25 AUGUST, 2022 - SHANK MEDIA, BY MATT HOOPER: IT IS ONLY 25 AUGUST, NOT 25 DECEMBER, BUT AUSTRALIAN GOLF FANS CAN BE FORGIVEN FOR THINKING CHRISTMAS HAS COME EARLY, WITH THE NEWS THAT THE REIGNING OPEN CHAMPION AND CURRENT WORLD NUMBER TWO CAMERON SMITH WILL BE PLAYING IN THIS YEAR'S FORTINET AUSTRALIAN PGA CHAMPIONSHIP AND THE MUCH ANTICIPATED ISPS HANDA AUSTRALIAN OPEN.
THE AUSTRALIAN IS CURRENTLY AT THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP IN ATLANTA, WHERE HE IS IN CONTENTION TO WIN THE PGA TOUR'S FEDEX CUP AT EAST LAKE, AND IS REPORTEDLY SET TO JOIN LIV GOLF FOLLOWING NEXT MONTH'S PRESIDENTS CUP. THE TELEGRAPH BROKE THE NEWS TWO WEEKS AGO, AND THE 150TH OPEN CHAMPION "TOOK SOME HEAT" (AS HE PUTS IT) FROM THE MEDIA AND CERTAIN SECTIONS OF THE GOLFING COMMUNITY FOR DOING SO. SMITH AND LIV GOLF ARE YET TO FORMALLY CONFIRM THE NEWS, AN UPDATE IS EXPECTED NEXT WEEK, FOLLOWING THE CONCLUSION OF THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP.
THE PGA TOUR OF AUSTRALASIA HAS ALREADY SAID THAT LIV GOLF MEMBERS WHO ARE EXEMPT TO PLAY IN THE FORTINET AUSTRALIAN PGA CHAMPIONSHIP AND ISPS HANDA AUSTRALIAN OPEN WILL BE ALLOWED TO DO SO. SMITH JOINS MARC LEISHMAN, RYAN FOX AND LUCAS HERBERT HAVE CONFIRMED THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THE MEN'S AUSTRALIAN OPEN, WHICH WILL BE PLAYED CONCURRENTLY WITH THE WOMEN'S AUSTRALIAN OPEN ACROSS THE VICTORIA GOLF CLUB AND KINGSTON HEATH ON MELBOURNE'S SANDBELT. AIG WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPION ASHLEIGH BUHAI WIS JOINED BY HANNAH GREEN AS THE FIRST CONFIRMED BIG-NAME PLAYERS FOR THE WOMEN'S EVENT. MIN WOO LEE HAS SO FAR ONLY COMMITTED TO THE AUSTRALIAN PGA.
SPEAKING ABOUT THE ANNOUNCEMENT SMITH SAID: "I CAN'T WAIT TO GET BACK TO BRISBANE, IT'S BEEN 3 PRETTY LONG YEARS TO BE HONEST. PLAYING AT ROYAL QUEENSLAND, A GREAT GOLF COURSE, IN FRONT OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS, IT'LL BE EPIC THERE. AND THEN TO PLAY TWO OF THE BEST GOLF COURSES IN AUSTRALIA, IN VICTORIA AND KINGSTON HEATH FOR THE AUSSIE OPEN, WITH THE GIRLS. I CAN'T WAIT TO GET BACK HOME, AND PLAY SOME GOLF IN FRONT OF YOU GUYS."
SMITH'S COMMENTS EMPHASISED WHAT THE PGA TOUR JUST DOES NOT GET ABOUT WORLD GOLF - GOLFERS DO NOT JUST WANT TO BE SEEN ON TELEVISION, AND GOLF FANS DON'T JUST WANT TO WATCH ON TELEVISION. THERE IS NOTHING QUITE LIKE SEEING A GOLFER STRIKE A BALL IN PERSON, AND IT IS THOSE EXPERIENCES WHICH INSPIRE PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THIS WONDERFUL PLANET TO TAKE UP THE GAME, OR TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO DO SO. GOLFERS FROM AUSTRALIA AND SOUTH AFRICA HAVE TO MAKE HUGE SACRIFICES TO PLAY THE PGA TOUR, MOVING THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY FROM HOME TO PLAY ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY IN THE UNITED STATES.
THE PGA TOUR'S CONSTANT EXPANSION AND RESTRICTIONS PLACED ON THEIR MEMBERS HAS SEVERELY IMPACTED THE SCHEDULE OF THE PGA TOUR OF AUSTRALASIA, AND SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTED THE FIELDS ATTRACTED TO THEIR MAJOR EVENTS. PERHAPS 2022 IS THE YEAR WHEN THE AUSTRALIAN PGA AND AUSTRALIAN OPEN MAKES A COMEBACK. I DO HOPE SO. WITH BOTH EVENTS CO-SANCTIONED BY THE DP WORLD TOUR IT SHOULD MEAN THAT WE AT THE LEAST SEE A GLOBAL FIELD, AND WITH THE LIKES OF ADAM SCOTT AND JASON DAY STILL TO COMMIT TO EITHER EVENT, THERE IS ROOM FOR MORE OF AUSTRALIA'S STARS TO RETURN HOME, AND MAYBE BRING SOME FRIENDS WITH THEM.
