Aussie golf star Cameron Smith reveals big regret about LIV rebels and makes a doomsday prediction

Cameron Smith has admitted that it “hurts” him that he can’t be world number 1 after coming so close to the top spot before moving to LIV competition last year.

But the Australian has declared that the world rankings will become ‘stale’ if no points are awarded to LIV events, with a host of the world’s best players now part of Greg Norman’s billion-dollar breakout.

Smith climbed to a career-high ranking of No.2 in 2022, a year in which she won five times and claimed both the British Open and The Players Championship.

He has only slipped to No. 4 since joining LIV after their triumph at St Andrews, but other LIV players have had bigger slips, with Dustin Johnson, arguably a top 10 player, sitting at 41st.

Smith (pictured with LIV boss Greg Norman in September last year) has predicted that the world golf rankings will be ‘obsolete’ unless players from the breakaway competition are included.

The Australian (pictured playing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday) believes so many top players have joined the Rebels that the rankings will be worthless without them.

Smith is the only LIV player in the world top 35.

A petition filed by Norman and LIV to have their events, which are 54-hole, no-cut tournaments and do not qualify for world ranking points, be included in the rankings has yet to be responded to.

Smith said that he was realizing that he was missing an important goal in his career, but stated that the rankings would be “obsolete” if they did not catch up with golf’s new world order.

‘I’ve tried not to take it too hard, to be honest. I think when you come to a tournament, you know who you have to beat, whether there is a world ranking or not,” he said in Saudi Arabia, where his 2023 season will start.

‘Usually there are seven or eight guys in that field that you know are going to put up a pretty good fight.

It sure hurts. I feel like I was very close to number 1, and that was definitely something I wanted to dial in.

“But the longer these things go on, I think the more outdated those rankings become. That’s just the long and the short, I think.

‘We need them? It would be nice, but like I said, you know who you have to beat when you get to the golf course.

Queenslander’s incredible 2022 was highlighted by his Open victory at St Andrews’ famous Old Course (pictured)

Smith hopes to captain the Australian LIV team in Adelaide this April.

But while Smith may not be No. 1 in the world, the other side of being a LIV player has begun to consume his life.

Smith has taken charge of the all-Australian team, which will have a name change for 2023 and will also be able to play a LIV event in Adelaide in April.

“I guess it’s been an off-season for golf, but it seemed like I was on the phone every day talking about something to do with the team, so it’s been really exciting,” he said.

“For sure it’s been a little different and something I’m not used to, but I feel like the more it goes on, the more I’m getting used to it.

‘I can’t wait for us to start in Mexico. I think we’re going to have a great year and I’m sure looking forward to that event in Adelaide. I think it will be an exciting tournament.