‘I Know I Have To Play Well’: Cameron Smith Aims For 2024 Paris Olympics Slot Ahead of 2024 Masters Tournament And Other PGA Tour Majors

Cameron Smith is looking forward to getting selected for the Summer Olympics in Paris and three majors, including the Masters Tournament which will ultimately decide his fate. During the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the golfer settled for third place. But this year, his luck might not even take him up to a qualification. The Olympics take two to four golfers from every nation based on their OWGR rank. And there are only two men’s spots left for Paris, and Jason Day, Min Woo Lee, Adam Scott, and Cameron Davis rank above Smith.

Also, the golfers with the first batch rank get more preference. But, since OWGR has denied LIV Golf any ranking points, golfers can only qualify through events that credit points. Therefore, Smith has three majors before the Paris Olympics to qualify. 

The Aussie golfer went ahead and talked about his Olympic dream in an interview.

Cameron Smith Is Desperate To Take Part In The Summer Olympics This Year

As per and interview with The Guardian, Smith expressed that he’s willing to represent Australia in the Olympics and he knows that he has to perform well to get there. He has three chances to qualify, which are the Masters Tournament, the PGA Championship, and the US Open. 

“It’s desperately a place that I want to get to and represent Australia…I have to play well to get there, I know I have to play well, and I’m probably only going to get three or four shots at it before they make the selection.” 

Smith has an exemption from the majors after his 2022 Open Championship triumph. There’s another way Smith can qualify for the Olympics and that is if the PGA Tour and LIV Golf reach a merger soon and LIV events credit OWGR points. Smith thinks that a merger has been in the waiting for too long and it should happen soon for the sake of the fan. 

“The whole process is probably taken a little bit longer than everyone anticipated…a lot of spectators and fans that desperately want it to happen too…So hopefully just through some determination they can get to a resolve pretty soon.” 

He also described how it’s a disadvantage to be an Aussie and not be among the top 2. The LIV golfer also stated that he doesn’t expect the officials to change rules for him but he expects to be at the Olympics, and the majors are his last hope. Smith was once world no. 2 after he won the 2022 Open Championship and the Players Championship. 

But currently, he’s positioned after Jason Day and three others in Australia as per the OWGR ranks. Thus, it is to see whether the Aussie can live his dream in Paris or if he has to bid goodbye to his Olympic dream. 

About the author

Suchita Chakraborty

Suchita Chakraborty is a senior golf writer at The SportsRush. She did her post-graduation at St. Xavier's University. For a year now, she has developed a riveting inclination toward golf, with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy being her top-tier motivational figures to indulge in the sport. She even lives by the words of the Hall of Famer, "You can always become better", which impels her to excel every day. Her strong suit in golf is covering the LPGA Tour, especially the nooks and crannies of the international event, the Solheim Cup. As a pastime amusement, Suchita also engages herself in reading about golf controversies. Her favorite pick is ‘LIV and Let Die’ by Alan Shipnuck, which covers the PGA-LIV beef.

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