Cameron Smith has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons lately, and that continued on Monday as the Australian has withdrawn from this week’s BMW Championship. Entering the FedEx Cup Playoffs second in the standings, the Champion Golfer of the Year saw his name slip one spot in the rankings after the St. Jude Championship kicked off the PGA Tour postseason.
“Unfortunately, Cam will be unable to compete in the BMW Championship this week in Wilmington DE,” Smith’s agent released in statement. “He has been dealing with some on-and-off hip discomfort for several months and thought it best to rest this week in his pursuit of the FedEx Cup.”
Smith is expected to return for the postseason finale, but it will be interesting to see just how much his name falls this week as positioning for the Tour Championship is crucial. With the leader of the FedEx Cup standings starting at 10 under at East Lake, if the world No. 2 is to drop significantly, he may see his chances to don the season-long crown vanish.
This is an unfortunate development for Smith, who has simply been terrific in 2022. Out-dueling Jon Rahm to kick off the year at the Tournament of Champions, he has since thrived on some of the biggest stages in the sport. Capturing the PGA Tour’s flagship event, the Players Championship in March, the 28-year-old added to his career season in a major way by winning The Open at St. Andrews.
This past Sunday, Smith had an opportunity to not only ascend to the top spot in the FedEx Cup standings but to claim the world No. 1 title away from Scottie Scheffler. Assessed a two-stroke penalty before the onset of the final round at TPC Southwind, he was immediately put behind the eight ball. This was the latest in what was a somewhat turbulent week for Smith, who has also been at the center of rumors surrounding a potential defection to LIV Golf.
