Ever since his meteoric rise in professional golf and subsequent move to the United States, Cameron Smith has put down his roots in Jacksonville, Florida.
And now, it appears he is keen to get involved with the city's rich golfing landscape, with the 2022 Open Champion set to buy a stake in Glen Kernan Golf and Country Club, which is set to be renovated by Jim Furyk.
The private Florida club has just been bought by local developer Corner Lot and can now count Smith as an investor. The Australian used to be a member at TPC Sawgrass but was unable to continue playing there following his high-profile departure to LIV.
Explaining how Smith got involved, Hampton Golf executive Travis Norman told Golfweek: “Andy Allen [CEO of Corner Lot] kept saying I want you to meet with Cam Smith, and that’s how it happened. I went and met with his business team, and he’s in.”
While Smith's focus will soon turn to the third season of LIV, which gets underway in February, the course renovation will be in the suitable and experienced hands of 16-time PGA Tour winner, Furyk. The 2003 US Open champion has been a long-time member at Glen Kernan and says he hopes to improve upon the course's solid foundations.
“The golf course has a lot of promise and good bones,” Furyk said. “Our plan is to make a few holes a little more playable for our average golfers and extend some tee boxes to lengthen the course for our better players.”
When asked to what extent Smith might be involved in the redevelopment, the 53-year-old said: “I’m sure he’ll be interested. I think Andy Allen has let him know that he can have some input on the practice facilities and such, so I’ll talk to him a little bit about that. I’m sure Cam will want some privacy at the back of the range to get his work done and get ready for tournament golf.”
Construction is due to begin next week with the course set to be shut down for at least a year. “We want to create the premier experience in this market,” Norman added. “We think we have the right footprint, the right designer and we’re going to make something special."
