After Suffering From LIV Infused OWGR Shackles, Can Cameron Smith Find His Way into the 2024 Olympics?

In the world of professional golf, where the fairways weave through challenges and the greens hold the dreams of athletes, Australian golfer Cameron Smith has found himself navigating an unexpected course. Unlike the physical greens, this time around, it’s a tough road finding a way up the world golfing stage after the LIV Golf move.

LIV Golf player Smith is currently in a state of dilemma as his cold decision to shift to the PIF-backed League in 2022 has cost him harsh suffering on the OWGR charts, leading to his Olympics 2024 chances looking bleak.

LIV Golf may cost Cameron Smith a path to the 2024 Olympics

Cameron Smith’s 2022 move set in motion a series of challenges that have tested not only his skill on the course but also his determination to stay put. LIV Golf is not backed by the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), which means that irrespective of how well or badly players play on the Saudi cicuits, the world ranking hardly sees any fluctuations. This has proven to be a big drawback for players like Bryson DeChambeau, who, despite having a glamorous year on the LIV Golf League, wasn’t able to rise on the OWGR charts, leading to his being dropped out of big golf world events like the Ryder Cup.

In the current state, Smith’s chances are dwindling, as his dream of representing Australia once again in the upcoming 2024 Olympics in Paris might not come true. The Olympics pose a challenge for the golfer, as the stringent qualification criteria rely very heavily on the OWGR. This means that Smith’s declining ranking after the move has jeopardized his automatic entry into the event. The top 15 golfers on the OWGR would receive a golden ticket to Paris, with a cap of four players per country, and Smith is clearly losing a big chance there.

Smith has currently found himself at a crossroads, and he is aware that fellow Australians like Jason Day, Cameron Davis, and Min Woo Lee are hot on his heels, ready to seize any opportunity to overtake him in the rankings, so the stakes are pretty high for him. In an interview, the golfer revealed that to counter this, he was thinking of adding more Asian Tour events to his 2024 schedule, given LIV Golf’s investment in the Asian Tour, which awards World Ranking points. “I definitely want to be there, mate, 100 percent,” the golfer has remarked.

The LIV star has some history with the Olympics, and in 2021, Smith even represented Australia at the worldwide meet. It’s safe to say that he still feels like he has some unfinished business there, given how last time’s event turned out!

Smith’s recap from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics 

Cameron Smith played in the scorching Tokyo summer of the 2021 Olympics. The golfer qualified for the Olympics based on his world rank and his overall pro-golf performance. At play, Smith’s four-round performance was impressive. He scored −14 and took the tenth spot. Irrespective of shooting a remarkable 66 in the third and fourth rounds, he missed the podium with little difference. The disappointment of the loss has still lingered, and so a chance at the 2024 games can change the course for the golfer.

Read More: Amid Wild LIV Golf Ripoff Allegations, How is TGL Countering the Hostile Rumors Surrounding It?

The golfing world is watching the story of Cameron Smith unfold with bated breath. Would his strategic moves and skill on the course be enough to secure his place on the Olympic roster? As the Olympic’s 17th June deadline nears, only time will tell what awaits the player.

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