report, Smith did not elaborate in his press conference ahead of the FedEx Cup play-offs.
“You know, my goal here is to win the FedExCup Playoffs,” Smith said.
“That’s all I’m here for. If there’s something I need to say regarding the PGA Tour or LIV, it’ll come from Cameron Smith, not Cameron Percy.
“I’m a man of my word and whenever you guys need to know anything, it’ll be said by me.”
Cameron Smith has reportedly signed on with the LIV tour.Source: Getty Images
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However, Smith confirmed he “absolutely” had plans to play in the President’s Cup even though the report claims he’d be with LIV Golf at the time.
After further LIV-related questions, Smith thanked the reporters and walked out of the press conference.
To date, LIV Golf has signed golf stars like Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka, but Smith’s arrival brings more credibility to the competition given he is World Number Two and recently won The Open.
The Australian star declined to comment after winning the Claret Jug but refused to deny it and sent the rumor mill into overdrive.
“I just won the British Open and you’re asking about that? I think that’s pretty- not that good,” Smith said.
Pressed on the matter, the Australian was coy.
“I don’t know, mate. My team around me worries about all that stuff, I’m here to win golf tournaments,” he said.
The Telegraph goes on to state that LIV CEO Greg Norman struck a deal prior to Smith’s famous Open triumph and that an official announcement confirming the latter’s move is not expected until the FedEx Cup play-off series is complete.
Winning the Australian Open is as important as claiming another major for the showpiece event’s newest recruit, Hannah Green.
Now the race is on to have her colleagues thinking the same way as organizers tackle the remaining roadblocks in getting more big-names to sign on.
This year’s Australian Open — held on December 1-4 at Victoria Golf Club and Kingston Heath — promises to be one of the biggest in recent memory with the men’s and women’s fields now combined, and playing for $1.7 million AUD in prize money each.
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Meanwhile, the pandemic has left some of Australia’s biggest players, such as Cameron Smith, homeick and eyeing extended stays down under this summer.
That plays into the hands of the Australian Open, which, after a three-year hiatus, could see a strong local contingent play, including the returning Smith and Marc Leishman.
And yet, organizers are still faced with a number of challenges in confirming more stars alongside Green, and world No.49 Lucas Herbert.
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Herbert is the biggest star from the men’s side to officially commit, while Green is the only confirmed player in the women’s field, although Karrie Webb is expected to make her appearance official in the coming weeks.
Green told reporters on Tuesday that she’s trying to give players a nudge to make the trip to Australia, but noted late-year sponsor events, the lack of a LPGA co-sanction, and Thanksgiving in America, as potential roadblocks.
Green said she is yet to speak to world No.2 Minjee Lee about joining her in Victoria, but anticipated that sponsor events elsewhere could leave the two-time major winner’s hands tied.
Meanwhile, Green flagged that Thanksgiving on November 24 could present a challenge for American players, such as 2019 champion and world No.3, Nelly Korda.
“It’d be great if Nelly could come back down,” Green said. “It is a hard time of year because of Thanksgiving a week prior to the Open but some girls might want to go on a holiday and make a trip out of it.
“It’s a long season. You can make some good money out of it (the Australian Open) and celebrate. So it’d be nice if Nelly and her sister Ella Jess could come down.
She added: “It would obviously be great if Minjee could attend. But I think it’s just important to have all the Australian players come back.
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Green gets hot on day 2 of Women’s Open | 00:50
“It sounds like Cam (Smith) wants to come back, and hopefully Scotty (Adam Scott) and Leish (Marc Leishman) and all the boys want to come back too, so I think just getting as many Australian players in the field as possible is important.”
Green said that freshly crowned Women’s Open winner Ash Buhai “really wants to come play” and is waiting for confirmation.
Meanwhile, the 25-year-old is eyeing a real piece of history, looking to make it a hat-trick of wins in Australia having taken out the mixed gender TPS Murray River, and the Victorian Open, on her last visit.
Should the 2019 PGA Championship winner be successful, she said the victory would be as important to her as claiming another major.
“I still think getting my hand on that trophy would be very important to me,” she said.
