In an exclusive interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, LIV golfer and current Champion Golfer of the Year, Cameron Smith, stated that four-time Major winner, Rory McIlroy, wanted the Australian "to stay" with the PGA Tour.
Speaking at his home in Florida, the 29-year-old, who signed with LIV Golf for a reported $140 million, pipped McIlroy to the Claret Jug at The 150th Open Championship in July. Now, as Smith prepares for his home tournaments at the Australian PGA and Australian Open, he has spoken about a phone call with McIlroy following his Open Championship success.
Smith celebrates his Open Championship success
"I’ve always had respect for Rory and I’ve liked what he says on the golf course," explained Smith. "He said, ‘congrats’. There were maybe a couple of little jabs in there. He was happy I played well and it was a good tournament. Then we talked about the PGA Tour and LIV.
"There was a bunch of stuff he wanted me to know before I made my decision. I wouldn’t say he tried to directly talk me out of it, but he definitely wanted me to stay."
Mere hours after claiming a first Major title, Smith was questioned about whether he was moving to the Saudi-backed series, which caused the Australian to say: "I just won the British Open, and you’re asking about that. I think that’s pretty not that good." However, a month after his win, Smith then stated he was "ready to cop some heat" in regards to his move.
Now, the 29-year-old has revealed that he "was definitely leaning one way," in regards to the jump to LIV Golf but, at the time "it wasn’t signed on paper," adding "there was still so much stuff to do, and so much to think about.
Smith claimed victory in his second LIV Golf event
"It felt like I didn’t sleep for a few months. I was constantly thinking, ‘what will other people think?’ That was a really big factor for me. I feel like I do most things by the book and to be one to step away... was really tough for me."
Recently, former Open champion, Ian Baker-Finch, revealed that he pleaded with his Aussie compatriot to pledge his allegiance to the PGA Tour and become a legend of the game. Along with Baker-Finch, Smith reportedly spoke to his family, Adam Scott, Marc Leishman, LIV CEO Greg Norman and PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan.
According to the Herald, one of the key reasons for Smith's move was what LIV would do for Australian golf, with it being revealed in the past week that The Grange Golf Club in Adelaide will feature on next year's expanded 14-tournament schedule.
"For me, the PGA Tour is a great place. It’s a great Tour that does really good things. But as you look back, Adam (Scott) has been one of the best golfers in the world for 20 years and I just think it’s really weird for them (PGA Tour) to not have an event (in Australia) just because of him,” Smith states.
"Then you have Jason (Day), Marc (Leishman), there’s a bunch of guys they could have done so much for. The Aussie crowd gets around it so much... But I just don’t think it’s that profitable for them and that’s kind of the reason behind it all."
