Cam Smith feels he and LIV players need to prove selves at Augusta National

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Cam Smith has heard the chatter entering this year’s Masters.

That he and the rest of the LIV members play against weak fields.

That they play on substandard courses.

That they don’t play true competition with only 54 holes.

And so here at Augusta National, Smith said it’s time for them to make a statement on the leaderboard.

“I think it’s important for LIV guys to be up there,” he said, “because I think we need to be up there.”

The question is whether Smith will do his part.

The mulleted Australian is coming off a breakout year in which he rose as high as No. 2 in the world and won five times globally, including The Players and Open Championship that preempted his lucrative move to LIV Golf.

He hasn’t been nearly as crisp so far in 2023, and there appears to be ample reasons why.

For one of the few times in his career, Smith took a deserved break at the end of the year after the Australian swing, a byproduct of the new LIV schedule that didn’t begin until late February. A lighter workload and more time at home in Australia was one of LIV’s main selling points for Smith, but even he conceded: “I had probably a bit too much time off at the end of the year.”

When he restarted, his improved driving had regressed, his irons weren’t as sharp, and his molten putter had cooled off. He missed the cut in his only full-field start, at the Saudi International, and twice finished outside the top 25 in 48-man LIV fields.

“It hasn’t really been the nicest start for me,” he said.

And it’s a stark contrast to last year, when Smith cut back on his time spent fishing and poured himself into his game and fitness, addressing areas (such as his erratic driving) that he had long neglected. The payoff was immediate, and significant.

His slipping performance this spring, however, will only increase the criticism that he has grown complacent because of the massive guaranteed money or weakened competition.

“There’s definitely a lot of guys that keep you on your toes,” he said, “and I don’t think that’s a problem. I think I’m just not playing really good golf at the moment, and I’m trying to fix that.”

Over the years Augusta National has proven to be a reliable launching pad for Smith, regardless of his form entering the week. Last year he already had two wins before playing his way into the final group Sunday with Scottie Scheffler. Though it was a forgettable final day, Smith is one of just two players with three consecutive top-10s at the Masters.

“This is my happy place,” he said.

But even Smith’s preparation this week has been different, necessitated once again by the LIV schedule. The rival tour wrapped up Sunday in Orlando, and so Smith stopped at home in Ponte Vedra to do laundry and then continued north on Monday morning. Upon arrival he didn’t play a practice round, opting instead to do an hour of work on the tournament practice area before heading into the press building. Of the 18 LIV players in the Masters field, he was the only one who accepted an invitation for a pre-tournament news conference.

If he was worried about the altered practice schedule, he didn’t let on.

“I feel like I’ve played this course enough physically,” he said, “and a million times in my head.”

But the only way to silence the skeptics this week is to play it better than he ever has.