Smith defection divides but Australia could prove fallow ground for LIV

MELBOURNE : Australian golf fans may be split over Cameron Smith's defection to the LIV series but the Saudi-backed circuit could ultimately find fallow ground in a country left to wither by the increasingly dominant U.S. and European tours.

World number two Smith, who claimed his first major at the British Open in July, confirmed he had signed with LIV on Tuesday in a coup for the breakaway series spearheaded by his compatriot Greg Norman.

It was also a major blow for the U.S. PGA Tour in its battle to retain talent and marketing firepower for an increasingly bruising war against the upstart challenger.

With LIV bankrolled by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, Smith's decision triggered some criticism in Australia, where plenty of sports fans view the series as a vehicle for "sportswashing" the Middle Eastern nation's human rights abuses.

Yet there was also defence for the 29-year-old, who some feel is being unfairly held to a higher moral standard than the governments, corporates and entertainers who do regular business with the kingdom.

"So it's fine for farmers, builders, teachers and miners to serenade the Saudis but it's supposedly heinous for golfers like Smith to do the same?" sports columnist Robert Craddock wrote in News Corp media.

With LIV's enormous signing bonuses and prizemoney on offer, it came as little surprise that Smith in an interview with Golf Digest magazine admitted that his move had been a "business decision".

The series has other attractions for Smith, who said he was relishing the prospect of being able to spend more time in Australia rather than being based almost full-time in the United States.

Australia's local golf tour is also welcoming the prospect of having Smith and Marc Leishman, another of