MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australian number one Cameron Smith hopes to earn enough ranking points on his home tour and in next year’s majors to qualify for another Olympics at Paris next year.
The former world number two has slipped to 18th since joining the breakaway LIV Golf circuit where players are unable to earn ranking points.
Only the top 60 are eligible to qualify for Paris, while Smith also faces competition for spots on Australia’s team from compatriots including major winners Jason Day and Adam Scott.
That has put the onus on Smith to mount a strong defence of his Australian PGA Championship title this week at the Royal Queensland Golf Club to shore up his ranking.
“Yeah I definitely want to be there, 100%,” the former British Open winner told reporters of the Olympics on Tuesday.
“I know the criteria, don’t know if that can change.”
Smith, who finished in a tie for 10th at the Tokyo Olympics, will also be able to earn points at the Australian Open in Sydney next week.
“I’ve got these couple of events and four more looks again in the majors, so hopefully I can keep that ranking up,” added Smith.
“To wear the coat of arms on the chest again would be pretty special.”
LIV’s bid to have its players earn ranking points was unanimously rejected last month by the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) due to concerns about the Saudi Arabia-backed circuit’s format.
While the four majors have allowed LIV players to compete, those who earned exemptions into them due to past results could one day be left out as they are not earning ranking points.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
