Australians in golf’s new world order: Cameron Smith wins but Greg Norman loses

A s the golf world continues to reel from the news that the Saudi-backed LIV Golf will merge with the PGA Tour and the DP World tour, Australia’s Cameron Smith now has everything he could possibly desire: the money, more money to play for and his tournament of choice to play in.

With Yasir al-Rumuyyan at the helm of a new world golf entity, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) take-over will have an immense impact on Australian golf and its most well known figures.

The likes of Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Will Zalatoris and Jon Rahm all rejected big-money offers to join LIV only for the PGA Tour reach an agreement where they now answer to the PIF. But Smith is surely delighted to hear LIV golfers will soon be welcomed back into PGA Tour fold. He defected to LIV for a reported $140m a month after lifting the claret jug at the Old Course. Although Smith has been able to maintain an OWGR Top 10 spot and receive exemptions into majors thanks to his Open win, the merge of tours will allow him to compete in the new elevated PGA Tour events as well as international team events. He can certainly better stabilise his position in the world rankings.

Smith played in just 12 LIV events, winning the 2022 Chicago event and helping Punch GC to second place in Miami that year.

His Australian Ripper GC teammates will also benefit. Marc Leishman, 39, still has plenty of good golf left but has fallen from No 36 in the world at the end of 2021 to No 147, effectively ending his major career. An ability to earn ranking points puts him back on the major scene. Matt Jones is down to No 185 but did win the Honda Classic in 2021 and will benefit from being able to play PGA Tour events. Jed Morgan primarily plied his trade on the Asian