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Less than a year ago, Australian Cam Smith was at the top of the golf world.
The 29-year-old won the 2022 British Open at St. Andrews and vaulted himself to No. 2 in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Smith was not only immensely successful, but also immensely popular for his trademark mullet and laid back attitude. But fast forward about nine months and you hardly even hear his name,
That’s due, in part, to Smith’s decision to leave the PGA Tour for a massive deal with LIV Golf.
Smith is one of, if not the top current start to defect to LIV. But that hasn’t seemed to swing things in the favor of the upstart Saudi-backed league.
That’s led to Smith falling out of the public spotlight, and one golf analyst believes it was kneecapped his golf career. Beyond that, the analyst claims that fellow Australian Greg Norman is to blame.
Brandel Chamblee Says Greg Norman Ruined Cam Smith’s Golf Career
Brandel Chamblee is one of The Golf Channel’s most polarizing figures, in part because he’s not afraid to speak his mind. That’s exactly what Chamblee did recently when addressing Smith’s move to LIV and subsequent struggles.
“It’s ironic to me that it might possibly be an Aussie that will keep another Aussie in Cameron Smith possibly from ascending to a spot where he’s considered the greatest player of all time [from Australia],” Chamblee said to the Golf Channel. “Supplanting Peter Thomson, he had that kind of talent.
“Norman didn’t get there but [Smith] could have easily supplanted Greg Norman as the second-best player of all time from Australia. That’s at least in my view where Cameron Smith was headed.
“That’s what he’s turned his back on and a lot of it has to do with Greg Norman, and Cam Smith got a lot of bad advice from his agents and other people in the game around him trying to suck him into LIV.” – via The Independent
Now, Chamblee doesn’t straight up say that Norman intentionally sabotaged Smith’s career. But he doesn’t exactly not say it either.
Ultimately, Smith is an adult who can make his own decisions. But that decision may have a huge impact on his legacy/