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Cam Smith Opens Up About 'One of the Most Difficult Phone Calls' of His Life

Australia’s Cam Smith finished inside the top 10 at the PGA Championship and put an end to his dismal run of form at the majors. The turnaround followed a painful coaching split after 23 years, which Smith called one of the most difficult phone calls of his life.

Smith had missed the cut at six consecutive majors and was looking for a way to end his slump. He finally committed to a change that required immense self-belief.

“I mean, just belief that I’m doing the right thing. That’s really it. It was a hard call to make to my coach. I had been seeing Grant since I was 9 years old. So I’d been with him for 23 years, and probably one of the most difficult phone calls I’ve ever had to make,” said Smith.

Smith parted ways with his lifelong coach, Grant Field, and hired famous instructor Claude Harmon III. Harmon III had built a strong reputation through his work with five-time major champion Brooks Koepka and two-time major winner Dustin Johnson.

Smith’s poor form at the majors became a talking point, with many golf fans and analysts blaming LIV Golf’s weaker competition and limited schedule for his struggles.

However, the 2022 Open Championship winner attributed the poor form to his swing issues.

“And, yeah, it’s still kind of lingering, but I feel like I’ve made the right call, and I can see it in my golf and just my strike of the ball and seeing some different shots. It’s been nice,” Smith added.

The difficult decision is already paying off. The Aussie scored back-to-back rounds of 68 over the weekend and finished tied for seventh at Aronimink. He made the cut for the first time since the 2024 U.S. Open.

He played like the old version of himself as he finished five strokes behind champion Aaron Rai.

The new partnership with Harmon III has started on the right foot for Smith. However, his partnership with his coach remains one of the most successful collaborations of his career.

The Smith-Grant Partnership

Under Grant’s mentorship, Smith racked up 12 professional wins. Their last win together came at LIV Golf Bedminster, which Smith secured by seven strokes.

Other than that, Smith won two other LIV Golf titles with Grant. Those victories came in London and Chicago.

Their most notable win was certainly the 2022 Open Championship, a narrow one-stroke victory over current World No. 3 Cameron Young.

Smith and Grant were a formidable coach-player duo on the PGA Tour. The Aussie won six titles on the tour before making the transition to LIV Golf.

This article first appeared on DailyClubGolf and was syndicated with permission.

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