‘IT’S NICE KNOWING I’M ON LUKE DONALD’S RADAR’
Jordan Smith on the Ryder Cup, rejecting LIV and changing caddie and clubs
We all want to know, how did you celebrate your win at the Portugal Masters? Was it on the scale of Shane Lowry’s victory at The Open?
It wasn’t anywhere near that, to be fair. We had a massive bottle of champagne, which I had a few swigs out of, a beer and then straight to the airport and a Subway.
What was the overriding emotion, having finally ended that five-year winless run?
There was a lot of relief, I was very emotional. The longer it went on, the more pressure I was putting on myself. I had been playing some good golf, just not putting it all together at the right time. This year I’ve probably played the best golf of my career, so it’s nice to finally get that second win.
This season you’ve had nine top-10 finishes, including two runner-up finishes. What’s changed?
I made a few changes at the end of last year. I changed manufacturer and changed caddie as well. I found a massive difference going from
Callaway to Titleist. It has really suited my game and they’ve really found the best in me.
You had your best friend on the bag previously. How hard was that conversation?
That was probably the hardest decision I’ve had to make but it had to happen. We’d been together for four and a half years. We weren’t falling out, but we were having disagreements and it was time to freshen it up. He was still the best man at my wedding so we’re still on good terms. My caddie on my bag now is also one of my best mates.
Next year there are 10 PGA Tour cards up for grabs. Is that a target of yours, moving to and playing in the States?
Definitely. My goal is to get one of those cards and to play both seasons, if I can, on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. Obviously one of my other goals is to get in the Ryder Cup team, that would be a massive achievement.
Have you spoken with Luke Donald yet?
He came up to me in Italy and introduced himself. He also sent a message, congratulating me on the win. It’s nice knowing that I’m on his radar.
There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding LIV golfers and whether they will be eligible for the European team. Have you ever been approached by LIV Golf?
I was never approached by them, but I was in the first event because of my DP ranking. Shortly after, I pulled out because it wasn’t viable for me. I want to stay with the DP World Tour and try and make my way onto the PGA Tour.
How do you see the future of the DP World Tour, because there are positive and negatives attached to the strategic alliance with the PGA Tour?
People say we’re now a feeder tour to the PGA Tour, but we’ve always been a feeder tour to the PGA Tour. Guys like Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter, they moved across as soon as they could. It’s always been that way, but I think the strategic alliance is a great move. It will make the DP Tour a lot stronger, it will attract sponsors such as Genesis, and hopefully some of the American guys will come over and play the bigger events.