“He definitely wanted me to stay” – Cameron Smith says he got a call from Rory McIlroy ahead of his move to LIV 

Cameron Smith has settled in well at LIV Golf and the Australian golfer recently revealed that he had ‘no regrets’ about his move to the Saudi-backed series. Despite the harsh criticism from the PGA and its fans, Smith seems at home in the rebel series.

The Australian has now revealed that he got a call from Rory McIlroy, who tried to persuade him to stay on the PGA Tour. As per Smith, the Irishman 'definitely wanted him to stay’ in the American circuit.

Rory McIlroy tried to convince Cameron Smith to stay in the PGA Tour

Smith received the call from Rory McIlroy after he had just beaten to win the Claret Jug 2022. Smith stated that the ace golfer made a last-ditch attempt to convince him to stay on the PGA Tour.

Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald in an interview, Cameron Smith said:

“I’ve always had respect for Rory and I’ve liked what he says on the golf course… He said, ‘Congrats.' There were maybe a couple of little jabs in there. He was happy I played well and it was a good tournament. Then we talked about the PGA Tour and LIV."

"There was a bunch of stuff he wanted me to know before I made my decision. I wouldn’t say he tried to directly talk me out of it, but he definitely wanted me to stay.”

However, the Irishman's attempt to dissuade Cameron Smith from defecting to the rebel side didn’t work. The then-World No. 2 left the PGA Tour only a month later, after the Tour Championship at East Lake.

Following the move, Cameron Smith played LIV’s remaining five tournaments. The golfer, who reportedly bagged $140 million as a signing bonus from the Saudi-backed series, even won his second-ever start in the series in Chicago.

It is pertinent to note that Rory McIlroy had previously shared his version of the call. Speaking to the media, McIlroy described the phone call as more of a presentation of facts rather than a plea. He explained that he 'didn’t care' if players left the PGA Tour.

McIlroy said:

"Guys that are thinking one way or another, honestly, I don't care if they leave or not – it's not going to make a difference to me – but I would at least like people to make a decision that is completely informed and basically know this is what's coming down the pipeline. This is what you may be leaving behind.”

He added:

“I just don't want people making decisions hearing information from one side and not from another. So, I think that's sort of been my whole thing this entire time. I've always said guys can do whatever they want. Guys can make a decision that they feel is best for themselves and their families."

"But I want guys to make decisions based on all of the facts… Sometimes I don't think some guys made those decisions based on having all the facts in front of them."

It's safe to say that McIlroy’s ‘facts’ weren’t enough to make Smith stay on the tour.

Cameron Smith on the ‘tough’ decision to move to LIV

In a recent interview, Cameron Smith went on to add that he wasn’t always sure about the move. The Aussie revealed that it was ‘tough’ decision for him to make. Smith even claimed that he didn’t sleep well for months due to this.

He said:

“I was definitely leaning one way but it wasn’t signed on paper. There was still so much stuff to do, and so much to think about… I was constantly thinking, ‘What will other people think?' That was a really big factor for me. I feel like I do most things by the book and to be one to step away... was really tough for me.”

However, Cameron Smith went on to add that he was happy with the decision he made. The Aussie will return to the LIV series in 2023.