[PHOTO: Getty Images]
Major winner Cameron Smith feels LIV Golf’s move from 54 to 72 holes could help him rediscover his best form after returning home to Brisbane ahead of this month’s BMW Australian PGA Championship.
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The 2022 Open champion at St Andrews spoke last week to LIV Golf’s broadcaster in Australia, 7 News, after the league announced it was abandoning its original three-round format used since the inaugural season in 2022. LIV will move to traditional four-round tournaments ahead of its fifth season in 2026.
The 32-year-old Queenslander feels the addition of a fourth round at LIV Golf events will better replicate the mental and physical marathon that traditional tournaments are. He hopes that inspires a return to world-beating form.
“I think the 54 was a bit of a sprint; I feel like I’ve played my best golf over 72 holes, so I’m looking forward to the change,” Smith said.
Becoming a first-time father in April and losing a family member the week prior to the US Open in June were among the factors that made it more difficult for Smith to lift himself out of a very poor patch of form by his standards. Smith was a six-time PGA Tour winner in the US, a three-time BMW Australian PGA champion and a three-time winner on LIV Golf.
In July, he missed the cut at the Open Championship at Royal Portrush to ensure early exits from all four majors in 2025 and five in a row stretching back to the 2024 Open.
It was a far cry from the form at the majors that saw him hoist the claret jug, as well as a T-2 at the Masters, and top 10s at the other two big championships.
Smith has also not lifted a trophy worldwide since August 2023 when he won LIV Golf Bedminster in New Jersey. He has gone close to a victory, including at the 2024 BMW Australian PGA when he played in the final group with eventual winner Elvis Smylie.
“It’s been tough to balance [fatherhood]; I think I need to do a better job of that,” Smith said. “I’ve also worked really hard on my golf swing and haven’t been able to quite commit to those changes on the golf course. I feel like my best is right around the corner. Just need to keep working hard.”
That “corner” begins at Royal Queensland November 27-30, at an event and venue that holds deep personal meaning for the boy from Brisbane’s north.
Smith also has one eye on LIV Adelaide 2026. “It’s going to be bigger again this year, so can’t wait to get back there,” he said. “I think the crowd makes [LIV Adelaide] so special. The atmosphere is cool. It seems like no matter what little nook or cranny of golf course you’re in, there’s people watching and everyone’s having a good time.“
