Masters: Cameron Smith admits LIV Golf’s ‘field is NOT that strong’
Cameron Smith admits LIV Golf’s ‘field is NOT that strong’ but insists the Rebels can ‘play golf very seriously’…as he claims he was greeted with ‘lots of laughter and handshakes’ at The Masters in the midst of the Gulf Civil War
LIV Golf rebel Cameron Smith openly admitted that the breakaway field isn’t as strong as that of the PGA Tour, but insisted he and his fellow Rebels must win this week to debunk the ‘talk’ that they don’t really play golf to push.
The Saudi-backed series has drawn much criticism for the quality of its tournaments, particularly the strength of its limited fields.
Open champ Smith hit back at the backlash, insisting that his LIV Golf colleagues have the game to reach the top of the standings, in what would be a victory not just for one player, but for all players.
“Of course I’d like to see one of us guys get to the top of the standings and try really hard,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of talk about these guys not playing real golf, these guys not playing real golf courses.”
‘Sure, I’ll be the first to say, the fields aren’t that strong. I’ll be the first to say that,” he said before adding, “but we still have a lot of guys who can play some really serious golf, and we’re competing hard against each other week in, week out. and we’re trying to do the same things we did six months ago.’
Cameron Smith openly admitted that the fields of LIV Golf are not as strong as those of the PGA Tour
After the civil war that has ensued between those who jumped to LIV Golf and the PGA Tour traditionalists and the incessant exchange of digs, Smith admitted he wasn’t sure what reception he would receive.
But he claimed he was welcomed with open arms at the driving range earlier Monday.
“I spent some time on the beach today,” he said. It was good to see some familiar faces, lots of laughter, lots of handshakes. It was fun. I really didn’t know what to expect walking through the range, but it was good to see a familiar face.”
The Australian, who represents LIV Golf with the L logo on his collar and his team’s Ripper GCs on his right sleeve, also confirmed the branded clothing was a contractual agreement with the Rebel tour.
Breakaway CEO Greg Norman had suggested that if one LIV player goes into the lead on Sunday, the other 17 in the field at The Masters would be gathered around the 18th to celebrate.
However, Smith did not appear to have been consulted on that plan, as when asked about Norman’s claims, he said, “There was certainly no conversation with me.” If there was, I’m definitely left out.’