Cam Smith stokes golf’s civil war – and tells DailyMail.com why quitting PGA for $120 million was the ‘best decision I’ve ever made’. But, as LIV hits Las Vegas, he reveals the gamble he WON’T be making

It’s just a short drive from The Strip to the Las Vegas Country Club. Even the scenic route takes about 20 minutes all told – away from the high-rise resorts, past the private jet parking lot, among the low-rise motels and liquor stores that lie in Sin’s shadow… until you reach some gates.

They are just off Paradise Road – not how anyone would describe this part of town or even this city. Not when Vegas is shrouded in the smog and a bit of rain of a winter morning.

This is certainly not Cameron Smith’s idea of ​​heaven. “No, no,” the Australian says, laughing. “It’s too busy for me…too many people around.” A specific problem during Super Bowl week.

The former world number 2 tasted a slice of nirvana not so long ago. “I went to the Great Barrier Reef for the first time,” says Smith. ‘Unreal. We were working on it for a week… it was incredible.”

And he arrives here, on the edge of Paradise, where the Strip still rises above the fairways, with his career and his life also in a good place.

Australian says defecting to Rebels tour is ‘one of the best decisions I’ve ever made’

About 18 months have passed since Smith defected from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf. His assessment now, sitting in a side room of the Country Club tennis center? ‘One of the best decisions I’ve ever made.’

That will obviously come as a shock – to fans who have watched this sport tear itself apart. And with critics of LIV, who claim that the Saudi-funded company is nothing more than a cog in an expensive washing machine for the Kingdom. Never mind that Smith’s warmth and humor make him easy to like. It is the hand the Australian chose when he entered tournaments like this. It is also no surprise that LIV and Las Vegas have joined forces.

Few places provide a more vivid picture of the seductive power of money. Few cities lie on such a sharp fault line between the haves and the have-nots. Perhaps nowhere can there be a more timely reminder that players like Smith are still gambling with their futures.

Last week, the PGA Tour signed a $3 billion deal with Strategic Sports Group, a conglomerate of sports team owners led by Liverpool and Red Sox leaders Fenway Sports Group. The deal raises more questions than answers. One above all: where does this leave LIV, the Saudi Public Investment Fund and the proposed end to the Gulf Civil War?

The hotels of The Strip towered over the course, as Jon Rahm practiced on Tuesday

Smith, 30, joined LIV Golf in the summer of 2022 – after weeks of speculation and controversy

As it rained on Tuesday, Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton – two recent recruits lured to LIV for a combined $560 million – stood under a marquee and spoke openly about their hopes to soon return to competing in events at the PGA and DP World Tours. However, eight months after the PIF and PGA announced a proposed merger, LIV golfers remain in purgatory. Not that Smith seems too busy.

“I definitely don’t want to play any more tournaments,” Smith says again, laughing. ‘To be honest, I didn’t react much to it. I didn’t really pay attention to that side. All of us here, trying to make this tour the best it can be.”

Season three of LIV kicked off last week in Mexico, where Rahm and Hatton led Legion XIII to a debut victory in the team event. Vegas marks the second leg of 14 for 2024. Gone is the PGA Tour’s weekly “rut”: Before making the start in Mayakoba, Smith had spent two and a half months at home.

“I don’t think I’ve done that since I turned pro,” says the Australian. In 2013 he joined the paid ranks; Either side of the pandemic, he didn’t see his mother or sister for three years. “Oh mate, just hanging out with friends and family, going to the pub, having a few beers is really the only thing that makes me happy,” he explains.

“Playing golf with even some of the old members of the golf club where I grew up, seeing the course – all that stuff, it just puts a smile on my face.” The 30-year-old hangs out with friends from the Brisbane Broncos rugby team. He also recently went camping for the first time in a long time. They ventured not far from his hometown of Brisbane. They recorded the simple things.

Smith won the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews after beating Rory McIlroy

“Sit down, fire up the grill, eat some sausages on bread and have a beer,” he says. That brings us nicely to carrots. Smith has never denied that the money – about $120 million – was a major reason for his defection. But he always insisted his decision went deeper than that.

“I probably had seven or eight weeks off from really competitive golf,” he says. Normally? “You almost feel guilty when you put the clubs down for a week.”

The question, of course, is whether a better work-life balance is compatible with his hopes for the coming years. Brooks Koepka became the first LIV golfer to win a major at last year’s PGA Championship and Smith says, “Having that offseason…I really wanted to get back out here. And I didn’t have that.’ Instead of? Reset usually followed ‘burnout’.

“The majors are obviously a very big priority,” Smith said. “And I feel like I’m still a good enough golfer to check off a few.”

He doesn’t believe a reduced workload on the Saudi-funded tour will cost him more majors

He has already won the Open Championship (2022), which for the time being gives Smith a return ticket for the four most important golf events, starting with the Masters in April. However, until LIV events earn world rankings points, others will miss out.

“I want to help where I can,” says the Australian. But? “There are a lot of people here who work for LIV (and) who are much smarter than me to understand those decisions, to write the right emails or letters.”

For now, his focus is on Vegas. Smith has been following the Jaguars since moving to Jacksonville. He spends most weekends with his neighbor watching the NFL. Unfortunately, the Australian has no plans to sample The Strip’s biggest show this week: Super Bowl Sunday. After all, he thinks he’s busy enough as it is.

“I’m so happy… fourteen events here, four majors, a few events at home where I can give back to the fans there, and that’s me,” Smith said. “I feel like there’s a lot of time to become a better golfer.” Now is the time to roll the dice and prove him right.