“It definitely depends on the field and I think it would make a difference if we still had LPGA players to come, but it doesn’t mean I’m not going to work just as hard to try and win that trophy depending on who comes at the end of this year.”
The Women’s Australian Open has historically been held in February but will now shift to December to align with the men’s competition.
As such, the women’s field now faces the challenge of having a number of stars eyeing time off after a long season.
That’s a familiar issue for the men’s competition, which has traditionally been held in November and December, and has had varied success in attracting a star-studded field.
Whether top international players will commit this year remains to be seen, but some of Australia’s biggest names are expected to be involved regardless.
Open Championship winner Smith told Fox Sports Last month he will have an extended stay in Australia this summer, which could include playing both the Australian Open and the Australian PGA Championship.
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Leishman also told foxsports.com.au before The Open that he was looking forward to returning to play in Australia, although no confirmation has yet been given for either player, who has been heavily linked to LIV Golf.
Nonetheless, Green is confident both will commit for the historic tournament, which will be the first national Open worldwide to combine both men’s and women’s fields.
“We need to elevate both championships so I hope that combining them at the same venue at the same time is going to do that,” she said. “We’ve obviously seen success with the Vic Open with the same format that we’re going to try this year.
“It’s going to be hard for us females to not have maybe as strong a field as we’ve had in previous Aus Opens, but hopefully the attraction of the event, people will want to come back to Australia and play.
“It’s a great week. The Australian Open is definitely one of my favorites to attend so it’s just really nice that after the last few years of not having one to be able to get back and play.”
The Australian Open has added some extra star-power for its return edition this summer with major winner Hannah Green committing to play.
Green, fresh from contending at this month’s Women’s Open, was unveiled in Melbourne on Monday as the event’s latest coup.
The 25-year-old is one of only four Australian women to have won a major, after claiming the 2019 PGA Championship, and returns home after a strong year, albeit with the disappointment of a weekend fadeout at the Women’s Open.
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Green has six top-10 finishes this year, including a top-five at the women’s PGA Championship, while she was also on track for a strong result in at Muirfield until she was derailed by a seven-over final two rounds.
With the major final of the season in the books, the Australian is looking to the months ahead, which will include returning home for a historic edition of the Australian Open.
Green is fresh from contending deep at this month’s Women’s Open.Source: Getty Images
Having not been held in 2020 or 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the showpiece event returns with the men, women, and all-abilities tournaments being held concurrently.
It is the first national Open worldwide to combine men’s and women’s fields, while the prize money for the two events is the same; $1.7 million AUD each.
“When I heard that the men’s and women’s Opens were coming together for the first time, I knew that I wanted to be there,” said Green, who won the mixed gender TPS Murray River, and the Vic Open, on her last visit.
“We’ve experienced this kind of concept with men and women playing together on the same courses at the same time … and to have it in place for the first time at a national Open is going to be something special.”
High profile Australians committing to return for the summer are increasing by the week after Lucas Herbert and Min Woo Lee recently confirmed they would also be playing.
World No.49 Herbert is down to play both the Australian Open, held at Victoria Golf Club and Kingston Heath on December 1-4, and the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland the week prior.
Lee – now ranked 66th in the world and with top-30 finishes at three of this year’s majors – will play at the latter, which is co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour.
Meanwhile, Aussie golf fans are still waiting to hear if reigning Open Championship winner Cameron Smith will also return, having not played competitively in his home country since December 2019.
Aussie golf fans are still waiting to hear if reigning Open Championship winner Cameron Smith will also return.Source: Getty Images
Smith confirmed last month that he will have an extended stay in Australia this summer to spend time with his family and friends after three years of separation.
But whether that stay will include playing at either the Australian Open, or the Australian PGA Championship – he’s previously won the latter twice – is unclear.
Also unclear is his next career moves after the FedEx Cup playoffs, having been linked to Greg Norman’s Saudi-backed LIV Golf series — claims that he hasn’t denied.
smith told Fox Sports after winning the Claret Jug that his plan is to play in both Australian events, but it is not his priority.
“I think my priority during those weeks is going to be to catch up with family and friends. I’ll probably stay a little bit after into Christmas and just really have a good time,” he told Fox Sports.
