Cameron Smith officially left the PGA Tour this week to sign with LIV Golf, and he has been heavily criticized for the decision. Fred Couples is the latest to take aim at the reigning British Open champion.
Smith is reportedly receiving somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 million to join LIV. He admitted on Wednesday that the money is a significant draw for him, but he said the schedule he will be able to play with the Saudi-backed league was an even bigger factor. Smith said the LIV schedule will allow him to spend more time in his home country of Australia.
“I’ve lived over here seven years now, and I love living in the U.S., but just little things like missing friends’ weddings, birthday parties and seeing your mates having a great time at rugby league games has been tough,” Smith said.
Couples made it clear on Thursday via Twitter that he has no sympathy for Smith. He trolled the 29-year-old and ripped the LIV format.
To all my friends who I missed birthdays & weddings …… so sorry, I was busy earning a living on the @pgatour and in my line of work the goal is to EARN your way to work weekends. And by weekends i mean 72 holes. Sorry not sorry .
— fredcouplesgolf (@fredcouplesgolf) September 1, 2022
“To all my friends who I missed birthdays & weddings …… so sorry, I was busy earning a living on the
@pgatour and in my line of work the goal is to EARN your way to work weekends. And by weekends i mean 72 holes. Sorry not sorry,” Couples wrote.
LIV Golf consists of 54-hole tournaments rather than the traditional 72. Many proponents of the PGA Tour and other professional tours say you cannot have a “real” tournament if you don’t play 72 holes.
Couples has 63 wins as a professional, including 15 PGA Tour victories and a win at the 1992 Masters. Like the golf legend who ripped Smith earlier this week, Couples’ opinion holds a lot of weight.
