Cameron Smith is an Australian professional golfer best known for winning the 2022 Open Championship at St Andrews and the 2022 Players Championship.
He turned professional in 2013 and built one of the most decorated careers in modern Australian golf before making a headline-grabbing move to LIV Golf.
Who is Cameron Smith?
Cameron Smith is an Australian professional golfer who plays for Ripper GC on the LIV Golf League.
Born and raised in Brisbane, Queensland, he grew up in the northern suburb of Bray Park, where his father introduced him to the game at age two.
Smith turned professional in 2013 and went on to win six times on the PGA Tour. His 2022 season stands as one of the best ever produced by an Australian golfer.
That same year he joined LIV Golf in a deal reported to be worth in the region of $100 million.
Since then, he has served as captain of Ripper GC, an all-Australian squad that won the LIV Golf Team Championship in 2024.
Cameron Smith Wife: Shanel Naoum
Smith married Shanel Naoum on December 30, 2023, at the Cathedral of St Stephen in Brisbane.
The couple had been together since at least 2022, when Shanel was first spotted cheering Smith on after his Players Championship victory at TPC Sawgrass.
Their wedding took place on Tiger Woods’ 48th birthday. Smith was seen in a black tuxedo, complete with his signature mullet, while Shanel wore a gown for the ceremony.
His LIV Golf team Ripper GC shared a photo congratulating the happy couple.
Shanel, also known as Dr Shanel Naoum, is a chiropractor. She works at an orthopedic specialist practice in Jacksonville, Florida, where she was born and raised.
The pair reside in Ponte Vedra Beach, near TPC Sawgrass, the site of Smith’s 2022 Players Championship win.
Their relationship had been kept largely private before the wedding. Neither had officially confirmed they were a couple until news of the engagement emerged shortly before they married in December 2023.
Smith told Australian Golf Digest in late 2024 that joining LIV Golf was “the best decision of my life” and that fatherhood had added even more perspective to his career.
Shanel Naoum Biography
Shanel Rita Naoum was born on October 29, 1996, in Jacksonville, Florida.
She studied at Atlantic Coast High School before enrolling at the University of North Florida in 2014, graduating in 2018 with a degree in Public Health and Health Science.
She then attended the Palmer College of Chiropractic, earning her Doctor of Chiropractic degree.
In her practice, she specializes in manual manipulations, auto injuries, and extremity and spinal disorders.
Beyond English, Shanel also speaks Arabic, reflecting her family’s Arab heritage.
She has previously worked as a client specialist at FYZICAL Therapy and Balance Centres since 2018, alongside her chiropractic work.
Shanel has also collaborated with the Girl Scouts on child safety programs.
Her parents are Thair Naoum and Leen Naoum. She has one sibling, a brother named Ronaldo Naoum.
Early Life of Cameron Smith
Smith grew up in Bray Park, a northern suburb of Brisbane, in a family where golf was part of daily life.
His father Des Smith was a scratch golfer and club captain at the Wantima Country Club, and he began teaching Cameron the game from the age of two.
Grant Field, one of Australia’s leading golf coaches, took Smith under his wing in 2004.
By age 12, Cameron had already broken par and beaten his father in the same round, posting a 69 to his dad’s 71.
He attended Pine Rivers State High School throughout his upbringing, balancing schoolwork with a growing junior golf career.
Cameron Smith Age / Birthday
Cameron Smith is 32 years old as of 2026, born on August 18, 1993. His zodiac sign is Leo, a sign often associated with confidence, leadership, and a competitive drive.
Today he is among the most recognisable figures on the global golf circuit.
Cameron Smith Ethnicity and Nationality
Smith holds Australian nationality, born and raised in Brisbane, Queensland. His parents, Des and Sharon Smith, are of Australian descent.
He grew up with strong ties to his home city, regularly returning to Brisbane for tournaments and personal milestones, including his 2023 wedding.
Cameron Smith Height and Weight
Smith stands 5 feet 11 inches tall, or 180 centimetres. He weighs 172 pounds, which is approximately 78 kilograms.
On the course, his build gives him a solid driving distance averaging around 299 yards off the tee.
Cameron Smith Education
Smith attended Pine Rivers State High School in the northern suburbs of Brisbane.
His formal education ran alongside his amateur golf career, which by his teenage years was already producing results at national level.
Cameron Smith Career
Smith turned professional in 2013 after a decorated amateur career that included wins at the Australian Boys’ Amateur and the Australian Amateur Stroke Play in 2011.
He played on the PGA Tour of Australasia and the Asian Tour in the early years of his professional career, winning the Asian Tour Rookie of the Year award in 2014.
