Cameron Smith stripped of TPC Sawgrass privileges after signing with LIV Golf

Cameron Smith may have found a new tour, but he lost a parking spot.

In the wake of his signing with LIV Golf, the 2022 Players champion had his winner’s parking spot removed at TPC Sawgrass.

And that’s not all.

According to a report from Golfweek‘s Adam Schupak, the club also purged a replica bag with Smith’s winning clubs, plus photos, from the pro shop and clubhouse.

Schupak shared a photo of the parking spot, which has traditionally been reserved for the winner of the Players Championship, the PGA Tour’s flagship event held nearby its headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. What previously read “Reserved for 2022 Players champ Cameron Smith” now reads “Reserved for Tour players only.”

“If they go to LIV, they don’t have any of their (PGA) Tour privileges at TPC properties,” TPC Sawgrass general manager Derek Sprague told Golfweek. (Sprague did not immediately respond to follow-up questions from GOLF.com.)

Tour members get playing privileges at Sawgrass, but what makes the termination of Smith’s access unique — unlike many other Players champions — is that he lives in Ponte Vedra and was actually a TPC Sawgrass regular. Now, it seems, he’ll need to find another option.

Speaking to the media at the Players Championship in March, Smith said he lives 10 minutes away from Sawgrass. While he didn’t play the course too often — it’s usually softer and slower for recreational golfers — he said he practiced there three or four times a week.

“It’s usually pretty cruisey around here, have a chat to the boys out the back on the greenskeeping team and have a laugh at the boys back there,” Smith said at the Players. “It’s all fun and games most of the time. I find it hard to switch on, so I’ve made it a point this year to act as though I’m at a tournament.”

Smith, the No. 2 player in the world, made his LIV Golf debut at the Boston event last week. He won three times in 2022, including his first major title at the Open Championship.

Josh Berhow

Golf.com Editor

As GOLF.com’s managing editor, Berhow handles the day-to-day and long-term planning of one of the sport’s most-read news and service websites. He spends most of his days writing, editing, planning and wondering if he’ll ever break 80. Before joining GOLF.com in 2015, he worked at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., he resides in the Twin Cities with his wife and two kids. You can reach him at joshua_berhow@golf.com.

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