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Australian golf’s biggest drawcard is also its most influential critic
By Peter Ryan
Star Australian golfer Cameron Smith introduced himself simply as “Cameron” as he shook hands with his playing partners Nick Voke and Ben Schmidt and their caddies on the first tee at Kingston Heath last Sunday morning at 7.22am.
He was about to play the final round of the Australian Open, the last leg of a busy Australian tour in which he had played four tournaments in five weeks for three podium finishes – but no victory.
Cam Smith finished runner-up in the Australian PGA and kept drawing big galleries despite being well off the pace in the Australian OpenCredit: Getty Images
He had played in Brisbane, Swan Hill and then Melbourne during a visit that brought the Australian summer of golf to life, giving it the necessary star factor to make the tour visible.
A small crowd took photos of him as soon as he emerged from the Kingston Heath clubhouse in his LIV Golf team’s Ripper GC cap, customary final day maroon shirt and white pants. They watched him chat to his loyal caddy Sam Pinfold and hand the starstruck son of a security guard a golf glove from his bag as a memento.
By the time Smith finished his round about four and a half hours later, the gallery watching his every move had swelled to at least a 1000 as he drew a huge roar when finishing the tournament with a birdie. All this was before the main contenders, Smith’s LIV teammate Lucas Herbert and unknown American Ryggs Johnston, had even teed off.
With the mullet, a dynamite short game and a laid-back, polite Australian vibe that appeals to all generations, the 31-year-old attracted 20 times more spectators to his round than any other competitor every time he took to the fairways.
“He’s a massive drawcard. He still had the biggest crowds out there,” former golf professional Ewan Porter said.
Throw in a willingness to disrupt the old (and often older) order, which he showed when he joined LIV Golf just months after landing the 2022 British Open (to, it must be said, significant backlash) and you can see why recognition of his name has crossed over to non-golf fans.
That box-office appeal has given him the potential to be the most influential voice in shaping the future of Australian golf.
When Smith finally flew out of Melbourne that night, headed for Saudi Arabia after failing to land that elusive national title at his 10th consecutive attempt in what he described as “a long week”, he left golf administrators pondering a range of questions they are finding hard to answer.
Working together (from left) Gavin Kirkman, CEO, PGA of Australia; Karen Lunn, CEO, WPGA Tour Australasia; and James Sutherland, CEO of Golf Australia.Credit: Courtesy WPGA Tour of Australasia
Smith had spoken out against the way Kingston Heath had been prepared in a thinly veiled criticism of the dual format where men and women play in the tournament at the same time. He also wondered aloud to at least one source, who preferred to remain anonymous, at how difficult it had become for Australia’s best golfers to make their way to the world tour despite participation rates being high.
Not only does his status, alongside Adam Scott, Jason Day and Min Woo Lee as one of the country’s best male golfers, give him credibility on such issues. But he has also supported the Australian tour with his presence in the past decade. His logic on the dual format was backed too by star Australian golfer Hannah Green who said in an ideal world the women’s event would be held in February.
Smith had also just done hard yards to support the state titles, heading to Murray Downs to play in the NSW Open, a moment former professional Mike Clayton said was “like the Beatles going to Swan Hill”.
Smith’s headline-grabbing comments resonated enough to eventually force a response from Golf Australia CEO James Sutherland, who said that it was “not that easy” to separate the men and women’s competition, as the women’s tournament lost money, and attempted to explain the professional golfing labyrinth and the issues facing Australian golf.
Different directions
According to two sources who preferred to remain anonymous, Smith has a view that Australian golf would be well-advised to leverage off LIV and develop an alliance with the International Series played on the Asian Tour to provide a lucrative pathway for young Australian golfers.
Australia’s Ripper GC team of (left to right) Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert, Cameron Smith and Matt Jones celebrate their teams win at LIV Golf Adelaide.Credit: Getty
That’s impossible for Australian golf right now. The Australian PGA has a strategic alliance with the DP World Tour (the European tour) until 2026 that connects to the American circuit, which they put in place before LIV Golf emerged.
They also have the “Australian Golfing Strategy”, which has a range of objectives including taking advantage of the participation increase that started during the COVID-19 pandemic – reversing a constant decline over the previous 20 years – increasing female participation and breaking down some of the perceptions around golf that made many Australians see it as pale, male and stale – and inaccessible.
British Open champion, respected golf commentator and chair of the Australian PGA Ian Baker-Finch is a fan of Smith’s as well as being well aware of Australia’s golfing landscapes.
He respects Smith’s support for Australian golf and its emerging golfers, which includes an academy for young Australian golfers at his home in Jacksonville, where they learn about what is required to make it in the extraordinarily competitive world of professional golf (a former recipient was this year’s Australian PGA winner Elvis Smylie).
