Greg Norman is being accused of robbing Cameron Smith of the possibility to forge one in all golf’s nice careers after luring the British Open champion to his Saudi-backed insurgent league.
Polarising analyst Brandel Chamblee in contrast Smith’s short-game wizardry to that of legends Seve Ballesteros and Tom Watson, and says the Australian regarded on a path in direction of a number of main championship victories after reigning at St Andrews final July.
As a substitute, Smith is unable to even defend his title at this week’s prestigious Gamers Championship in Florida after being suspended from the PGA Tour.
Smith lives at Jacksonville Seaside, 10 minutes from Gamers Stadium, and is fishing buddies with course superintendent Jeff Plotts, but is persona non grata at TPC Sawgrass after, Chamblee says, being misguided by his idol Norman.
Norman (left, pictured with Smith on the LIV Invitational final September) ensured the reigning British Open champ would not surpass him as Australia’s best ever participant, in line with a high-profile golf analyst
‘It is ironic to me that it’d presumably be an Aussie that may maintain one other Aussie in Cameron Smith presumably from ascending to a spot the place he is thought-about the best participant of all time (from Australia),’ Chamblee informed the Golf Channel.
‘Supplanting Peter Thomson, he had that form of expertise.
‘Norman did not get there however (Smith) may have simply supplanted Greg Norman because the second-best participant of all time from Australia. That is a minimum of in my opinion the place Cameron Smith was headed.
‘That is what he is turned his again on and numerous it has to do with Greg Norman, and Cam Smith obtained numerous unhealthy recommendation from his brokers and different individuals within the sport round him attempting to suck him into LIV.’
Chamblee misses watching Smith play on the PGA Tour.
‘He had the potential to be an absolute nice participant,’ he stated.
Brandel Chamblee believes Smith (pictured) obtained numerous unhealthy recommendation earlier than agreeing to modify to the insurgent tour in a transfer that earned him a $150million bonus
‘Should you have a look at the qualities that he had, the age that he was, he was an amazing scrambler – and is probably going (nonetheless) – an amazing scrambler, nice putter, an amazing shot maker.
‘Gamers like Tom Watson come to thoughts. On the age of 25 till (Watson) was 35, he had 35 wins, received eight main championships, actually hit his stride at 27, which is what Cam Smith was final yr.
‘Twenty-seven, 28, 29, 5 wins, 5 wins, 5 wins in every of these years. Seven wins when he was 30 years of age, these prime years.
‘And while you consider Seve Ballesteros, from the time he was 22 till he was 31 he received 5 majors.
‘He set the world on fireplace and was pretty a lot the identical sort of participant that we noticed in Cameron Smith final yr at St Andrews.
‘These are thrilling gamers – scramblers, they’re unpredictable, they break your coronary heart after which they do monumentally unbelievable issues.’
Smith, nonetheless world No.5 regardless of not receiving rankings factors taking part in LIV Golf, stays eligible to contest the 4 annual majors for a minimum of 5 years.
The analyst is fearful not taking part in in opposition to the world’s greatest frequently will depart Smith and different LIV stars badly underdone within the majors
However Chamblee fears the Queenslander – and different LIV stars like former Masters champion Dustin Johnson – will lack a aggressive edge at Augusta Nationwide subsequent month for the season’s first main.
‘You can not persuade me that week in and week out taking part in in opposition to the easiest gamers in the easiest competitions would not make you sharper,’ he stated.
‘Assume the place they will be per week earlier than the Masters, usually one of the best gamers on the earth within the week earlier than the Masters go in, get a way of how the golf course is taking part in after which perhaps go dwelling and follow on like circumstances with like grasses.
‘(The LIV gamers are) going to be in Orlando at Crooked Cat, placing on grainy Bermuda (grass).
‘It is no solution to put together for a significant championship.’
