“Golf’s version of throwing at someone’s head” Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Smith shares unpleasant moment as LIV Golf rumors grow
Rachel Ellis
Updated on March 31, 2026
Despite the fact that Scottie Scheffler hasn’t officially addressed Cameron Smith’s alleged defection to LIV Golf, his recent behavior may provide some insight into how he really feels.
Scheffler walked straight in front of Smith as the latter attempted to line up a putt on the green as they were partnered up for the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship on the PGA Tour on Thursday in Memphis, Tennessee. Despite violating one of the unspoken rules of golf, Scheffler carried on as if nothing had happened.
Unsurprisingly, Twitter had a field day talking about the strange encounter. “This is basically golf’s version of throwing at someone’s head,” one user wrote, while another user tweeted “Spicy head games from Scottie LIV related?”. Scheffler and Smith did exchange high fives earlier in the day, though, when the Australian hit a hole-out eagle on the par-4 13th hole.
Golf’s broad set of rules can occasionally be somewhat perplexing. Along with the laws, there are golf etiquette guidelines that, while occasionally strange, are often common sense. In particular, among professionals. You would go around your playing partner or rival, for instance, when they are reading a putt on the green. And if you do unintentionally step in front of someone as they line up a putt, you’ll immediately apologize, right?
Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Smith shared an awkward moment during first round of FedEx Cup Playoffs
The top two golfers in the world encountered the same difficulty during the opening round of the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship on the PGA Tour, the first round of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, on Thursday at TPC Southwind. However, there was no apology—just a strange expression that suggested it was deliberate (or perhaps he was just not paying attention).
For a moment, let’s play around and consider this: if it was deliberate, why would Scheffler act in such a petty manner? This week, news of Smith’s departure from the PGA Tour for the Greg Norman-run and Saudi Arabia-sponsored LIV Golf Invitational Series first surfaced. The 28-year-old Australian, who took both the Players Championship and British Open this year, declined to comment when questioned about the report.
Perhaps Scheffler’s walk-through marked the beginning of the little conflicts between Tour and LIV competitors. Or perhaps it was just one of those awkward social situations that the PGA Tour Live team and a Twitter user happened to record on tape. After all, Scheffler had given Smith a high-five following his earlier in the round hole-out from the fairway. Time will tell, but either way it goes, that was strange.
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