What a load of garbage that turned out to be. LIV Golf’s cheerleaders spent months telling anyone who’d listen that their tour wouldn’t hurt major championship performance. They kept insisting the reduced schedule and guaranteed money would actually help players peak for golf’s biggest events. Dead wrong doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Ben Parsons just proved exactly how wrong they were. His viral tweet exposed the most embarrassing statistic in professional golf, and it perfectly vindicates every LIV Golf critic who warned this would happen from day one.

Parsons dropped a bombshell on social media, sending shockwaves through the golf world. “Cam Smith has missed five major cuts in a row. Before that, he hadn’t had a MC since the 2022 US Open, a month before his Open win at St Andrews. Quite the decline,” he wrote. The post quickly gained traction, racking up nearly 4,000 views as golf fans absorbed the shocking reality.

The revelation became even more damning when Parsons provided the crucial context. Before this embarrassing streak, Cameron Smith hadn’t missed a major cut since the 2022 U.S. Open—ironically, just one month before his breakthrough Open Championship victory at St. Andrews. The contrast couldn’t be starker or more telling.

Parsons’ tweet essentially exposed Smith as the only golfer to miss all four major cuts in 2025. This represents the longest major cut streak of any player competing in all those championships. Furthermore, it’s a stunning fall for someone who once challenged Rory McIlroy at the highest level and reached world No. 2.

However, the timing of this revelation makes it particularly significant. Smith’s decline coincides perfectly with his decision to join LIV Golf in August 2022 for a reported $100 million payday. Critics immediately questioned whether the 54-hole, no-cut format would adequately prepare players for the pressure of major championships.

Smith initially dismissed these concerns with characteristic defiance. “There’s a lot of chatter going around about ‘these guys don’t play real golf anymore’ and I think it’s BS to be honest,” he declared in March 2023. Moreover, he promised that LIV players would “show a high standard of golf” at the majors.

Those confident predictions now look embarrassingly naive following Parsons’ statistical revelation. Smith’s 2024 major results painted a picture of steady decline: T6 at the Masters, T32 at the U.S. Open, T63 at the PGA Championship, and a missed cut at The Open Championship. Consequently, his dramatic ranking plunge from world No. 2 to outside the top 175 reflects this decline in competitiveness.

The transformation hasn’t gone unnoticed by golf insiders. Former World No. 16 Nick O’Hern recently described watching Smith’s decline as disappointing, noting that a potential multiple major winner now appears to be another standard professional golfer playing out his career on the LIV Tour.

LIV Golf Critics Find Vindication in Cameron Smith’s Embarrassing Major Record

Parsons’ tweet didn’t just expose Smith’s struggles—it highlighted a broader pattern that validates every early prediction about LIV Golf’s impact on major championship performance.

Before Smith joined LIV Golf, his major championship record sparkled brilliantly. He tied for second at the 2020 Masters, becoming the first player to shoot four rounds in the 60s at Augusta National. Additionally, he tied for third at the 2022 Masters and captured the 2022 Open Championship at St. Andrews.

Critics had warned that competitive sharpness would diminish without regular cuts. They argued that guaranteed payouts and reduced fields would create complacency. Furthermore, they predicted that playing only 14 events annually wouldn’t provide adequate preparation for the pressure and intensity of major championships.

The 2025 Open Championship perfectly illustrated these concerns. Nineteen LIV players competed at Royal Portrush, yet eight missed the cut, including Smith and five-time major champion Brooks Koepka. Similarly, data from 2024 majors showed that LIV players posted higher scoring averages in the final rounds compared to their PGA Tour counterparts.

Golf Digest had questioned in 2022 whether LIV players would stay sharp enough to contend in majors. Additionally, analysts were concerned about the tour’s inability to offer world ranking points, which would limit access to major championships over time. Parsons’ post on X perfectly captured this vindication. The statistical evidence he presented shows how critics’ worst fears materialized exactly as predicted. Now, Smith has become a cautionary tale about choosing guaranteed money over competitive excellence and championship preparation.

The embarrassing record Parsons brought to light proves the critics were right all along.