Karl Stefanovic clashes with Today colleague Alex Cullen as host says British Open champion Cam Smith should put money before loyalty and join controversial Saudi-backed rebel LIV golf series
Smith has become the most popular property in golf after his British Open victory
He was immediately linked to the Aussie Greg Norman’s rebellious LIV Golf series
Reports from the UK suggest Smith could sign a $132 million deal with LIV Golf
Stefanovic backed him to take the money, while Cullen had a different opinion
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
Today presenter Karl Stefanovic has urged British Open winner Cam Smith to take the millions offered in the LIV golf series – only to clash with his co-presenter Alex Cullen over the controversial breakaway match.
Smith stunned the world at St Andrews over the weekend by birding five consecutive birdies to the back nine to defeat Rory McIlroy and claim the Claret Jug.
He was immediately linked with Saudi-backed rival Tour LIV Golf league and he refused to deny he was about to jump when questioned immediately after his first major win.
Smith kept tight-lipped about the link to LIV Golf, but didn’t deny those links either
Former British Open champion Ian Baker-Finch has urged Smith to stay on the PGA Tour, but Irish golfer has reported that a $132 million deal has already been struck for Smith.
Those reports say his signing could be announced this week, along with compatriot Marc Leishman, two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson, Tommy Fleetwood and Henrik Stenson.
The reported figure is nearly 10 times the amount of money Smith has made in his PGA career, including wins at the Players Championship and now The Open.
“I look at it and if I go, I would take the money any day of the week,” Stefanovic said.
“But from the Saudi government?” asked Cullen. “You know their human rights record.”
Stefanovic went on to point out that many sporting events around the world are also held in places with similar problems.
“If you want to buy stuff from the Saudi government, there are all kinds of tournaments around the world that have humanitarian issues, a huge number of them,” he said.
Today, hosts Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon respond to Alex Cullen’s comments about the Saudi-backed LIV golf series
Cullen then delivered his mic-drop moment with a mind-blowing comment about the LIV series and the Saudi government.
“But they didn’t all kill a Washington correspondent and dismember his body,” he said.
US-based journalist and critic of the government of Saudi Arabia Jamal Khashoggi was murdered when he walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
Greg Norman, CEO of LIV Golf, was banned from celebrations for the 150th British Open and was quick to congratulate Cam Smith on his comeback win via Twitter
Cullen’s comments went down like a lead balloon with Stefanovic and co-host Allison Langdon, with the latter audibly shocked by Cullen’s comment.
Smith is now being tipped to be part of an Australian super team along with Adam Scott and a number of other high profile Australian golfers, while LIV chief executive Greg Norman is looking to assemble a team of stars from Down Under.
Major players have been and continue to be enticed by the ridiculous sums of money on offer, with the breakout being backed by $2 billion in Saudi money and the total prize pool across eight events amounting to approximately $360 million.