Cam Smith reacts to falling out of world top-100 as LIV Golf star hits new low

Cameron Smith has confessed to a chuckle when he saw his name drop out of the top-100 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) for the first time in seven years last month.

Smith has made a name for himself as one of golf's rising stars in recent years, reaching as high as second in the Official World Golf Ranking after winning the Open two years ago. Following his Claret Jug triumph at St Andrews, Smith decided to switch to LIV Golf.

Since then, the Australian has become the poster boy for one of LIV's most popular franchises, Ripper G. C., leading the all-Aussie team alongside Marc Leishman, Matt Jones and Lucas Herbert.

His stint with the breakaway league has been successful, bagging three individual titles and three team titles, as well as securing the 2024 Team Championship with Ripper in Dallas last month. However, his achievements on the LIV circuit have not been acknowledged in the world rankings.

The Saudi-backed series continues to host its events without offering world ranking points, with LIV executives still yet to reach an agreement with OWGR on rewarding its players for their efforts on the breakaway circuit. The absence of points has caused some of the league's biggest names to slide down the rankings.

Smith, once the world's second-best golfer, has seen his ranking plummet. He recently dropped out of the top-100 for the first time since October 2017, now sitting at 117th.

Despite this setback, Smith reportedly had a 'giggle' upon hearing about his latest ranking slide, as reported by Fox Sports. He's looking to bounce back, committing to four events in his homeland, including the prestigious Australian PGA and Australian Open in November.

"I think most people would know how much I want to win an Australian Open," Smith remarked. "The last couple of years coming home for me has almost been a holiday in a way, a chance to put the clubs down. I feel like (this year) I have put the clubs down enough and had enough time to get the golf bug back.

"I didn't want to have another period of time where I had four or five weeks off without competing. After the last couple of years, with the way that's gone, I didn't think that was a very bright idea. There was no reason to not play, and why not play at home?"

Smith believes his position in the world rankings could get a boost from a potential agreement between the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. Despite protracted talks, he sees a shift on the horizon, saying, "It's a really big process that everyone underestimates how big it was going to be," and noting, "It's taking some time but I feel like there are some positive things happening."