Despite LIV’s financial uncertainty, many LIV golfers, including Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, have affirmed their loyalty to and support for the breakaway league. Cameron Smith, another staunch supporter, feels LIV has changed the landscape of golf in Australia. Ahead of LIV Golf New York, reporters asked him at a press conference whether he has plans to return to the PGA Tour or has spoken with the Tour in case LIV sinks. Smith’s answer clarified his stance: he doesn’t want to leave LIV unless it comes to that.

“No, I’m contracted to the end of next year, so I was expecting to play until the end of next year and renegotiate and hopefully go on. What we’ve been able to do for golf in Australia is really quite important to me, junior golf, the Little Rippers, the event that we have down there, the people it brings out to showcase our great league. It would be a shame for all that to go away, and I feel like we’ve worked really hard over the last three or four years to kind of make that all happen.

“Yeah, like I said, Australian golf is important to me. I think it improves it. I think all the numbers are up. The memberships are up. Social play is up. I think that’s in part because of us. So I think it would be a shame for Australian golf if it did go away.”

83% of our readers couldn't break par yesterday

Changing winds, tricky bunkers, and quirky breaks test every shot. Beat par, compare scores, and return tomorrow for a new challenge.

TEE OFF HERE↗

From Smith’s answer, one thing is clear: LIV is personal to him. However, he acknowledged he would return to the PGA Tour if it came to that. According to him, everyone would do that, and things would go back to like old times. But if he had the option, he would like to continue to do what he and LIV Golf have done for Australian golf.

Regardless of whether LIV continues, there’s no denying it saw success in Australia. The inaugural LIV Golf Adelaide event had just over 77,000 attendees. That number grew to 94,300+ in 2024, 102,400+ in 2025, and 115,000+ this year. To give you some context, that number made LIV Golf Adelaide 2026 the most attended golf event. It even surpassed the Australian Open, which Rory McIlroy attended.

Besides that, MyGolf Powered by Ripper GC saw 40,736 registrations in 2025. Under-18 membership has doubled since LIV’s 2023 Australian push. Furthermore, Punch GC underwent a rebranding to Ripper GC in 2023, and the team then became Australian. This gave fans a sense of emotional connection.

Thanks to that, Smith has always been adamant about LIV Golf’s continuation. Earlier in May 2026, the media asked him about his retirement plans if the league fell. He first denied plans of retirement and then said that LIV Golf will be back and they will have another great week in Australia.

Smith’s stance contrasts with his Ripper GC teammates, who are hedging their bets.

Marc Leishman is confident LIV will return and has had no PGA Tour talks. But he is aware that even if LIV Golf continues, the format will be something different. Many players and even officials have said that both the number of events and prize money could go down next year. But like Cameron Smith, Leishman is still invested.

However, the other two teammates have some plans. Lucas Herbert’s manager is exploring PGA Tour options as due diligence, though Herbert says he doesn’t know the results. Similarly, Travis Smyth said that he has got status to play on around four tours. So his Plan A is to play on LIV Golf if it exists. But if not, his Plan B is to bounce around the world, just like he did for years before joining the rebel league.