‘Stain on Their Reputation’: Hours Before the Open, Defending Champion Cameron Smith’s Embarrassment Triggers Outrage in the Golf World

The golf world is lit up with excitement as it welcomes the last men’s golf major in the United Kingdom. The excitement regarding this illustrious tournament is spreading across the globe because it returns to Royal Liverpool Golf Course. It is the same eminent course that witnessed the World No. 2, Rory McIlroy, conquer the Open Championship in 2014.

However, the latest update regarding the event hasn’t been sitting well with the golf audience, as it led them to believe it was a smudge on the reputation of the game. And in a twist of fate, it involves none other than the LIV defector and defending champion Cameron Smith!

Cameron Smith finds himself in an upsetting situation before the Open

Anyone who ardently watches golf will know what a featured group is. For those unaware, it is supposedly a group of players who are paired together so that they can be featured prominently on the TV broadcast. These players are generally believed to be a few of the best on the field.

However, as the tee times and featured groups of round 1 for the Open Championship were released on their official site, the names present in the latter took the golf enthusiasts by surprise. Among the prominent names in the featured groups, the 2022 Open Championship winner, Cameron Smith, was missing!

One of the Twitter handles, named Tour Pro, also revealed how the Aussie golfer wasn’t even advertised on The Open’s website leading up to the event. Moreover, the user was undoubtedly upset because of the absence of the defending champion’s name from the premier groups. He wrote, “The R&A should be embarrassed by their treatment of him.” Smith’s tee time on Day 1 is set for 9.58 am BST (4.58 am EST), just after the 9:47 am featured group of Scottie Scheffler, Tommy Fleetwood, and Adam Scott.

It is clear that the golf fanatic believed that this kind of treatment was not fair and did not promote the essence of golf. His call out of the governing bodies for it further ignited other golf enthusiasts in doing so. This led to a flood of comments condemning the latest update.

Read More: Defending Champion Cameron Smith Makes a Grand Entrance Worth Nearly $144,000 at The Open

The golf community joins in criticism of the R&A’s betrayal of Smith

Golf, just like any other sport, has promoted the very spirit of justice and fairness. So, when the golf fans did not find the 2022 Open Championship winner’s name in the premier groups, they couldn’t help but be disappointed with the actions of the authorities.

One fan claimed that their reputation had been tarnished. “It is a stain on their reputation“, he wrote.

Other fans also couldn’t stand to just watch things unfold. They believed the actions were unfair and that the defending champion deserved better treatment.

Another user voiced his displeasure, referencing the last round the 29-year-old had at St. Andrew’s.

While most of the golf enthusiasts appeared enraged by this behavior of the R&A, some sided with the golfer with an optimistic attitude. They believed the golfer would sooner or later make an appearance in the featured group.

One Twitter handle, in particular, referred to Cameron Smith as a star and mentioned his perspective on a featured group:

Some of the golf fanatics believed the best answer to this situation was a win at the major. This is what World No. 7 should aim for:

While his game may not be prominently flaunted on TV, Smith will undoubtedly look to bring out his performance on the greens. His fans will also look forward to a resilient performance from the golfer and hope to see him defend his title.

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What do you think of the absence of Cameron Smith’s name from the featured groups? Do you agree with your fellow fans? Let us know in the comments!