Cameron Smith finished third at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, one stroke away from the extra-hole shootout.
The man widely regarded as Australia's best male golfer may not even qualify this time.
The top two Australians in the World Golf Ranking (WGR) as of June 17 will be selected to represent Paris, but LIV Golf events do not count.
That means Smith has only three majors left to earn WGR points and qualify for the Olympics.
Smith will leave the PGA Tour in 2022, just weeks after his famous victory at the 150th British Open at St. Andrews and his rise to No. 2 in the world rankings. He also won The Players in March of the same year.
Leishman will also join LIV in 2022, with the all-Australian Ripper GC team pairing also featuring Lucas Herbert and Matt Jones.
Currently, Jason Day is Australia's top-ranked player (22nd), ahead of Lee Min-woo (32nd), Adam Scott (52nd), Cam Davis (60th), Cam Smith (62nd), and Lucas. – Higher than Herbert (82nd).
You can watch every round of the Masters live on Kayo, exclusively on Fox Sports. Is this your first time in Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Other news
'I'm tired of mullets': Cam Smith's bombshell statement is so shocking it turns out to be true
Hollywood superstar makes desperate appeal to save Sydney icon
'It was pretty bad': US Open champion's pre-Masters injury scare
Barring a surprise last-minute invitation, six Australian players are set to compete in next week's Masters Tournament, and Smith was on the plane to Paris hoping to qualify. This is the first of three major tournaments to be held in quick succession.
The top five Australians listed above – Day, Min-woo Lee, Scott, Davis and Smith – will compete at Augusta, as will amateur Jasper Stubbs.
However, failing to qualify for the Masters effectively means that Smith's Tokyo 2020 teammate Marc Leishman (461st) is no longer a candidate to back up his Olympic berth, and in a similar case the same LIV The same goes for contestants Herbert and Matt Jones.
Smith has won three individual titles at LIV and is in great form, coming close to a record-breaking fourth place last month when he lost in a playoff in Hong Kong to Abraham Ansah of Fireballs GC, but it was his second time in a playoff at an LIV tournament. It was a defeat.
According to the Guardian, Smith told Australian reporters today about his dream of going to the Paris Olympics: “It's a place I would love to go to and represent Australia.”
“We have to play well to get there, and we know we have to play well, but we probably only get three or four shots before they get selected. Deaf,” he said. “I think it just added more pressure.”
Those three shots are three majors, with the Masters next week in Augusta, followed by the PGA Championship in May and the U.S. Open in June.
Thanks to his 2022 British Open victory, Smith is exempt from all four major tournaments until at least 2028, but this year's tournament will be held at the June 17th Olympic qualifying cutoff (July 18th). It will be held one month after the 21st). The Paris Games begin on July 26th.
Malnati wins first PGA title in nine years | 01:09
The only thing that could change the qualification process is whether golf's long-awaited PGA and LIV integration is finally sorted out and LIV events award WGR points. This was repeatedly requested by LIV but was denied.
The merger was announced last June in an effort to end the golf civil war, but the details are still being worked out.
“The whole process is probably going to take a little longer than anyone anticipated,” Smith said.
He added that “many spectators and fans are probably also eager for it to happen.”
“So I hope that with some determination they can come to a solution soon,” he said.
But he said in February that unless he was one of Australia's top two athletes, Olympic officials were unlikely to change the rules in time to select him.
“I'm at a bit of a disadvantage compared to other Australian players,” Smith told SEN in February.
“But I really want to be there. I want to prepare as best I can for the majors.”
He added that he does not expect regulatory authorities to change his selection criteria.
“They've already set that standard, but I don't know if they're going to change it to accommodate me,” he said.
“We'll see what happens, but I really want to be in Paris.”
You can watch every round of the Masters live on Kayo, exclusively on Fox Sports. Is this your first time in Kayo? Start your free trial now >
