LIV Golf star Cam Smith believes he and his fellow rebel players disproved a "ridiculous" theory made by their critics when impressing at last month's Masters at Augusta National.
Smith was one of 18 LIV players returning to Augusta to compete against their PGA Tour rivals, amid the ongoing dispute between the two circuits. Heading into the event, many raised questions as to whether members of the Saudi-backed circuit would still be able to compete at the level required on the PGA Tour.
Come the end of play on Masters Sunday though, the LIV quota more than answered the question marks, with three members of the rebel circuit in Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed making up the top four at the event.
Happy to prove their doubters wrong, Open champion Smith told Bunkered : "I’m really not sure what people were expecting to be totally honest with you. It was almost as if they thought that we’d joined this new league and forgot how to play golf, which is a bit ridiculous really.
“So, yeah, I mean it was great to see some of the guys doing so well at The Masters but, honestly, it wasn’t that big a surprise to me. I see how good everybody is every week. They’re world-class golfers, proven major champions in many instances, and they all still work their a**** off.
"This idea that they’re not as motivated as they were or that they don’t put in the graft like they used to just isn’t the case.”
Just two weeks on from their impressive Augusta showing, LIV's momentum continued after catching the eye of the golfing world with their sell-out event in Adelaide.
The first Aussie-based event was a special one for Smith, the Australian star returning back to his native land to play in front of a home crowd. As a result, the Open champion believes their successes in April was exactly what the Saudi-backed circuit needed.
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"I think The Masters was a really good week for the tour. We needed it, to be honest. It proved a lot of people wrong and hopefully silenced a few critics. It feels as though there’s real momentum with us just now and you would have seen that in Adelaide, for example.
“That was a really great week. It was amazing to see so many people out there, enjoying the golf, loving the vibe and having fun. That’s what it’s all about. We’re in a really good place right now and it’s pretty exciting.” Smith and 16 other LIV stars will once again be out to prove any doubters wrong this week, when they tee it up at the second major of the year, the PGA Championship.