“I’m looking forward to that. You really have no idea. It’s been three years since I’ve been at home and just to see some familiar faces will be so nice.”
Meanwhile, another big-name Aussie, Marc Leishman, confirmed to foxsports.com.au last month that he was also eager to return to these shores, although no deal has been confirmed.
The US PGA Tour filed a motion in federal court on Monday asking three LIV Golf players not to be allowed to compete in this week’s FedEx Cup playoff opener, while delivering a blistering attack on the morality of the tournament.
Arguing LIV Golf players knew there would be consequences for leaving the PGA for the Saudi-backed upstart series, the PGA said in US District Court for Northern California that they can not “have their cake and eat it too.”
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Australian Matt Jones and Americans Talor Gooch and Hudson Swafford will have a hearing on Tuesday afternoon in San Jose on their request for a temporary restraining order forcing them to be allowed to compete at this week’s St. Jude Championship at Memphis.
The PGA Tour called the players’ motion “legally baseless” in its filing and added their decision to wait two months after leaving to file the motion was “fabricating an ’emergency’ they now maintain requires immediate action.”
The PGA said players knew their actions would bring suspensions and noted other LIV players who could have playoff spots based on top 125 point finishers in the PGA season have opted not to ask for such spots.
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“The players’ purported harm is entirely self-induced,” the PGA filing said. The three players were among 11 who filed an anti-trust lawsuit against the PGA Tour last week, the first legal blow in a fight over the future of elite-level golf that could take years to settle.
The court also heard that LIV Golf was “prepared to lose billions of dollars” for the sport by sportswashing for “deplorable” Saudi Arabia – the financial backers of the tournament.
“Liv is not a rational economic actor, competing fairly to start a golf tour,” the court heard.
“It’s prepared to lose billions of dollars to leverage plaintiffs and the sport of golf to ‘sportswash’ the Saudi government’s deplorable reputation for human rights abuses.”
A court has heard the PGA believes LIV Golf is sportswashing. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
LIV Golf offered record $25 million purses and lured away several of the sport’s top names from the US PGA Tour, prompting the PGA to make major prize money boosts for many events next season.
Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Louis Oosthuizen and Martin Kaymer are among those who have cast their lot with LIV Golf.
The next LIV Golf event will not be contested until after the PGA playoffs, with this week’s top 70 in points advancing to next week’s BMW Championship and the top 30 making it to the Tour Championship in Atlanta.
Gooch was 20th in FedEx Cup points with Jones 65th and Swafford 67th but they have been suspended since teeing off in their first LIV Golf event.
There are currently only 122 players in the field at Memphis as three of those who made the lineup have dropped out.
England’s Tommy Fleetwood cited personal reasons while American Daniel Berger has not played since the US Open due to a back injury and American Lanto Griffin said in July he was likely done for the season after back surgery.
Golf legend Nick Faldo was reduced to tears and barely able to speak as he signed off on his 16-year career commentary in an emotional live TV segment.
The six-time major winner is leaving CBS and the Golf Channel and plans to focus on running his Montana farm and other business.
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Faldo, 65, was a blubbering mess as he attempted to give his final address sitting alongside fellow CBS analysts Jim Nantz, Ian Baker-Finch and Frank Nobilo after the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club
“I blew it,” he said, struggling to compose himself. “I was already…”
Faldo wept before finally stringing an emotional sentence together: “So I was on a boat in Ireland… They gave me a call and said, ‘How would you like to sit next to Jim Nantz?’ I literally fell out of the boat. I really did. That was 2006, and here we are, 16 years later.
Australian Baker-Finch and New Zealander Nobilo paid tribute to Faldo before the Englishman uttered an emotional final line.
“I’m a single child and at 65 I found three brothers, thank you,” he said.
Meanwhile South Korean Kim Joo-hyung fired a stunning nine-under par 61 to win the Wyndham Championship, his first US PGA Tour title, and secure his spot in the season-ending playoffs.
Kim’s outstanding effort at Sedgefield Country Club, where the 20-year-old played the first nine holes of the final round in eight-under, capped a remarkable week that opened with his quadruple bogey eight at the first hole on Thursday.
