While Gary Player did understand why a number of players decided to join LIV Golf, there was one defection from the PGA Tour which left the legendary South African particularly upset.
LIV Golf turned the golfing world upside down when they started to sign players in 2022. Some of the big names, such as Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood, were coming towards the end of their careers.
Others were much closer to being at the peak of their powers. With that, it has been interesting to see how they have fared since playing most of their golf on LIV.
While Bryson DeChambeau has thrived and Jon Rahm remains one of the best in the world, another major champion has certainly regressed – as Gary Player feared he would.
Gary Player feared ‘superstar’ had made a mistake in joining LIV Golf
One of LIV’s biggest coups in 2022 came towards the end of the season as they landed the world number two – who had won his first major title one month earlier.
Cam Smith had produced a stunning performance to win The Open Championship at St Andrews. Few will ever forget the putt he hit on the Road Hole on Sunday.
In comments reported by Golf Monthly, Player expressed his concern that Smith had made a terrible mistake for his career by deciding to join LIV.
“I was absolutely shocked to hear Cameron Smith. Here’s a young man that I really thought was going to be a superstar. Now, what sort of future does he have? Will he be allowed to play in Majors in the future? Will he be able to realise this great dream of being a champion? I don’t know,” he said.
“I don’t blame [Henrik] Stenson for going. He had no money, so he had to go. This superstar [Smith], I think his advisors have given him the wrong advice. I don’t blame players for going on the LIV Tour. Most of the players can’t win on the regular tour anymore. The PGA Tour will always be the major tour.”
How Cam Smith has performed since making the move to LIV Golf
Smith won on his second LIV start in Chicago. And he followed that with two victories in 2023. He actually managed to finish seven shots clear when he won in Bedminster.
And initially, his form in the majors did not suffer. The Australian finished in the top 10 in three of his first five majors after moving to LIV.
However, his form has dropped off considerably in more recent times.
Smith finished 18th in the LIV standings for 2025. He managed to register just one top five finish throughout the season.
And he has now missed the cut at his last five major appearances. When he tees it up at The Masters in 2026, it will have been two years since he last finished in the top 30 in one of the four biggest events of the year.
Obviously, individual success on the course is not the only factor which determines whether the 32-year-old made an error. Clearly, a number of LIV players find the lifestyle a lot more fulfilling than they had done on the PGA Tour.
But it is impossible to ignore Smith’s decline. He also won The Players Championship and finished third at Augusta National the year he moved to LIV.
A number of factors may be responsible. But obviously, the biggest change he has made since then has been his move to LIV.
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