Cameron Smith is “gone” and will soon join LIV Golf, according to The Open champion’s compatriot Cameron Percy.
Percy, who finished eighth at the Wyndham Championship last weekend, also confirmed to RSN Radio that Marc Leishman will join Smith and switch to the Saudi rebel tour.
“Unfortunate, yeah, they’re gone,” Percy said, with the sport’s civil war showing no sign of easing up as the PGA Tour enters the start of the FedEx Cup, with several LIV Golf players hoping to tee it up and overturn their bans with a court hearing due.
The news follows weeks of speculation surrounding Smith’s future, following his iconic victory at St Andrews, taking down Rory McIlroy with a scintillating run of five successive birdies on the back nine of a Sunday round of 64, clinching a one-stroke victory.
The 28-year-old was hostile towards the media when immediately asked about rumours of a switch but refused to rule out a move.
“I just won the British Open and you’re asking about that? I think that’s pretty- not that good,” Smith said. “I don’t know, mate. My team around me worries about all that stuff, I’m here to win golf tournaments.”
Percy also discussed the timeline for LIV Golf’s prominence in the game, sharing a conversation with former Masters champion Adam Scott, who revealed discussions for the breakaway tour took place as far back as 2017.
“I had a long conversation with (2013 Masters champion) Adam Scott and he was very interesting talking to about it, just where it is,” he said.
“He said he met with these guys (LIV) in 2017 (and) they were ready (to) do all this. So, the tour has known for a long time that this stuff’s in the works.”
Smith, the world No 2, would become the highested ranked player to make the move if he accepts a figure worth a reported $100m, but Percy has questioned the ethical nature of accepting such exorbitant sums of money given its source.
“The more and more you look into it, some people don’t care, some people have got a conscience and do care,” he added.
“It really comes down to, you know, ‘they just executed 80 people this week, just chopped their heads off’. They’re not the nicest people in the world.
“Do you just look past that and go, ‘Oh well, I’m rich I don’t really care’. It’s a tough one, it really is.”
