LIV Golf star Cam Smith commended Rory McIlroy for bringing more attention to the Australian Open by opting to compete in the 108th hosting of the prestigious tournament
17:03 ET, 02 Dec 2025Updated 17:03 ET, 02 Dec 2025
Cam Smith applauded Rory McIlroy for competing in the Australian Open(Image: Getty Images)
LIV Golf star Cam Smith heaped praise on Rory McIlroy for “supporting” a tournament that is close to his heart.
This week, Smith and McIlroy — who recently claimed that the PGA Tour is in a much better position than LIV Golf — will both compete in the Australian Open, which stands as one of the oldest and most prestigious golf events down under.
Speaking to reporters on Monday at Royal Melbourne, Smith commended McIlroy for bringing more eyes to the 108th hosting of the Australian Open. The Northern Irishman last played in the tournament in 2014 after winning it the year prior. “Rory’s a great player, has been for a very long time. He’s a great ambassador for the game of golf,” he said.
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“He’s a great player. He is going to bring a lot of fans out here. A lot of kids are going to come and watch him and are going to want to be like him.
“And I think that’s our job at the end of the day, is to get clubs in kids’ hands and he does it a lot. So yeah, I’m happy that he’s here and supporting our Open.”
In the leadup to this year’s Australian Open, Smith repeatedly called for the tournament to return to its traditional format.
In each of the last three years, the event has been held at the same time as the Women’s Australian Open, with male and female players hitting off alternate tees.
Rory McIlroy last competed in the Australian Open in 2014(Image: Getty Images)
Smith voiced his criticisms directly to Golf Australia chief executive James Sutherland, who ultimately agreed to return to the old format.
“There was a lot of back-and-forth throughout the last couple of years, and I think everyone’s pretty happy with the result,” Smith said.
“Everyone’s talking about the Aussie Open again, which is what we wanted. We wanted it back at Royal Melbourne and we wanted it to be an event where international stars come down and compete and make it the event that it once was, so I think we’re on the right track.”
Over a decorated career on the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, Smith has achieved no shortage of success in his home country, having won three Australian PGA Championships in 2018, 2019 and 2022.
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Yet Smith has struggled mightily in 2025, during which the former Australian Amateur champion has failed to make a 36-hole cut in the seven tournaments he’s competed in outside of LIV Golf.
In addition to the four majors, Smith additionally missed the cut at the Dunhill Links Championship, the Saudi International and — most recently — the Australian PGA Championship.
“Golf doesn’t owe me anything,” Smith conceded. “I have to go out there and work and I think throughout the season it’s been a case of hit one or two bad shots here and there and it’s like, ‘Oh, here we go again’ type of thing.”
