LIV Golf star Cam Smith says giving top performers on the circuit a pathway into major championships is overdue acknowledgement of the quality of players the breakaway league boasts as the sport edges towards a resolution to its three-year civil war.
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club announced Tuesday that the top five players on LIV’s individual standings following its Dallas tournament in late June, who were not already exempt, would be given a spot at the world’s oldest major, The Open Championship, the following month.
It followed a move last week by the US Open to also open places for LIV golfers in its field.
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Smith, in Adelaide preparing for the LIV’s second event of the season which starts Friday at The Grange Golf Club, said the change by two of the four majors was “a step in the right direction”.
“I think it would have been nice to have that as soon as we moved over here but obviously things take time,” he said.
“I think it definitely needed to happen. I feel like there are some guys out here who have missed out on spots in majors over that past couple years that deserved them so it’s good to see that they are acknowledging us.
“It’s hard to win out here and it’s hard to compete and I think we have the strongest fields in golf week in and week out. I think it will be the best thing for the game.”
Smith has maintained a place in every major since his move to LIV thanks to his 2022 Open triumph at St Andrews, but Ripper GC teammates Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert and Matt Jones are among those who have missed out in recent years after sliding in the world rankings because LIV events do not attract points.
Herbert (fourth in individual standings) and Leishman (sixth) are in the early frame after their finishes at LIV Golf’s season-opening tournament in Saudi Arabia last weekend.
Leishman, a major championship runner up in 2015, hasn’t featured at any over the past two years. He said he accepted the likelihood of missing out on majors when he signed with LIV but was grateful the stand-off was heading towards and end.
“We do want to play those majors and I think it proves we are on the right track and are going to be around for a long time, that the majors are starting to recognise it,” he said.
R&A chief executive Mark Darbon said the decision followed an annual review of The Open’s exemptions “to ensure that we offer pathways into the championship based on results achieved on the leading professional tours”.
“We acknowledge that players competing in LIV Golf should also have the opportunity to secure places in the Open through its individual season standings as well as existing pathways,” Darbon said.
“We are proud to offer a wide range of opportunities to qualify globally and look forward to seeing which golfers will emerge to take their place at Royal Portrush in July.”
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