PGA Tour penalizes Cam Smith, who withdraws from BMW amid NIL rumors

At least in the world of politics, perception and perception-created problems can be everything.

At the moment, the PGA Tour – and some of its players — are in a rhetorical steel-cage death match against upstart LIV Golf. The PGA Tour has very publicly tried to punish any PGA Tour member who has defected to LIV.

I have stated in this space in the past that I believe it is ultimately in the best interests of the PGA Tour – and most especially golf fans the world over – if it called a truce and figured out a way to not only accept LIV Golf, but work with them in a way beneficial to all players involved.

The PGA Tour has chosen to engage in a costly legal battle with LIV as well as engage in a no-holds-barred public relations campaign, which may provide them with nothing more than a Pyrrhic victory.

Which brings us to the latest salvo in this war – the status of Cameron Smith. The Australian golfer, third in the FedEx Cup standings, withdrew from this week’s BMW Championship on Monday. His agent cited “on and off hip discomfort for several months and thought it best to rest this week.”

Heading into the FedEx Cup Playoffs, Smith had a legitimate chance to become the top-ranked golfer in the world. He also very quickly had positioned himself onto the inside track to win those playoffs and the $18 million grand prize.

And why might this be bad in the eyes of the PGA Tour? Because Smith, currently ranked second in the world, is also reportedly ready to join LIV Golf.

Talk about a double-whammy public relations disaster for the PGA Tour.  A guy about to defect to LIV Golf not only becoming the No. 1 golfer in the world, but he walks off with the FedEx Cup as well before he does.

As those two probabilities were becoming more possible for Smith, an interesting ruling took place after the third round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis. That interesting ruling – Smith was assessed a two-stroke penalty after the round already had been completed.

Now, according to the PGA Tour, Smith played his ball from the improper spot on the fourth hole during Saturday’s third round. The Tour said Smith “was assessed a two-stroke penalty for a breach of Rule 14.7 .”

But he was not assessed that penalty during the round.

By a coincidence, another member of the tour’s rules committee raised the alarm about Smith’s drop after watching a rebroadcast of the third round. Gary Young, the chief referee for…