Fred Couples Takes Dig At Cameron Smith's Move To LIV Golf
Couples has been a staunch supporter of the PGA Tour following the emergence of LIV Golf
Fred Couples has seemingly taken a dig at Cameron Smith over the Aussie's comments about joining LIV to spend more time at home.
"For me, I haven't been back in Australia for three years, as well," Smith said of joining LIV. "To spend more time at home, not missing out on friend and families' weddings and a couple of my friends have had kids over the last, you know, four or five years that I still haven't met. That's going to be a part of my life that I can't wait to get back."
The 1991 Masters champion Fred Couples, who has been a staunch supporter of the PGA Tour this year amid the LIV Golf competition, appeared to take a dig at Smith with a tweet saying that "the goal is to earn your way to work weekends."
"To all my friends who I missed birthdays & weddings …… so sorry, I was busy earning a living on the PGA Tour and in my line of work the goal is to EARN your way to work weekends. And by weekends i mean 72 holes. Sorry not sorry," he wrote.
To all my friends who I missed birthdays & weddings …… so sorry, I was busy earning a living on the @pgatour and in my line of work the goal is to EARN your way to work weekends. And by weekends i mean 72 holes. Sorry not sorry .September 1, 2022
Smith was one of six new signings announced by LIV Golf this week along with Marc Leishman, Joaquin Niemann, Cameron Tringale, Harold Varner III and Anirban Lahiri. The Aussie, currently second in the Official World Golf Ranking, is now comfortably LIV's highest-ranked player. Smith called LIV "the future" ahead of this week's tournament in Boston.
Fred Couples' dig at Smith is just one of a number of public comments targeted at LIV this year, after last month making his thoughts on the defectors, and CEO Greg Norman, very clear.
“If they win or lose, I don’t really care,” Couples said last month on the court case between LIV Golf players and the PGA Tour. “I’m 62, I play the Champions Tour, but it’s a little heartbreaking. Go do what you’re doing. Suing the Tour, 11 guys when there’s probably 200 guys on the Tour, I just find it really, really weird."
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The American also said that nobody has liked Greg Norman for 25 years.
“And I have a funny feeling I know where it’s coming and it’s coming from their leader, who no one’s liked for 25 years. And that’s not being mean, that’s just — that’s the truth. He’s not a friend of mine, but he never would be because we don’t get along. But he’s running a tour that he thinks is incredible.”
Couples tweeted the words "Denied Denied Denied" last month in what appeared to be a celebration that Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones lost their court case to attempt to play in the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Earlier in the year he also said that he was proud of Woods, McIlroy, Rahm, Morikawa and Thomas' support for the PGA Tour, which he called "the greatest tour in the world."
I am proud of @tigerwoods @mcillroyrory @jonrahmpga @collin_morikawa @justinthomas34 & many others for their loyalty & support of the greatest tour in the world.February 20, 2022
Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!
Elliott is currently playing:
Driver: Titleist TSR4
3 wood: Titleist TSi2
Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1
Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW
Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58
Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5
Ball: Srixon Z Star XV
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