'Defending Champ' Unable to Compete in Tournament... "Playing Neighborhood Golf with Friends"

Last Year's Players Championship Winner Smith
Banned from Participation This Year Due to LIV Golf Transfer
Enjoys 9 Holes Near Tournament Venue

Cameron Smith (Australia), the winner of last year's PGA Tour Players Championship, enjoyed a round with friends at a nearby local golf course instead of competing as the defending champion this year. This is because he lost his eligibility to participate in the PGA Tour after joining LIV Golf, which is sponsored by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Cameron Smith is kissing the trophy after winning last year's The Open Golf Championship.
[Photo by AP News]

According to the American golf media outlet 'Golfweek' on the 10th, Smith played a 9-hole round with friends at a golf course called 'The Yards,' located about 1 mile (approximately 1.6 km) away from the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course (par 72, 7,256 yards) in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, where the Players Championship opened that day. According to golf course officials, Smith enjoyed the round in a pleasant atmosphere with his group and took commemorative photos with fans while staying at the golf course. His home is close to TPC Sawgrass.

Smith won the Players Championship, known as the 'fifth major' of the PGA Tour, last year but cannot participate in this year's PGA Tour events due to joining LIV Golf. The PGA Tour has imposed sanctions by revoking membership and banning players who transferred to LIV Golf from competing. Smith is the first defending champion in the 49-year history of the Players Championship to miss the tournament for reasons other than injury.

He is not allowed to practice or play rounds at TPC Sawgrass, nor can he use the champion parking space closest to the clubhouse. Jay Monahan, PGA Tour Commissioner, acknowledged that the absence of the defending champion is "awkward," but added, "All of this is something Smith brought upon himself."