Cameron Smith is confident he can bag a maiden LIV Golf win after living up to his billing on debut at The International outside Boston.
The world No.2 and reigning Open champion fired a seven-under 63 to finish in a tie for fourth at 14-under, just one shot out of a playoff eventually won by superstar Dustin Johnson.
Two-time Major winner Johnson drained a long-range eagle putt on the first playoff hole to defeat Anirban Lahiri and Joaquin Niemann.
Smith just missed a birdie putt on the second hole, his last of the day due to LIV’s shotgun start that would have put him into the playoff after earlier holding a share of the lead before he found tree trouble on the first – his penultimate hole.
Despite the disappointing finish, the 29-year-old said he enjoyed his first event as a LIV member, having left the PGA Tour where he won six times.
“Yeah [the whole week] was unreal; I really thought I was out of the tournament after yesterday but I played really solid today,” Smith told Australian Golf Digest after the round.
“I had plenty of birdie looks today. Unfortunately I left a couple out there but that’s golf.”
The Queenslander said he could sense a victory was coming in one of the last four events of the rival circuit’s inaugural series. LIV will next head to Chicago from September 16-18, then Thailand (October 7-9), Saudi Arabia (October 14-16) before returning to the US for a finale in Miami (October 27-30).
“That’s the idea; try to win as much as I can for myself and for the (Punch GC) team,” Smith said. “It’d be great if we could knock one of these off before [the finale] in Miami.”
Smith had been criticised this week by Major winners such as Gary Player and Fred Couples for leaving the PGA Tour. Both former greats knocked LIV’s format of 54 holes with no cut and $US25 million purses.
“How can you ever be a champion playing a tour with 54 holes and no cut?” Player said. “They don’t have the confidence they can be winners.”
But at The International, an hour out of Boston, Smith was popular among the large Massachusetts crowds.
“I’d like to think I’ve got a good following here in Boston,” Smith said. “Whenever I come up here there’s people [cheering] for me. I don’t know if it’s the hair [mullet]. The competition here is fantastic, it’s loud and it feels like the course has a heartbeat. I love that and I can’t wait to keep going.”
