'It's Changed My Life' - Travis Smyth On LIV Golf Experience

The name of Travis Smyth didn't spark controversy when it appeared on the first LIV Golf tee sheet; that was saved for the high-profile figures that defected from the traditional tours to the breakaway circuit.

Smyth also wasn't paid tens of millions of dollars up front to feature in the inaugural 54-hole shootout at the Centurion Club last year. Instead, the Australian qualified via a second-place finish in the Asian Tour's International Series England event in 2022.

That earned him an exemption into the first three LIV events, and although his name has since been removed from Greg Norman's roster, the impact of his brief tenure under the LIV banner is still being felt.

After a second-round 72 at the 2023 Open, Smyth spoke about the series of events that led to what he describes as a life-changing experience.

"Yeah, it was amazing," Smyth said. "So the week before the Centurion LIV event was the International Series England was the name of the tournament. It was an Asian Tour event. 

"About a month prior to that event, we got told, us Asian Tour players, that depending on how you play, if you come top three, top four, top five, there may be a spot in the very first LIV event. So we're all very excited and I went and came second, and then narrowly missed a playoff.

"But got to play the first LIV event and it was unbelievable. Then yeah, when I was at the prize ceremony for the International Series England, I got told that I'd get to play three. Then there was another sort of qualification process. I was never really booted off LIV. I just was always granted three from the start.

"Ever since then, it's changed my life, obviously, for the better financially. Professional golf is very, very expensive. Most people don't realise that. Since the LIV experience I've been able to do my thing much more comfortably, and I've been better for it."

To put it into context, Smyth went from playing full-field events with total purses of less than $1 million to being one of 48 battling it out for $25m, the largest prize in the sport's history. And he made the most of his opportunity.

Smyth finished T33, T29 and 22nd on his three starts, earning just shy of $1m. He has since returned to the Asian Tour, but harbours ambitions of earning a spot on the Korn Ferry Tour and ultimately forcing his way back into LIV contention.

"We're going to have a busy back end of the year with the Asian Tour, and I'm going to do Q-school for the Korn Ferry Tour, and just see where we're at at the end of the year," he added.

"Winning the International Series for the Asian Tour, obviously everyone knows you get a spot on the LIV Tour, so that's what I'm aiming at for sure."

As for his first Open experience, it might be ending with a missed cut, but Smyth produced a moment of magic at Royal Liverpool. The Australian grabbed the headlines on Friday with a thrilling hole-in-one on Hoylake's devilish new par-3 17th. It was the first of the championship and he was understandably delighted.

"It was amazing, bittersweet actually," Smyth said. "I had a shock the day before, made double-bogey, and I was just really happy I hit a good shot because I was just so disappointed from the day before. 

"Yeah, huge surprise that it went in the hole. It was just the perfect distance, perfect wind and the club. Everything just kind of came together, and it was a moment I'll never forget."

But was it better than the LIV bounty?

"Ooh, that's a tough one," he pondered, before conceding he wouldn't trade it for his million dollars. Luckily, he doesn't have to.