“It’s definitely a week I’ll remember forever,” Kim said after his 20-under total of 260 gave him a five-stroke victory over fellow South Korean Im Sung-jae and American John Huh.
“I can’t believe it — I’m speechless right now,” Kim said, his emotions finally showing after a round in which he looked in supreme control.
“I’ve worked really hard to get to this point,” he said, his voice cracking. “Just walking off that 18th green, just thinking about the behind the scenes work.
“It was a hard day. I didn’t know golf was this stressful,” added the player who goes by the nickname Tom in a nod to his childhood love of Thomas the Tank Engine.
Cameron Percy was the best-placed Australian, finishing tied eighth, nine shots off the lead.
Originally published as Golf legend Nick Faldo reduced to blubbering mess in stirring live TV farewell
Text messages exchanged between Greg Norman and Sergio Garcia in the lead-up to LIV Golf have emerged.
Golfers who joined Norman on the Saudi-backed LIV Tour face an indefinite ban from the PGA Tour, and a group led by Phil Mickelson is suing them for antitrust violations, claiming the Tour does not have the authority to levy that punishment. As part of that suit, the golfers presented text messages between Norman and Garcia, who joined the rebel tour in June.
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The text messages reveal Garcia was relaying the PGA Tour’s plans to execute the bans on golfers when the LIV defections occurred.
After sending brief pleasantries on February 11, Garcia got down to business, texting Norman: “I just wanted to see how things are going with the League, cause it seems like a lot of those guys that were loving it and excited about it last week , now are s***ting in their pants.”
Norman responded: “Morning. All going very well. I have not heard the white noise of s***ting their pants. Who are you referencing so I can run a check?”
Garcia answered that it was “some of the younger guys” and that he thought “the (PGA) Tour reached out to them and scared them a bit and because they are young, I think it worked”.
Norman was adamant that the PGA Tour did not have the legal standing to issue a ban.
“If you have names I can reach out to them,” he texted.
“In regards to the Tour if they were going to ban players they would have already. They know they cannot hence no action outside of verbal threats. If you can get them or any player threatened to get it (in writing) fantastic. Thanks.”
Six days after the initial exchange, Garcia informed Norman that the “Tour has told our managers this week that whoever signs with the League, is ban(ned) from the Tour for life! I don’t know how are we gonna get enough good players to join the League under (these) conditions. What do you think.”
Norman again assured Garcia that this would not be legally possible.
“They cannot ban you for one day let alone life,” Norman texted. “It is a shallow threat. Ask them to put it in writing to you or any player. I bet they don’t. Happy for anyone to speak with our legal team to better understand they have no chance of enforcing.
“Who said there would be a lifetime ban? And to whom? You? Or your agent? What are they saying specifically? Important to know these facts. Also I will get something to show you why they cannot.”
LIV Golf commissioner Greg Norman. Steve Dykes/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
Garcia explained his understanding of what had happened.
“The commissioner had a meeting with the 5 or 6 biggest agencies of golf managers, mine included, and first told them that if any of their players had signed with the (LIV) league, that they should leave the room and after that they talked about what the (PGA Tour) is going to do going forward and that whoever signs with (LIV) they would be (banned) from the (PGA Tour) for life. I would love to get it in writing but I doubt they will do that,” he wrote.
Garcia ultimately joined LIV Golf after an epic meltdown directed at the PGA Tour in May.
Star golfers who have reportedly earned over AU$143 million apiece from LIV Golf include Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau.
This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission
Text messages exchanged between Greg Norman and Sergio Garcia in the lead-up to LIV Golf have emerged.
Golfers who joined Norman on the Saudi-backed LIV Tour face an indefinite ban from the PGA Tour, and a group led by Phil Mickelson is suing them for antitrust violations, claiming the Tour does not have the authority to levy that punishment. As part of that suit, the golfers presented text messages between Norman and Garcia, who joined the rebel tour in June.
Watch LIVE coverage from The USPGA Tour with Fox Sports on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
The text messages reveal Garcia was relaying the PGA Tour’s plans to execute the bans on golfers when the LIV defections occurred.
