Cameron Smith’s British Open celebrations turned sour after the Australian was forced to fire back at a reporter questioning his LIV Golf status.
Smith stormed his way to a stunning final-round 64 to claim The Open title and his first major championship, finishing one shot clear of Cameron Young.
The 20-under par score across the tournament signalled the best performance since Tiger Woods finished with 19-under in 2000.
Smith secured his status as one of Australia’s golfing greats, becoming just the third Aussie after Peter Thomson and Kel Nagle to win The Open.
However, despite his performance, his history-making championship win wasn’t the only topic of conversation among reporters.
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Talk of the Saudi Arabian-backed break off league LIV tour has been simmering in the background over the past few months, with rumours raging about who would be making the jump.
The controversial tournament is being spearheaded by Smith’s fellow countryman Greg Norman, and of course, in wake of his major win, Smith was also questioned about his status.
However, he didn’t take too kindly to the line of questioning.
Smith said: “I just won the British Open and you’re asking about that? I think that’s, pretty not that good.”
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However, when pressed about his plans he didn’t outright deny his intentions to join the league.
He added: “I don’t know mate. My team around me worries about that stuff. I’m here to win golf tournaments.”
Along with Norman, big-name players such as Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, and Sergio Bryan DeChambeau are already on the LIV roster.
If LIV were to secure the signing of Cameron Smith it would signal a huge addition to the roster.
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Despite being annoyed about the question, pundits and punters online noted that his answer certainly wasn’t a denial.
Golf pundit Geoff Shackelford noted that the Aussie’s response gave off a ‘big non-denial vibe’.
The exchange came just a day after English golfer Lee Westwood accused the media of attempting to cause tension between LIV Golf players and non-LIV players at The Open.
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He told reporters: “I think the media are stoking it up and doing as much as they can to aid that.
“I think the general public just want to go out there and see good golf no matter where it’s being played or who’s playing it.”
Meanwhile, Reuters journalist Peter Hall reports Cameron Smith is expected to announce he’s set to join LIV Golf in the coming days.
Other stars such as Adam Scott, Marc Leishman, and Henrick Stenson are also expected to make the jump from the PGA Tour.
Jayden Collins