Cam Smith says LIV Golf and PGA Tour executives have been caught by surprise as merger talks continue

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Cam Smith recently capped off a superb LIV Golf season by guiding Ripper GC to success at the LIV Golf Dallas Team Championship.

Smith planned a party for Ripper GC to celebrate, with the all-Australian side having superbly recovered from their poor start to the season.

The captain joined the LIV Golf tour from the PGA Tour shortly after his memorable win at The Open Championship in 2022.

Smith etched his name onto the Claret Jug after coming out on top in St Andrews in July of that year, but quickly moved on from the traditional tour.

It was certainly a blow to the PGA Tour, who continue to be involved in discussions with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

Cam Smith makes LIV Golf and PGA Tour executives claim

A PGA Tour and LIV Golf merger is potentially close amid those discussions, but what a final solution looks like remains to be seen.

As per the Herald Sun, Smith has now shared his thoughts on the current scenario, saying: “It is a tricky one and I think it has been a lot trickier than all the executives thought it was going to be at the start as well.

READ MORE: Cameron Smith says he has a big ‘regret’ about his season despite winning the LIV Golf Team Championship Dallas

“The plan was to have something in place by the end of 2023 and here we are near the end of 2024 and it does not look as if anything is going to happen in the really short term. It is a really big puzzle that a lot of guys are working really hard to try and solve.

“It has taken a lot longer than everyone thought but I know there are some really smart guys on both sides who are trying to work out the best thing.”

How did LIV Golf star Cam Smith do on the PGA Tour in 2024?

Smith was referencing the framework agreement signed by the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and PIF, which was agreed upon last summer.

But the deadline for the agreement was set for December, although all parties are still seemingly keen on working out the problem.

The Australian does seem to be in agreement with plenty of other players, with PGA Tour stars and LIV Golf aces eager to put their differences aside.

READ MORE: Lucas Herbert shares what Cam Smith has done with him at LIV Golf that would never happen if they were on the PGA Tour

Golf should, of course, be trying to pit the world’s top players against each other as often as possible, but that hasn’t been the case in recent times.

Six-time PGA Tour winner Smith began his return to the PGA Tour major schedule this year in fine fashion, finishing T6 at the Masters.

But the Australian finished T63 and T32 at the PGA Championship and US Open respectively, before missing the cut at The Open.