Cameron Smith ‘optimistic’ that LIV Golf will continue

Defending Open champion Cameron Smith might not have been keen on giving back the Claret Jug on Monday, but the Aussie is bullish on his long-term future in the face of uncertainty on the business side of golf.

Smith, who fired a final-round 64 last year to win the 150th Open at St. Andrews, found himself emotional handing back the trophy at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England, on Monday.

"I just had to hand back the trophy there. I thought I was going to do all right, but I was actually holding back from tears," Smith said in his opening remarks to kick off the week ahead of the 151st Open. "A bit of a moment, I guess, that crept up on me."

He was reminded that he could get it back.

"That's what I've been saying to all my mates," Smith added. "It'll only be a week and we'll be drinking out of it again. You never know, sometimes you can play your best golf at major championships and you can run fourth or fifth.

"Hopefully it's another week like last year and I'm back with the trophy."

But Smith, ranked No. 7 in the world, harbors no such apprehension about the future of LIV Golf and his spot in the game.

Smith signed on with the Saudi-backed series last August, a few weeks after pocketing the Open title. Less than a year later, Smith - along with every other golfer - is being asked about the future of a merged PGA Tour and LIV Golf.

"Absolutely I'm optimistic," Smith said, answering a question about his personal future.

But he's also bullish on the state of the sport and LIV.

"I think golf is in a great spot," Smith added. "There's obviously a lot of things that are up in the air that no one really knows at the moment. I don't even think the guys that are trying to sort it out really know what this outcome is going to be like.

"Yeah, a lot of uncertainty, but I'm optimistic that LIV will be around in the future."

Regardless, Smith said he has no regrets about making the move.

"I wasn't a part of all the lawsuit stuff. I tried to stay as far away from that as possible," he said. "Like I've said in the past, the PGA Tour is a great place to play golf, and it will be for a very long time. I don't think there was any part of me that made me think I made the wrong decision throughout any part of the last eight or nine months."

And as for this week, Smith said it's as simple as playing golf.

"I think LIV aside, I'm determined to try my best every week and just try and be a better golfer than I was last week," Smith said. "I never really expect too much of myself. The thing I expect are doing everything 100 percent, ticking all the boxes early in the week, making sure I'm prepared, and then just go out there and give it my all.

"That's all I can really do."