'Player of the Year' Selected but US PGA Remains Silent... The Star is Smith Who Left LIV

Cameron Smith. Photo by Getty Images/Multibitz

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] The PGA of America has kept silent after selecting the 'Player of the Year.' This is because the awardee, Cameron Smith (Australia), left for the LIV Golf Invitational Series. Australian media reported this fact, and the news of the award was belatedly revealed.

The Player of the Year selected by the PGA of America is a separate award from the Player of the Year chosen by the PGA Tour. Earlier, the PGA Tour Player of the Year was awarded to Scottie Scheffler (USA), who is ranked number one in the world. The PGA Tour extensively publicized this through their official website and various media outlets.

On the other hand, news of Smith's award was hardly reported. The PGA of America selected the Player of the Year two weeks ago, at the end of last month. Australia's golf specialty media, Golf Australia Magazine, even published an article titled 'Smith quietly selected as Player of the Year.'

The PGA of America quietly announced Smith's award on their official website on August 30. Coincidentally, this was the same day Smith officially announced his move to the LIV Golf Invitational Series.

Rumors about Smith's transfer had been widespread beforehand. Nevertheless, he was able to be selected as Player of the Year because the recipient is determined by a points system. Smith, who won this year's British Open and The Players Championship, earned 96 points, narrowly edging out Scheffler, who received 94 points.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.