PGA Tour
Players winner Cameron Smith pulls out of next week's WGC-Dell Match Play to be with family
Cameron Smith poses with his family after winning the Players Championship on Monday.
Ben Jared
On the heels of the biggest win of his career at the Players Championship, Cameron Smith released a statement Wednesday announcing he has decided to withdraw from next week's WGC-Dell Match Play Championship in Austin, Texas.
"We had a long, extended week at the Players and we needed a little break," he wrote, in a tweet sent out by PGA Tour Communications. "I'm enjoying my last week with Mum and my sister Mel prior to them departing home for Australia. Been 2+ years since the last time we've been together. Came down to more time practicing 'or' an extra couple days with my family. Easy choice. My best to all in 2022. Looking forward to returning to Austin in 2023."
Smith, 28, won the Players and the $3.6 million top prize by a stroke over Anirban Lahiri in a wild, weather-delayed event that lasted late into the afternoon on Monday. It was his fifth PGA Tour victory, and his second of the season after winning January's Sentry Tournament of Champions. He's currently second in the FedEx Cup season standings, trailing only Scottie Scheffler. He’s also now No. 6 in the Official World Golf Ranking. The top 64 players on the OWGR qualify to compete in Austin.
Smith’s best finish in three previous trips to the WGC-Match Play was a quarterfinal appearance in 2018, where he was defeated by Alex Noren. In 2019 and 2021, he failed to advance past the group stage.