Clayton says the theory that moving to LIV – as Smith did on a contract worth a reported $140 million in 2022 just after his Open triumph – is unprovable, and he is not convinced.
He says players from other eras had similar slumps without having a convenient scapegoat in LIV to blame.
Australian crowds remain right behind Cam Smith and hope he can return to contention in the MajorsCredit: Getty Images
“It’s easy to say,‘Well it’s LIV,’ but who knows?” Clayton said.
As for the possibility that affluence has taken the edge off Smith’s game, Clayton cites Tiger Woods as the prime example of the many successful golfers who stay motivated to win regardless of their wealth. He suspects Smith is no different.
“[I’m the] most competitive person ever,” Smith said recently.
Clayton says all the great players have interests outside the game with Smith’s well-known love of fishing and cars (he has an F1 simulator in the Florida home he shares with wife Shanel Naoum and son Remy, who was born in March) no different to anyone else enjoying pursuits beyond their professional lives.
What Smith adds to those indulgences is an undeniable spirit of connection to family and friends who have been with him since he began refining his game at Wantima, where his dad Des played off scratch.
A source with connections to Smith, who preferred to remain anonymous, speculated he might be missing his family more than most years in 2025 as he juggles being a parent with being on the road.
Clayton instead points directly at his game when suggesting possible explanations for the downturn.
“The players who play the best in the long term are the best hitters, [Scottie] Scheffler is proving that now, Tiger, [Jack] Nicklaus, [Ben] Hogan, Peter Thomson, the list goes on. The people who hit the ball the best and did not rely on their short game last the longest,” Clayton said.
Smith’s elevation to world No.2 happened over a stretch of brilliant, unstoppable golf which started in August 2020 and peaked in 2022 when he won the Players’ Championship and the Open at St Andrews.
Just two months after that career-defining victory, Smith teed off for the first time in LIV Golf, his wealth guaranteed after he accepted an eye-watering sum to leave the PGA Tour behind.
His form at majors initially continued, with three top-10 placings in the next five major tournaments, and his form at LIV was good, too.
“He had an amazing short game and he got on a great run,” Clayton said.
“He was obviously playing well and his short game was the best in the world and he won the Players and the Open. When your short game is great and you are a decent hitter you can do something.”
Cam Smith’s opening shot at the British Open was not the start he was after. Credit: Fox Sports
While that short game remained great, his tee-to-green game has become less and less reliable the more time he has spent away from the PGA Tour.
Unfortunately, his tee shot on the first at Royal Portrush reinforced a sense that anything was possible.
“I think I tried to hit that one underground and almost missed it,” Smith said post-round.
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Clayton says when that sort of shot is lurking in your shadow it’s difficult to maintain consistency.
“If you have got that shot in your bag it is a nagging worry: when is it going to show up? When you are playing poorly you know that at some point it is going to show up so you are also wary of it,” Clayton said.
Smith is keeping up the work and hoping his form in majors will return.
“I’ve been swinging the club really nicely. Like I said, I just need to go out there and commit to some swings,” Smith said.
This weekend he returns to LIV to play in Rocester against fellow stars such as Jon Rahm and Tyrell Hatton, the only two LIV players among the 16 golfers to make the cut in all four majors in 2025.
The grounded 31-year-old, who told a LIV-produced video recently there were only two types of beer – “a good beer and a better beer” – seems to still be content with the move.
Financial security gave him an opportunity to spend more time with those dearest to him while still living the life of a professional golfer, but his motivations were wider than such personal concerns.
Smith also wanted the best golfers to be seen all over the world, including Australia, and he saw LIV as an opportunity to disrupt the established order and perhaps re-order the PGA Tour’s hegemony.
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It’s expected he will continue his undiminished commitment to the Australian tour at the end of the year when he will share the major drawcard status with grand slam winner and 2025 Masters champion Rory McIlroy who is playing in the Australian Open in December.
The Australian Open is a title Smith covets and is yet to win.
Clayton said Smith will be mapping out a plan to rediscover his best and return to major contention with the British Open win guaranteeing him a start in each major for the next two years at least.
“He’s just got to play really,” Clayton said.
“I guess you play LIV events and come back and play a summer here. You can play six or eight tournaments. If he wants to play his way into form he can play in New Zealand play wherever he wants. It’s up to him.”
He will relish the challenge and the chance to prove any doubters wrong.
“Personally, I think that he was the sort of guy who needed to stay on the tour and be ultra-competitive with the best in the world playing every week, that’s all,” Clayton said.
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