{"id":349511,"date":"2023-11-27T00:14:07","date_gmt":"2023-11-27T01:14:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=349511"},"modified":"2023-11-27T02:01:03","modified_gmt":"2023-11-27T02:01:03","slug":"smith-flop-creates-awkward-olympic-dilemma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=349511","title":{"rendered":"Smith flop creates awkward Olympic dilemma"},"content":{"rendered":"

Australia's best men's golfer<\/a> Cameron Smith<\/a> \ufeffis desperate to perform well in Sydney this week in a tournament that may yet decide his Olympic<\/a> Games selection fate.<\/p>\n

Smith slipped from No.18 to No.20 on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) list on Monday following a disastrous showing at the Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The 30-year-old shot 2-over on day one, and a catastrophic 7-over on day two to finish his home tournament in a share for 148th place, failing to make the weekend.<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Ange's ultimate tribute for late former Socceroos coach<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Socceroos star breaks silence after avoiding prison<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Aussies shattered as Davis Cup drought continues<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\ufeffHis compatriot Min Woo Lee stormed to a convincing victory at Royal Queensland and picked up the maximum OWGR points, elevating him from No.45 to No.38.<\/p>\n

\"Cameron<\/p>\n

Olympic Games selection criteria dictates Australia's two best-ranked golfers in each gender will be picked to play in Paris next year.<\/p>\n

While Smith remains marginally ahead of Jason Day on the OWGR – thanks in large to his 2022 British Open victory – he needs to bank points at this week's Australian Open, and also at next year's four majors in order to avoid slipping too far down the rankings.<\/p>\n

\ufeffThe rise of Lee and Cameron Davis – as well as Aussie legend Adam Scott's ranking – threatens to rob Smith of the chance to represent Australia at another Games, having done so alongside Marc Leishman at Tokyo in 2021.<\/p>\n

Watch the 2023 Australian Open golf live and free from November 30 on Nine and<\/strong><\/em> 9Now<\/strong><\/em><\/a>.\ufeff<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Smith's slide has nothing to do with form and all to do with the OWGR committee refusing to acknowledge the rebel LIV Golf as a bona fide professional league.<\/p>\n

\ufeff"I definitely want to be there, 100 per cent," Smith told media of his Paris ambitions ahead of the Brisbane event.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

"I know the criteria, I don't know if that can change… but I \ufeffhave a couple of looks here (in Australia), and four more events in the majors, so hopefully I can keep that ranking up and wear the coat of arms on the chest again.<\/p>\n

"These couple of events \ufeffdown here can do plenty for me, and those few majors before (the Olympics) can definitely lift (my ranking) up a lot."<\/p>\n

The positive news for Smith following his Australian PGA capitulation is the Australian Open is much more lucrative in terms of OWGR points on offer.<\/p>\n

Watch the 2023 Australian Open golf live and free from November 30 on Nine and<\/strong><\/em> 9Now<\/strong><\/em><\/a>.\ufeff<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

So a win in Sydney this week would somewhat soothe the pain of failing in front of his home Queensland crowd, and potentially lift Smith up the rankings table once more.<\/p>\n

There is uncertainty around Day's ambition to represent Australia at an Olympics, given his injury troubles and the broader quest to add a second major to his 2015 PGA Championship title.<\/p>\n

\"Smith<\/p>\n

If so, it's a race between Smith, Scott, Lee, Davis, and Lucas Herbert to Australia's two men's spots.<\/p>\n

Leishman – who has slipped below the top-400 and also can't accrue rankings points on the LIV tour – is resigned to the fact he won't be in Paris, but wants to see Smith make the team.<\/p>\n

"It's very hard for me, I don't think I'll be in it, but hopefully they can do something so Cam can play," Leishman said last week.<\/p>\n

"Hopefully it doesn't come off that world rankings, because I think Cam is the pretty clear-cut best Australian golfer at the moment and deserves to be playing in the Olympics."<\/p>\n

Lee, meanwhile, revealed following his Australian PGA victory on Sunday he is due to be fitted for an Olympics kit this week.<\/p>\n

The 25-year-old is steaming up the OWGR list, and based on a breakout 2023 campaign is poised to become Australia's top-ranked male within a year or two.<\/p>\n

\"Aussie's<\/p>\n

"You don't want to get ahead of yourself and get fitted for something that you're not in, so there's a bit of pressure there, and I like pressure," Lee said after saluting at Royal Queensland.<\/p>\n

"I think there's just a few of us, whoever's going to potentially get in (to the Olympic team). I still need to play some good golf to get in.<\/p>\n

"I normally tend to play well when I need to make something or I need to do something to get in a tournament, so I'm really excited for that. That would be a true honour to play for Australia."<\/p>\n

AUSTRALIA'S BEST-RANKED MALE GOLFERS<\/h3>\n

Yet to be updated on the OWGR following the Australian PGA Championship<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\ufeffCameron Smith – No.18 (to become No.20)<\/p>\n

Jason Day – No.21<\/p>\n

Cameron Davis – No.44<\/p>\n

Min Woo Lee – No.45 (to become No.38)<\/p>\n

Adam Scott – No.47<\/p>\n

Lucas Herbert – No.69\ufeff<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Australia's best men's golfer Cameron Smith \ufeffis desperate to perform well in Sydney this week in a tournament that may yet decide his Olympic Games […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":349513,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349511"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=349511"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349511\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":349518,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349511\/revisions\/349518"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/349513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=349511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=349511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=349511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}