Code Sports <\/a>it was in part a deeply personal factor behind the dramatic drop: becoming a father.<\/p>\nThe 32-year-old, who received a $150 million payday to join LIV Golf, and his wife Shanel welcomed their first child, a daughter named Florence, in late March 2025. <\/p>\n
Smith admits it hasn\u2019t been his swing that deserted him but \u201cbrain\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think my game has been the issue. It\u2019s probably really been my brain more than anything,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n
Just three years ago, Smith was lifting the Claret Jug after winning The Open Championship and looked destined for multiple majors.<\/p>\n
Instead, last year Smith became the only player in the world to miss the cut at all four majors.<\/p>\n
Now, the Queenslander concedes life off the course has shifted everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never been one for excuses, but my life has definitely changed to what it has, particularly the last year or so, so I just have to learn to deal with that and get better.\u201d<\/p>\n
The timing has intensified scrutiny, given his LIV move, where limited ranking points have contributed to his slide down the official standings.<\/p>\n
But Smith insists there are signs of life.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like I\u2019ve done some really good stuff, particularly this year. The swing\u2019s starting to feel really nice, starting to feel really calm out on the golf course, which I haven\u2019t really felt for a long time.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s nice to have a laugh rather than having a bit of a frown.\u201d<\/p>\n
And there may be no better place for a reset than Augusta, a course where he has consistently contended and said he feels \u201creally comfy\u201d.<\/p>\n
Aussie charge building at Augusta<\/p>\n
While Smith has a mountain to climb, Australia\u2019s Masters hopes appear stronger elsewhere \u2014 led by Min Woo Lee.<\/p>\n
The world No. 25 has been knocking on the door all season and arrives in red-hot form, armed with what he believes could be a tournament-winning edge: a mini driver he calls a potential \u201cweapon\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been great. Believing in myself, that\u2019s probably the biggest thing, and just trusting what I\u2019ve been doing,\u201d he told The Australian.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to the Masters. It\u2019s a great week and I love being back and hitting some creative shots.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, very confident in my game right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lee has surged up the rankings in 2026 and is widely seen as the nation\u2019s best chance to contend, with his improved driving accuracy unlocking his creativity around Augusta.<\/p>\n
Former world No. 1 Jason Day is also shaping as a genuine threat and doing it his own way.<\/p>\n
The 2015 PGA champion has rolled into Augusta living in a luxury bus packed with his entire family, complete with sauna, cold plunge and gym set up.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an unconventional Masters base, but Day believes it could be the key to ending his long major drought.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know I have the game,\u201d he said. \u201cIf I give myself opportunities \u2026 I\u2019ve got a good feeling I can win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s Adam Scott, the 2013 champion chasing history in his 25th Masters appearance.<\/p>\n
At 45, Scott believes a wave of veteran success could be building.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year is looking better for me than the last few,\u201d he said. \u201cIt wouldn\u2019t surprise me if it all lined up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Only a handful of players have won Augusta in their 40s \u2014 a club featuring legends like Jack Nicklaus and, more recently, Tiger Woods.<\/p>\n
Scott\u2019s form suggests he could yet join them.<\/p>\n
For Smith, though, the spotlight remains firmly fixed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know how much hard work it was to get one \u2026 it seems like it\u2019s multiplied to get two,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Augusta has a habit of producing redemption stories and for Smith, this week might be as much about rediscovering himself as it is chasing another green jacket.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Once one of golf\u2019s most feared closers, Cameron Smith now finds himself in an unfamiliarly tough spot \u2013…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":594146,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[566],"tags":[64,63,755,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-594145","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-golf","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-golf","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=594145"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594145\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/594146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=594145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=594145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=594145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}