AT HOME WITH OPEN STAR CAM
This is way more than your ordinary golf shack.
According to the New York Post, Cameron Smith, 28, the Aussie golf whiz who now holds the title as the new British Open champion, has more to brag about than his victory over the home favourite Rory Mcilroy. The Brisbane native owns a souped-up $2.4 million ($A3.52m) home in the US near Jacksonville, Florida., which he purchased in April 2020 — and it’s where he spends his downtime away from the course.
Smith is living large in Ponte Vedra Beach — and he’s lived in the Jacksonville area for more than seven years. In late 2021, he opened his doors to PGA Memes for a tour of the spread.
Spanning across 5,350 square feet on a .55-acre lot, the layout includes an openplan living, kitchen and dining area. For entertaining guests, there’s a built-in bar area with seating — and even the kitchen has space for four bar-height stools along the lengthy island.
“I love it. There’s really good people around Jacksonville and I’m lucky to have good neighbours,” says Smith. “They put up with [my] s**t most of the time!”
But the bar area can also benefit Smith more than guests who are looking to knock one back.
“I’m on the Guinness train at the moment, but I really love a Bees Knees,” he adds of the gin-based cocktail.
Smith wore a XXXX Tshirt, a nod to his patriotism for the Queensland beer brand, a small detail which was no doubt lost on his American host.
Elsewhere, his home also has a professional-grade gym with weight racks that he’s mounted in the garage. Smith also has a race simulator that comes with a wheel, pedals and three screens.
“This is my timewaster,” he says. “When I’m bored I come up here and I like to drive cars.”
For outdoor leisure, there’s an al fresco lounge area dotted with palm trees and equipped with a grilling space and a television. Also outside, a pristine and manicured lawn that Smith uses to practice his putts — as well as space on the driveway to house his collection of spiffy cars, including a Nissan GT-R and an Audi A4 Wagon, the latter of which he says are popular in Australia and relatively new to American shores. Among them, a glistening white Front Runner 39 — on which Smith also enjoys his downtime away from swinging his clubs. He goes fishing in a nearby creek about a couple of times per week.