Open champion Cam Smith has claimed competing at the Masters will be a “pride thing” for all LIV Golfers.
And the Aussie insisted it is “BS” that the rebel stars “don’t play real golf anymore” after joining the breakaway league. “We just want to show people that,” said the world No.5.
Golf’s civil war will move from the courtroom to the manicured fairways of Augusta National next week at the first Major of the year. LIV stars are banned from the PGA and DP World Tours pending legal cases on both sides of the Atlantic.
But 18 rebel stars - including six former winners - are free to tee up at Augusta National. LIV Golf has a 54-hole limited field format which has so far seen it denied world ranking points.
And Smith, the highest ranked LIV player who won the last Major at St Andrews, is teeing up in only his fourth event this year at LIV Golf Orlando this weekend. But the Queenslander has finished in the top ten at Augusta in four of the last five events, including runner-up to Dustin Johnson in 2020.
And the 29-year-old is LIV’s best chance to slip on a Green Jacket next Sunday. “For me I’m trying to go there and play the best golf I can,” said the Florida-based Aussie.
“It's important for us to go there, really show a high standard of golf which we know we're all capable of. Most of us will get four cracks at the Majors this year and hopefully we get maybe a win out of it.
“Maybe we just show a really hardy effort. For us, internally, it’s kind of a pride thing. There’s a lot of chatter going around about, ‘These guys don’t play real golf anymore.’ I think it’s BS. And we just want to show people that.”
Sir Nick Faldo has joked they will be “using plastic knives and forks” at Tuesday’s Champions Dinner after Freddie Couples called fellow winners Phil Mickelson “a nutbag” and Sergio Garcia “a clown”. The pettiness peaked at the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play last week with a graphic listing past winners - but missing out Johnson (2017) and Bubba Watson (2018).
Asked about his expectations off the course at Augusta, Smith added: “I’m really not sure, to be honest. I hope that it’s fine. I’ve had a great career around Augusta and I hope I haven’t p***** anyone off. I guess we’ll wait and see, there are a few guys who have a stronger stance.”
