The 2025 season has been tough on big names. Jon Rahm went winless but still secured the LIV individual title. Cameron Smith, meanwhile, has endured a far sharper decline — sliding from world No. 2 to obscurity with just a few top-10s in LIV and missed cuts in all four PGA Tour starts.

Back in 2022, Cameron Smith was on top of the world. He won The Open, climbed to No. 2 in the rankings, captured The Players, and nearly slipped on the Green Jacket at Augusta. Smith looked unstoppable. So when his game began to slide, fans and analysts were left puzzled.

On The Colin Cowherd Podcast, Cowherd put it plainly: “So when you’ve had recent struggles, everybody’s going to point to the LIV money. And I’m like, that’s an easy out because golfers struggle. So with your struggles, what do you think it is?”

Smith didn’t shy away. He admitted it’s been a tough season but emphasized the work he’s putting in, especially on his swing. “I really did a lot of hard work on my swing. And I feel like if you looked at 2022 Cameron Smith and 2025 Cameron Smith on the range, you would say that 2025 Cameron Smith is a better golfer than 2022—just technically and maybe looks-wise,” he told The Colin Cowherd Podcast.

Yet, for all the technical adjustments, the Aussie confessed that the real battle has been mental. “It’s just been a hard year to commit,” Cameron Smith added. The constant self-questioning between shots and the struggle to fully commit to his new approach have taken a toll on him. “Between shots, you have so much time to think: ‘Is this the right thing? Am I doing the right thing'” It’s quite obvious how that might affect the golfer, especially when coupled with the pressure from the crowds. However, that has not entirely been a spoilsport for Smith, who admits that the extra thought has helped him get more technical with his swings. “Through reps, it’s gotten better as the season’s gone on. But just committing to a thought—or, you know, I changed a fair bit technically.”

However, even Smith understands that although the changes may be laying the groundwork for future success, the immediate results have been far from satisfactory. “But it has been a little bit of a struggle this year, for sure,” he admitted, summing up a season defined more by lessons learned than trophies won.

Cameron Smith’s disastrous run in 2025

Cameron Smith is enduring one of the toughest seasons of his career. He hasn’t won on the LIV Golf circuit and has failed to make the weekend in any of the four majors this year. His major record reads: CUT at the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and The Open, with scores well over par. On LIV, he has just five top-10 finishes in 13 events, his latest being a tie for 14th in Indianapolis. It’s a steep fall for a player once known for closing out tournaments and lifting the Claret Jug at St Andrews.

Much of this decline has come since his $140 million move to LIV Golf. While the money brought stability, his world ranking has slid from No. 2 to outside the top 200. Many critics link the slump to LIV, but as Colin Cowherd said, “If a player on the LIV Tour struggles, invariably everybody goes, ‘Well, it’s the money. That’s what it is.’ And I’m like, ‘No, it’s golf.’”

Even the best hit slumps. What matters is how they respond — and Smith has chosen to focus on long-term fixes instead of chasing quick results.