“Not in my wildest dreams…” – Cameron Smith gets the keys to the city in his native Brisbane as he returns home from LIV 

Cameron Smith, an Australian golfer, returned to his homeland and received the key to his native Brisbane on Tuesday, November 22.

Smith was away from his hometown due to strict restrictions and border controls until late 2021.

He spent the off-season in America, hitting the gym and practicing golf, before winning a major championship and returning to his homeland.

Cameron Smith (Image via PGA Tour)

Cameron is among the 52 people and the only golfers who received the keys and are back in their native town. Speaking about the same, he said in an interview:

"Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd get the keys to the city. I thought it was for important people, not golfers."

Smith, who recently clinched his first major trophy at the Open Championship, was savoring a warm welcome as his win made his return even sweeter.

Although his career has yet to take off, Cameron Smith has won five professional PGA Tour events so far and has had a great start to his career.

Despite Smith joining the LIV Golf Series, he is allowed to play in local tournaments in his county.

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Early life and Career of Cameron Smith

Born on August 18, 1993, Cameron Smith began playing golf when he was two.

Smith started his journey playing for Wantima Country Club in the northern suburbs of Brisbane, where his father, Des, worked as a painter. Cameron is one of Des and Sharon Smith's two kids.

Cameron Smith turned professional in 2013 and played on the PGA Tour of Australasia.

During the initial days of his career, he was tied for second at the Coca-Cola Queensland PGA Championship in 2015 and the Emirates Australian Open in 2016.

Cameron Smith ( Image via Skysports)

Smith played on the Asian Tour in 2014 and finished in the top five in the merit order and in the top 10 seven times. He played his first PGA Tour event at the 2014 CIMB Classic.

The 2017 turned out to be in his favor when Smith paired with Jonas Blixt to play on the PGA Tour and won the event, defeating Scott Brown and Kevin Kisner.

Smith continued in good form and finished fourth in the Emirates Australian Open in 2017 before winning the Australian PGA Championship against Jordan Zunic.

Cameron continued to do wonders on the golf course and finally witnessed a fruitful victory in 2022. Earlier in January, he won the 2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua Resort in Maui, Hawaii, registering a one-shot victory over then World No. 1 Jon Rahm.

Smith won his first major championship at the 150th Open Championship in July. However, later in August, he suffered a hip injury and could not compete at the BMW Championship.

Following the Tour Championship, Smith joined the controversial LIV Golf Series and is now barred from playing on the PGA Tour.

Smith finished in a tie for fourth in the inaugural season of LIV Golf and won over $4 million from 4 starts in the series.