Cam Smith lured to LIV with ‘generational wealth’ promise

Cameron Smith savours ‘awesome’ Open win and sidesteps LIV Golf questions

Greg Norman has opened up on the details behind Cam Smith’s mega-money move to LIV Golf, as the Saudi-backed series heads to their homeland Australia next week. Smith became arguably the biggest name to join LIV, having been ranked world No.2 at the time of signing.

The Saudi switch came later than a number of his fellow LIV stars, with Smith signing on the dotted line partway through the breakaway circuit’s maiden season. The Aussie was quite the coup for Norman and co., not only due to his ranking, but also because he had recently been crowned Open champion.

Just weeks after the famous St Andrews victory, the 29-year-old made the controversial move. One aspect that aided the switch was his Australian connections with LIV boss Norman. Since then, Smith has been made captain of the all-Aussie team Rippers GC.

The overriding factor for many joining the Saudi-funded series is the eye-watering financial incentives on offer, and Norman has claimed Smith and co have the chance to rack up huge amounts of money. “Generational wealth is there to be had,” Norman said per news.com.au.

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“We are giving them the opportunity to look into the future instead of month-by-month, year-by-year, on the PGA Tour and where they see my schedule is like ‘I‘m going to play this, 23 or 24 tournaments, oh, that same old grind again’. Now these captains like Cam are working out how to maximise their value through generational wealth. We see it there.”

Smith joined a star-studded roster, with the likes of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka already aboard the LIV rollercoaster. Norman however admitted the signing of his fellow Aussie was the ‘best’ moment of the series’ inaugural year. He added: “When I started talking to Cam, I didn’t want to push it.

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“These guys have got to find their own way, knowing what is out there. To get from the offer, to signing it, to get to that point, you’ve got to go through a lot. It’s no different to when I signed on as CEO. So when I did the presentation to Cam I sat back and let it go and I didn’t push it at all.

“We had a couple of conversations. And then when the time came, he was ready. He found the way he found the way down that path of the journey he wanted to do. When he came on board. It was like ‘oh my gosh’, the best thing that happened to us to be honest with you.”

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