On the surface, it appears to be a no-brainer decision. LIV Golf is a shadow of the exuberant, cash-splashing newcomer on the tournament-golf scene that it was, and the rats are deserting the ship on an almost daily basis. Surely Cam Smith’s departure is imminent.
IN OUR NOVEMBER ISSUE: Can Cam come back?
Yet there’s a little more to consider for the captain of Ripper GC than for other LIV players weighing their options.
Firstly, there’s exactly that – he’s the captain. Of Smith’s ‘shipmates’, only Lucas Herbert has left LIV so far as Marc Leishman and Elvis Smylie remain. An indication of their intentions seems pivotal to any decision Smith makes. Smylie has lost his playing rights on the DP World Tour as of this past weekend’s tournament in Korea and is destined for qualifying school… if he departs LIV. Both men’s plans are yet to be made public.
If Smith jumps first, where does that leave them? And, by extension, what becomes of Ripper GC?
The all-Australian quartet have gained a foothold with golf fans and in junior golf circles in particular. Ripper GC is the principal partner for Golf Australia’s MyGolf junior program, which calls participating children aged 5 to 12 “Little Rippers”. The four tour pros are golf’s version of “The Wiggles”, just without the different-coloured skivvies and garish music.
That momentum is worth preserving, rather than being switched off with the stroke of a pen.
Next up is where Smith would play should he exit LIV. He passed up the one-off opportunity to return to the PGA Tour earlier this year and holds only minimal status on the DP World Tour. Even if the PGA Tour allowed him to return, chances are he’d have to wait a year to do so. Then again, if you’re 33, a new father and money is no obstacle, it’s not a bad time of life to take a ‘gap year’.
However, Smith’s financial situation is a consideration in one sense. According to reports, he ranks among the top unsecured creditor players on LIV’s list and is owed $US4.84 million. Cam’s not exactly living on the breadline, but that’s a sum you don’t want to leave on any table.
Smith also has no lingering allegiance to Greg Norman, who was the initial commissioner and chief executive of LIV Golf, including when Smith signed on as the new Open champion in 2022. Norman is long gone from LIV and now distant from the Ripper four. His departure also removes one of the more obvious personal links between Smith and LIV.
Speaking to Australian Golf Digest’s Evin Priest for a Sydney Morning Herald story in late September, Smith described his future with LIV as “in a bit of limbo”.
“We don’t know, really,” he said. “It’s hard to make a decision when you don’t have at least some of the answers to make the right decision, or [any] decision. We need a few more answers.”
RELATED: Report – Dustin Johnson part of group looking to negotiate unpaid LIV contracts with PIF
The coming weekend and next week could prove pivotal for LIV, with key commitment deadlines approaching. The league continues to profess positivity and its intent to continue into 2027 and beyond even though many of its established player rosters are being dismantled.
Smith can bide his time a little longer, although not forever. Which way he moves will have flow-on effects that perhaps weren’t immediately evident.
