Smith holds nerve in mighty shootout
FOR two tricky hours, Queenslander Cameron Smith lost his way in strap grass, branches, talked to his errant ball and missed putts before an astonishing rally to win backto-back Australian PGA titles.
Yesterday’s scrap from behind for victory over a faltering Marc Leishman at Royal Pines was a far greater triumph of character than a Sunday stroll to a six-shot win without any turbulence.
Smith, 25, is the real deal as a player who Aussie golf fans can cheer for the next 15 years because what he found digging deep to retain the Joe Kirkwood Cup will rise again on the world stage.
“Twin-Cam” it is for the fast car-loving knockabout who will break into the world’s top 30 for the first time after a seesawing shootout for four magnetic hours in the lead group.
Smith (70-65-67-70) became the first golfer since Robert Allenby (2000-01) and Greg Norman (1984-85) in the modern era to win successive PGAs with his two-shot success on the Gold Coast.
“You definitely learn a lot about yourself on the course,” a delighted Smith said of digging deep. “I didn’t really have the greatest start but having my friends, family and caddie (Sam Pinfold) always egging me on kept me going.”
He dedicated the win to close mate Jason Young, who is undergoing chemotherapy to fight a brain tumour.
Smith’s early stumbles with two bogeys meant his threeshot overnight lead had evaporated and Leishman had hit the front after four holes.
It was a dramatic twist no one had anticipated because Smith’s tugged opening tee shot was one of his worst of the week into tall strap grass and cost him a bogey.
When Leishman chipped in for birdie on the fourth and sunk a short putt for another on the fifth all the momentum was with him.
Smith didn’t claw back to level until the 14th when Leishman (68-68-69-69) cursed a putt that took a horseshoe out of the cup for bogey.
Smith hit the front in unconventional style on the par five 15th when his drive hit a grate in the left rough and he took a free drop on the 16th tee when an advertising hoarding was obstructing his swing.