What a dumb question.
Cameron Smith defiantly told reporters, earlier this year, that if there was any updates to provide on his golfing future, it would come directly from him.
Then, about a fortnight after that claim, LIV Golf announced he was jumping to their ship with a tweet. He may be the reigning Open champion, but his new paymasters are calling the shots.
The Australian is at LIV Chicago, at Sugar Grove, Illinois, this week for the latest 54-hole outing in the Saudi-funded breakaway tour. Smith only recently joined the tour and went close to winning his first event, which would have earned him $4m, at an event in Boston.
Smith was up for a press conference with fellow PGA Tour defectors Matt Wolff and Phil Mickelson, on Friday, and this was
a sample of the questions being tossed their way:
- Do you feel like the vibes on LIV are like a fun hang, and the PGA TOUR is like a stuffy country club with too many rules?
- Why is it a more fun and fan-friendly environment?
- Cam, have you ever seen the movie "Joe Dirt"?
- Would you guys be open to going to the barber to go get mullets for charity?
Many of the sports reporters that initially attended LIV events to question golfers - about abandoning the PGA and DP World Tours and the breakaway series' ties to the gulf kingdom of Saudi Arabia - have now headed off to concentrate on other stories and events. Many of the LIV pressers now have sycophantic element to them, with more than a few questions seeming to be planted in there.
There was one question, though, that even the LIV PR machine would not have been so downright brazen, or stupid, to suggest.
It came from a social media account called Drunk By The Turn, and was about Rory McIlroy. The moderately-sized account revelled in
Cameron Smith beating McIlroy - the man that has championed the PGA Tour in recent months - to The Open Championship.
https://twitter.com/thegolfeditor/status/1570912785550422019
The trio of Cameron Smith, Matt Wolff and Phil Mickelson nervously laughed when the question was asked.
Smith responded, "I'm not answering that!" as Wolff made a show of stepping away from the Aussie.
https://twitter.com/DrunkByTheTurn_/status/1570938101417279489
The same account that asked the asinine, disrespectful Rory McIlroy comment also posted a picture of Cameron Smith looking off into the distance with the following text overlaid - 'Is that Rory over there bitching about something again'.
The meme was shown to Smith before he teed off at the 15th hole, on Friday.
https://twitter.com/DrunkByTheTurn_/status/1570477302118596608
Part of the LIV Golf fun, in Chicago, this week is a barbers being set up at the course. If any golf fans go and get themselves a mullet, like Smith, $1,000 will be donated to charity.
"It was good to see a few guys getting clipped, and obviously a good cause for charity," said Smith. "Yeah, hopefully we get a lot more over the weekend."
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