“I can’t say anything bad about him,” Baker-Finch said.
“He is giving back. He offers opportunities to junior golfers through his charitable endeavours himself ... I like what Cam is doing. I am a big fan.”
But there is a caveat that echoes Sutherland’s thoughts – “it’s not that easy” to execute a strategy that pleases everyone.
“Golf Australia and our PGA are trying to create pathways, put money into junior golf, create more and more opportunities ... we have 300 or more Australian PGA Tour members, men and women. We have to look after pathways for 300, not just one or two to make their way on to LIV. The Australian PGA Tour’s [objective] is to get as many of our players as possible on to the other world tours to improve their play, improve their position, to get them to play for more money.”
The LIV Golf Tournament is huge for spectators but it only includes four Australian golfers. Australian golf officials need to cater for the broader game. Credit: Getty
Because the broadcast revenue some other sports command is not there for golf, the sport has to rely on commercial partners who rely, in turn, on broadcast for exposure.
It means the PGA has to invest in getting coverage of tournaments through Foxtel, with many, including this week’s low-profile Victorian PGA event at Moonah Links, available on Kayo. But without any big drawcards playing in those tournaments, the broad interest in the results is minimal.
The Smith impact
Smith, on the other hand, is key to keeping the game on the front and back pages in summer. He knows it and so does Golf Australia. Sutherland was keen to emphasise last week that the players “are the stars of the show”.
“The last time we saw anything like it was when Greg Norman was in his halcyon days when he was world No.1 and would come back and play,” Porter said.
“People like Cam. Kids find him very relatable, there were real or fake mullets supporting him and I saw Ripper GC merch everywhere. His presence has been great for the grassroots.”
Smith’s genuine desire to help Australian golf has been overshadowed for some because LIV Golf is funded by Saudi Arabia’s Private Investment Fund. There has been ongoing controversy surrounding LIV Golf’s emergence and the challenge it laid down to the hegemony of America’s PGA Tour.
Smith leads an All-Australian LIV Golf team called Ripper Golf Club that includes Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert and Matt Jones, who won the team’s title in 2024. In some ways, the foursome is golf’s Kelly gang.
“The notion they don’t care is garbage,” Porter said.
The team now has a new managing director in Nick Adams and hopes to set up a high-performance centre in Brisbane. Smith’s presence ensures Australia will not be forgotten by the LIV hierarchy, which is about to announce a Scott O’Neil as Norman’s replacement as CEO.
Possible paths for Australian golf
“I think our tour needs to look to LIV,” Porter said.
“It needs to look to Asia. When you do that you get the funding behind it to potentially do something more impactful than what we have now. But I think the tour has done a really good job since COVID to increase the playing opportunities for our players and increase the pathways, which we have seen David Micheluzzi [the 2022-23 Order of Merit winner] take advantage of in Europe.
“It has all been beneficial, but it would grow exponentially if they were to align themselves with LIV and Ripper GC.”
David Micheluzzi played in this week’s Victorian PGA after playing on the DP World Tour.Credit: Getty Images
A pragmatic Baker-Finch says the two strands can co-exist in Australian golf for now as LIV and PGA of America merger talks (DP World Tour is a party to those discussions) continue at snail’s pace. He stands firm behind the need for Australian officials to take a broad view and would like to see LIV Golf “give back a bit more through junior golf” although he has no philosophical objection to the roadshow.
“I actually am one to think there is a place for LIV. I am OK with LIV being a Formula 1 tour and travelling around the world 14 weeks a year,” Baker-Finch said.
“If the Australian players want to go and try out for LIV or try our for the International Series, that is fine go have a game, but we can’t align with the tour that is against our principles of supplying opportunities to as many players as possible.
“I love the fact they [Ripper Golf Club players] come home and play here if there is no tournament on or in the LIV tournament. We want to welcome them back.”
Welcomed back they are by local fans. Smith felt the support of Australian crowds who don’t care for the debates. They just want to see players as quietly charismatic as Smith, who wows crowds when he fires golf balls off tees like Exocet missiles, as he did in the past five weeks.
What became clear in the past month is that Smith is the most valuable asset in Australian golf right now. His second in the Saudi International on Saturday after a play-off confirmed his status among the world’s best. That he wants to strengthen Australian golf is clear, but his satisfaction with its direction can’t be taken for granted.
Getting the decision right on the format and locations of the country’s biggest tournaments next summer is vital and will play a part in whether Smith and the equally supportive Scott return next year.
Smith made his point but left the door open to be back as he has every year since 2012 – bar during COVID-19 when the tournament was cancelled – to play in the Australian Open.
“It’s nice to be back to support those [tournaments] and give back ... hopefully I can keep doing it in the future,” Smith said.
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