When Cameron Smith signed for LIV Golf in August 2022 it was one of the biggest statements the start-up had made to that point.
After all, the announcement came barely a month after the Australian had seen off the challenges of Cameron Young and crowd favorite Rory McIlroy to win the 150th Open at St Andrews, while earlier in the season he had won the PGA Tour’s flagship event The Players Championship and finished T3 at the Masters.
At the time, Smith was also ranked second in the world and one of the hottest properties in the game, so his move justifiably drummed home the point that LIV Golf meant business.
Smith has picked up three wins on the circuit since that move, reaffirming his reputation as one of the best golfers of his generation, even if his world ranking no longer reflects that, with the circuit ineligible for the points.
Despite his generally fine form since making the leap Smith feels he still has plenty to prove. In an exclusive interview with Golf Monthly, he revealed that collecting more Major titles is one of his big ambitions.
He said: “I want to prove that I'm still a great player and that I can win all the big tournaments and the Majors.”
So far, two players have won Majors since joining LIV Golf – Brooks Koepka at the 2023 PGA Championship and Bryson DeChambeau at this year’s US Open, and that’s a trend he hopes will continue.
“It was nice to see Brooks take one for the team at last year's PGA and get that first Major for a LIV player. Bryson continued that as well,” he said. “Hopefully we can get into a routine here where we can all knock off a few more Majors in the future.”
Thanks to Smith’s Open win, the 31-year-old is eligible for the event until he turns 60, while he has exemptions into the other three Majors for the next three years, and he has his eye on making some of those chances count to rubber-stamp his status as one of the game's top players.
He added: “I’ve got many chances now to prove that I’m still a top-level player and that I’m excited for the opportunities ahead of me.”
Smith is particularly confident of adding a Masters title to his Open win. As well as his performance in 2022 at Augusta National, he has four other top-10 finishes at the Major, including T6 this year, and he explained those close calls have giving him confidence he can get over the line.
“Being that close a number of times is encouraging,” he said. “Hopefully one of these days I'll be able to get one of those.
“I think a lot of players feel the desire to win the Majors, I think the competition is strong. Once you’ve had a sniff at it once, you really want it again. I think if I could get a second Major, it would be Augusta. I just love that place so much.”
Still, Smith isn’t fussy, and admitted that he would gladly take victory in any of the four showpiece events. He said: “To be honest with you, they’re all such great events and they have amazing history, so I would take any one of them.”
Smith's next appearance will seen him lead Ripper GC in the LIV Golf Team Championship, which begins on 20 September at Maridoe Golf Club in Dallas.