After sending brief pleasantries on February 11, Garcia got down to business, texting Norman: “I just wanted to see how things are going with the League, cause it seems like a lot of those guys that were loving it and excited about it last week , now are s***ting in their pants.”
Norman responded: “Morning. All going very well. I have not heard the white noise of s***ting their pants. Who are you referencing so I can run a check?”
Garcia answered that it was “some of the younger guys” and that he thought “the (PGA) Tour reached out to them and scared them a bit and because they are young, I think it worked”.
Norman was adamant that the PGA Tour did not have the legal standing to issue a ban.
“If you have names I can reach out to them,” he texted.
“In regards to the Tour if they were going to ban players they would have already. They know they cannot hence no action outside of verbal threats. If you can get them or any player threatened to get it (in writing) fantastic. Thanks.”
Six days after the initial exchange, Garcia informed Norman that the “Tour has told our managers this week that whoever signs with the League, is ban(ned) from the Tour for life! I don’t know how are we gonna get enough good players to join the League under (these) conditions. What do you think.”
Norman again assured Garcia that this would not be legally possible.
“They cannot ban you for one day let alone life,” Norman texted. “It is a shallow threat. Ask them to put it in writing to you or any player. I bet they don’t. Happy for anyone to speak with our legal team to better understand they have no chance of enforcing.
“Who said there would be a lifetime ban? And to whom? You? Or your agent? What are they saying specifically? Important to know these facts. Also I will get something to show you why they cannot.”
Garcia explained his understanding of what had happened.
“The commissioner had a meeting with the 5 or 6 biggest agencies of golf managers, mine included, and first told them that if any of their players had signed with the (LIV) league, that they should leave the room and after that they talked about what the (PGA Tour) is going to do going forward and that whoever signs with (LIV) they would be (banned) from the (PGA Tour) for life. I would love to get it in writing but I doubt they will do that,” he wrote.
Garcia ultimately joined LIV Golf after an epic meltdown directed at the PGA Tour in May.
Star golfers who have reportedly earned over AU$143 million apiece from LIV Golf include Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau.
This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission
Golf legend Nick Faldo was reduced to tears and barely able to speak as he signed off on his 16-year career commentary in an emotional live TV segment.
The six-time major winner is leaving CBS and the Golf Channel and plans to focus on running his Montana farm and other business.
Faldo, 65, was a blubbering mess as he attempted to give his final address sitting alongside fellow CBS analysts Jim Nantz, Ian Baker-Finch and Frank Nobilo after the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club
“I blew it,” he said, struggling to compose himself. “I was already…”
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Tiger rejects $1 Billion offer from LIV | 01:00
Faldo wept before finally stringing an emotional sentence together: “So I was on a boat in Ireland… They gave me a call and said, ‘How would you like to sit next to Jim Nantz?’ I literally fell out of the boat. I really did. That was 2006, and here we are, 16 years later.”
Australian Baker-Finch and New Zealander Nobilo paid tribute to Faldo before the Englishman uttered an emotional final line.
“I’m a single child and at 65 I found three brothers, thank you,” he said.
Meanwhile South Korean Kim Joo-hyung fired a stunning nine-under par 61 to win the Wyndham Championship, his first US PGA Tour title, and secure his spot in the season-ending playoffs.
Kim’s outstanding effort at Sedgefield Country Club, where the 20-year-old played the first nine holes of the final round in eight-under, capped a remarkable week that opened with his quadruple bogey eight at the first hole on Thursday.
“It’s definitely a week I’ll remember forever,” Kim said after his 20-under total of 260 gave him a five-stroke victory over fellow South Korean Im Sung-jae and American John Huh.
“I can’t believe it — I’m speechless right now,” Kim said, his emotions finally showing after a round in which he looked in supreme control.
“I’ve worked really hard to get to this point,” he said, his voice cracking. “Just walking off that 18th green, just thinking about the behind the scenes work.
“It was a hard day. I didn’t know golf was this stressful,” added the player who goes by the nickname Tom in a nod to his childhood love of Thomas the Tank Engine.
Cameron Percy was the best-placed Australian, finishing tied eighth, nine shots off the lead.
