Cameron Smith withdraws from BMW Championship amid LIV rumors

Smith is currently third in the FexExCup standings. The top 30 advance to the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta next week, so he should have no problem qualifying. His road to winning the title will be a lot more difficult now, however.

Some have speculated that Smith is trying to make a statement after he was assessed a two-stroke penalty at the FedEx St. Jude Championship over the weekend. The penalty was announced on Sunday and was the result of “improper placement of the ball” during the third round on Saturday. A PGA rules official noticed that Smith played a shot that may have been on the red penalty line following a drop, which is not legal. The official, Gary Young, said the ball was “really close to the line, if not touching the line.” Young said he asked Smith about the shot and expected Smith to confirm it was not touching the line. He did not.

“When I asked him the question, unfortunately he said to me, ‘No, the ball was definitely touching the line.’ So at that point, there’s no turning back,” Young explained. “That was the moment I know the player has knowledge the ball is touching the line. He just simply didn’t understand the rule, that it requires the entire ball to be outside the penalty area and in his relief area.”

There was also an incident during the opening round on Thursday where Scottie Scheffler seemed to send a message to Smith by violating one of golf’s unwritten rules.

Smith reportedly has a $100 million offer to join the LIV series. The 28-year-old was asked last week about the rumors that he plans to sign with LIV after the FedExCup Playoffs, and he did not exactly deny it.