Cameron Smith, ranked 62nd in the world golf rankings, is worried about his ability to represent Australia in the Olympics as LIV Golf stars are ineligible to earn ranking points
LIV Golf’s Cameron Smith admitted that he wants to represent Australia in the upcoming Olympics despite his position of No. 62 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).
Smith, born in Brisbane, Australia, noted that his chances of qualifying for the Paris Olympics are running out as LIV golfers can not earn ranking points within the Saudi-backed league. Smith was ranked as high as No. 2 in the world in 2022, but slowly dropped to No. 20 in 2023, followed by a sharp plummet to No. 62 – his lowest ranking since 2017.
Smith is eligible for competitions in all four PGA Major tournaments after winning The Open Championship at St. Andrews in 2022 – giving him a five-year major exemption. However, those wins have no impact on his selection for the upcoming Olympics.
“It’s desperately a place that I want to get to and represent Australia.” said Smith to The Guardian. “I have to play well to get there. I know I have to play well, and I’m probably only going to get three or four shots at it before they make the selection. I guess it is more pressure.”
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Smith previously expressed what his country means to him after recently missing the cut by nine shots at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship last year. The 30-year-old golfer previously won the event three times, lastly in 2022.
“Australia has been so good to me, there’s no reason to perform like that. Unacceptable,” Smith said. “Yeah, no words. S***. I’ve performed under pressure before and it’s not acceptable, a bit upsetting actually. I know what I’m doing, it’s just going out there and committing to something is another thing.”
After careful deliberation, the OWGR rejected LIV Golf’s request for points in October of last year. The rankings organisation cited concerns regarding LIV Golf’s format, shotgun start rules, and team elements. “We are not at war with them,” stated Peter Dawson, chairman of the OWGR board. “This decision not to make them eligible is not political. It is entirely technical.”
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