Cameron Smith is bemused by the 'bizarre' decision to deny LIV Golf players world ranking status, and has suggested those who 'own' the sport are conflicted over the controversial breakaway series.
Smith became LIV boss Greg Norman's most significant coup when he defected to the Saudi-backed rebel series after winning the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews in July. And the Australian star is now among the LIV rebels calling for the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) body to grant the invitational tour access to ranking points.
LIV's desperate pursuit of world ranking points has become a key battleground in golf's fierce civil war as CEO Norman scrambles to further legitimise his rival tour. Ranking points crucially enable players to qualify for major championships and LIV stars continue to slide down the rankings without access to them.
A 'strategic alliance' was recently formed between LIV and the OWGR accredited MENA Tour, with the lesser-known Middle Eastern and African feeder tour incorporating it's events. But LIV's backdoor channel to ranking points was blocked by the OWGR body for their invitational events in Thailand and Saudi Arabia, with the partnership subject to review.
Smith's five-year major exemption following his Open triumph leaves the 29-year-old in a less precarious position than other players on the LIV circuit. He is now guaranteed to qualify for the four most prestigious individual events on the golfing calendar.
But Smith believes a refusal to offer LIV immediate world ranking access signals towards a conflicting interest within the OGWR body. "[Reconciliation] is definitely the way it's gone in other sports," he told the Australian Associated Press.
"But it seems like this is going to be different, for some reason. I feel like golf is owned by a group of people and that it's going to be hard to get it across the line."
The OGWR board is made up of members from all four majors, as well as the PGA and DP World tours. Each player who has joined LIV's 54-hole, no-cut invitational series has received a lifetime ban from the PGA Tour.
Smith added: "I don't see how it benefits professional golf to have a league of players like us ... who aren't getting world ranking points. It's very bizarre and doesn't offer a lot of credit to the ranking system if the best players in the world aren't getting points."
Smith also claims there is 'irony' in any criticism of playing in Saudi Arabia, with the penultimate event of LIV's inaugural season taking place in Jeddah this weekend. The Saudi International has been a popular event in recent years, even among players who chose not to join the LIV series.
"I'm definitely not a politician and I'm far from the smartest guy on LIV league ... but I guess it is a little bit ironic," Smith said.
"We're here trying to grow the game of golf, create different pathways for a lot of different guys. I think it's a bit unfair to say there's only one or two tours that you can make a career on. "[LIV Golf] is just a different thing. As time goes on it'll be perceived in a different way and we can move and start playing golf."
