Cam Smith: LIV field 'strong enough' to earn world ranking points

Cameron Smith tees off from the 18th tee box during the second round of the Invitational Chicago LIV Golf tournament. Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports

Cam Smith: LIV Golf field is 'strong enough' to earn world ranking points

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated 9/19/22

Cam Smith got his first victory as a member of LIV Golf over the weekend, although it was also the first time this year the Australian has won an event and not gotten points in the Official World Golf Ranking.

The Saudi Arabia-funded golf league still sits on the outside of the world ranking system for a number of reasons, in part because its events have a smaller field and a no-cut system. But Smith told one reporter on Sunday that he hopes LIV Golf will be included in the very near future.

"I think, for the guys on the tour, it would mean a lot to get world ranking points," Smith said after winning this weekend's event in Chicago. "The field here is strong enough and deep enough to where it warrants it."

Cam Smith on why LIV players should get WORLD ranking points and his plans of celebrating after his first LIV win. #LIVGOLF #DBTT pic.twitter.com/JPowIuwAc3
— DrunkByTheTurn (@DrunkByTheTurn_) September 19, 2022

Not being considered for world ranking points is still a huge sticking point for a golf league that continues to fight for legitimacy no matter how much money it throws around. Despite luring some of the game's biggest names away from the PGA Tour, LIV Golf remains an outlier in the sport as members of both the PGA and DP World Tours continue to have major criticism for those who defected to the league for massive paydays.

A number of PGA-turned-LIV golfers have tried arguing they still deserve to qualify for world ranking points, even though they knew before defecting that leaving the PGA and DP World Tours would mean forfeiting those rankings. So far, those arguments have not gone LIV Golf's way.

Don't expect this issue to be resolved any time soon, either. The feud between the leagues is going to be in the spotlight yet again over the next few weeks with the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup on the horizon, and you can bet the topic of world ranking points is going to be a hot one.

More must-reads: