Cam Smith drops truth bomb on return to contention at PGA Championship

When Cam Smith won the 2022 Open Championship at St. Andrew’s, it seemed like the start of a rise to stardom. The Australian went to LIV Golf immediately after the tournament, and his major championship play abandoned him. Smith finished T7 at the 2026 PGA Championship and spoke with Golf Digest’s Christopher Powers about his return to competition.

“It feels great to play nice,” Smith said, per Powers. “You don’t work hard to play crap, and it’s frustrating, and the last couple of years have been frustrating. I feel like I’ve been putting in the work and not really getting anything out of it.”

Smith posted two top-ten finishes in the 2023 major championship season and finished sixth at the 2024 Masters. In the eight majors between then and now, Smith missed six cuts and never finished above T32. But when he got to Aronimink this week, Smith found his stroke again to shoot into contention.

According to DataGolf, Smith was fourth in the field with 1.45 strokes gained, approach. That helped him when his driver abandoned him on Sunday. Smith finished eighth-worst in the field in strokes gained, off the tee on Sunday. In the past, it had been Smith’s putting that launched him up the leaderboards. But improving his iron play should mean good things moving forward?

What’s next for Cam Smith amid LIV Golf’s uncertain future?

Since the Masters, the future of LIV Golf has turned for the worse. The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) is pulling its funding of the rival golf tour, but the tour itself is still trying to get sponsors for 2027. Smith had an opportunity to jump back to the PGA Tour when Brooks Koepka did as part of the Returning Member Program, but he did not.

Smith now faces the same uncertain future that many of his fellow LIV Golf players face. If his contract expires after this season, like Bryson DeChambeau’s, he may play next year on the DP World Tour. But if LIV tries to put on events in 2027, Smith may be obligated to play them, like Jon Rahm seems to be.

If Smith regains his form in major championships, it will be great for his immediate future. With his exemptions from the Open Championship win expiring next year, he needs high finishes to stay in the best fields in golf. Can Smith make a run at the US Open next month at Shinnecock?

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