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The PGA Tour is doing all it can to punish every player who has defected to LIV Golf, but it has a traitor in its midst threatening to tear the premiere golf league apart from the inside.

Cameron Smith, who will reportedly bolt to LIV Golf after the FedEx Cup Playoffs, is just two shots back of the lead heading into the final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship. If he wins, the Australian will overtake Scottie Scheffler as the No. 1 golfer in the world.

But that’s not all.

With a win this weekend, Smith would also vault himself to the No. 1 spot in the FedEx Cup standings with only two events remaining in the postseason, which would pave the way for an $18 million doomsday scenario for the PGA Tour.

Cameron Smith is close to becoming the No. 1 golfer in the world

Cameron Smith looks on during the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Cameron Smith walks on the first hole during the third round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind | Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images

Smith has been the subject of LIV Golf rumors for a few weeks now, but they ramped up a notch this week. A few days ago, fellow Australian golfer Cameron Percy appeared on RSN Radio and revealed that Smith and Marc Leishman were on their way to the rival golf league.

More reports confirmed the news throughout the week, but Smith still teed it up for the first leg of the playoffs at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Heading into Sunday, he’s the betting favorite to win.

Smith will enter the final round of the tournament at 11 under par and two strokes back of leader J.J. Spaun. Considering he would become the No. 1 golfer in the Official World Golf Ranking and the FedEx Cup standings with a win, it’s fair to say the PGA Tour will be rooting for anyone else to bring home the trophy on Sunday afternoon.

The PGA Tour is staring down an $18 million doomsday scenario

Smith winning the FedEx St. Jude Championship this weekend would be a disaster for the PGA Tour in more ways than one. Not only would he become the No. 1 golfer in the world, but he would put himself in a prime position to win the FedEx Cup Playoffs and the $18 million grand prize.

Just imagine.

Smith wins on Sunday to take control of the No. 1 spot in the standings. He follows it up with another strong finish at next weekend’s BMW Championship to start the TOUR Championship at 10 under par. With the generous head start, he wins the TOUR Championship and walks off into the LIV Golf sunset with the No. 1 world ranking and $18 million of the PGA Tour’s cash in his pocket.

That would be a debilitating blow to the PGA Tour, and it’s simply a scenario the bleeding golf league cannot afford.

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Staff Writer

Jack Dougherty

Writing professionally since 2015, Jack Dougherty spent six years as a sportswriter with publications such as GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, and the Associated Press before joining Sportscasting in 2020. He covers the NBA, the NFL, and the world of golf extensively and has added expertise on any team located in or around his hometown of Philadelphia. Yes, that includes the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia 76ers, and Philadelphia Phillies.

When Jack isn’t writing about sports, he’s watching them or playing them as he regularly heads to the gym for some pickup basketball or the golf course to hit the links. He’s also an avid participant in the sports betting scene who worked at a casino sportsbook for a year and learned the ins and outs of the industry before bringing his expertise to Sportscasting with one excellent gambling recommendation after another.