His PGA Tour debut came in 2015, and he earned his first victory on the circuit at the 2017 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, a team event played alongside Jonas Blixt.
Early Career and Rise (2013–2020)
Smith’s early professional years were spent building his game across multiple tours.
He won the Australian PGA Championship in 2017 and defended it in 2018, establishing himself as one of Australia’s most promising exports.
He continued to climb the world rankings with consistent results.
At the 2020 Masters, Smith finished tied second behind Dustin Johnson, becoming the first golfer in Masters history to record all four rounds in the 60s, carding 67-68-69-69.
That same year he won the Sony Open in Hawaii, defeating Brendan Steele in a playoff after closing 65-66-68 over the final three rounds.
Breakthrough Season (2022)
The 2022 season stands as the defining chapter of Smith’s career.
In January he opened the year by winning the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, shooting a PGA Tour record of 34 under par, one better than the previous mark set by Ernie Els in 2003.
Two months later he won the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass with a final-round 66.
He made a bogey on the last hole after hitting his approach into the water but still finished one ahead of Anirban Lahiri to claim the $3.6 million first prize.
The crowning achievement came in July at the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews.
Smith fired a final-round 64 to reach 20 under par, overtaking Rory McIlroy with a string of birdies on the back nine to lift the Claret Jug by one shot over Cameron Young.
The win elevated him to world number two, a career high at the time.
LIV Golf and Team Captaincy (2022–Present)
Smith joined LIV Golf in August 2022 in a deal widely reported to be worth around $100 million.
He made his debut at LIV Boston and won his first LIV individual title at LIV Chicago, collecting a prize package including team bonus of $6 million.
As captain of Ripper GC, an all-Australian team that has included Marc Leishman, Matt Jones, and Wade Ormsby, Smith has continued to perform at the top level.
His first three LIV seasons produced three individual wins and eight top-five finishes.
Ripper GC won the LIV Golf Team Championship in 2024. Smith has described the move to LIV as “the best decision of my life,” saying it made him a much happier person both on and off the course.
Cameron Smith Awards and Recognition
Smith’s 2022 season earned him the PGA Tour Player of the Year award. He also won the Greg Norman Medal, awarded to the best-performing Australian male professional golfer, in both 2020 and 2022.
- PGA Tour Player of the Year (2022)
- Greg Norman Medal (2020, 2022)
- Asian Tour Rookie of the Year (2014)
At the 2020 Masters he became the first golfer in tournament history to card all four rounds in the 60s.
His 34-under performance at the 2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions also set a PGA Tour record for lowest total in a 72-hole event.
Cameron Smith Children
In late 2024, Smith confirmed that he and wife Shanel were expecting their first child, with a due date in late March 2025.
He found out about the pregnancy in late July 2024 during the LIV Golf London event, where he finished tied second.
Smith told Australian Golf Digest he was “more excited than anything” about becoming a father. He welcomed baby boy Remy into the world in 2025.
Smith has spoken about wanting Remy to one day play golf, not for the sake of competition alone, but for the values the sport brings: manners, patience, and family time.
Cameron Smith Net Worth
Cameron Smith’s estimated net worth is $50 million as of 2026. His wealth comes from a combination of PGA Tour earnings, his LIV Golf signing fee, on-course prize money, and endorsement deals.
LIV Golf Earnings
Smith’s move to LIV Golf in August 2022 was completed for a reported fee in the region of $100 million.
Over his first three seasons on the Saudi-backed circuit, he earned $40 million in on-course prize money alone.
By comparison, his career earnings across nine years on the PGA Tour amounted to just over $27 million.
Forbes ranked Smith as the fifth highest-paid golfer of 2023, with total earnings on and off the course reaching $76 million that year, driven largely by the LIV signing fee.
PGA Tour Career Prize Money
Across 175 starts on the PGA Tour, Smith accumulated more than $27 million in prize money.
His best single-season haul came in 2022, when his three wins including the Players Championship and the Open Championship produced over $9.8 million in official earnings.
Real Estate
Smith and Shanel live in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Their waterside home near TPC Sawgrass cost a reported $2.4 million when purchased in 2020.
Cameron Smith Social Media
Smith is active on Instagram at @cameronsmithgolf, where he regularly shares content from tournaments, fishing trips, and life off the course.
Conclusion
Cameron Smith’s journey from a two-year-old putting around Brisbane to a major champion and one of golf’s highest earners is a story built on family, dedication, and a willingness to follow his own path.
His marriage to Shanel Naoum and the arrival of son Remy have added a new chapter to a life already full of landmark moments.