Blockbuster Aussie pairings confirmed as tee times revealed \u2014 Aus PGA Ultimate Guide<\/a><\/b><\/p>\nScott chasing 3rd Australian PGA title | 00:58<\/p>\n
It\u2019s in this tale of well-intentioned fumbling that you find Smith heading into his pet event in Brisbane this week. No matter how hard he\u2019s tried over the past two years, little has worked out.<\/p>\n
Smith stepped into the Broncos\u2019 house on Tuesday, ostensibly for a promotional event alongside NRL champion Adam Reynolds, but perhaps for some title-winning inspiration, too. <\/p>\n
Now left for dead by their all-conquering exploits, Smith\u2019s drought feels like the only one that matters this week at Royal Queensland. <\/p>\n
There lingers a feeling of if not soon for Smith \u2014 and the facts suggest it won\u2019t be \u2014 then when, and where? <\/p>\n
Throw a dart at the 156-player field for this week and you could easily land on a better chance to win the tournament based on form.<\/p>\n
Smith missed every cut at the majors this year, finished no higher than T7 in any of LIV Golf\u2019s small-field events, and is fresh off his sixth-straight missed cut at the Saudi International. <\/p>\n
He has not won a professional tournament since LIV Bedminster in August 2023, while he has not performed well at a major since his T6 at the Masters in April 2024. <\/p>\n
Quite simply, he has almost nothing going for him. <\/p>\n
But good feeling counts for plenty in a sport defined by the fingers\u2019 connectivity with the club, and the taming of mental demons that inevitably arise between swings. <\/p>\n
And in the Queensland heat, Smith has plenty of it.<\/p>\n
Apart from being the state that forged the former world No.2, Queensland has played host to Smith winning three of the past seven Australian PGA Championships. <\/p>\n
As such, it\u2019s difficult to avoid placing some level of expectation on a player with such a formidable history, form or no form.<\/p>\n
Smith, however, has shied away from doing the same, claiming he \u201cnever really plays with expectations\u201d.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, he suggested that his recent results don\u2019t tell the full story, and the truth is that he may be closer than it seems. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s kind of been the story of the year, I guess I thought I\u2019ve played better than what I\u2019ve scored,\u201d he said after the Saudi International.<\/p>\n
Throw a dart at the 156-player field for this week and you could easily land on a better chance to win the tournament based on form.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cThe work has been there and those poor rounds creeping in … it\u2019s been very frustrating. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s really bothered me this year, whereas in the past it probably hasn\u2019t.\u201d <\/p>\n
Smith is also buoyed by the fact that the Australian PGA will be played at the course where he last won on these shores, Royal Queensland. <\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, it\u2019s a course that I love and have played well at,\u201d he said. \u201cI think just being at home brings that (playfulness) back a little bit as well, and obviously having success here at RQ probably helps. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying to go out there and not worry about it so much.\u201d <\/p>\n
Only time will tell whether the more relaxed approach will pay dividends. <\/p>\n
But should the scores turn ugly once more, worry is the only thing that will be left on the table.<\/p>\n
The Australian PGA is followed by the Australian Open, an event which Smith has never won, and has become something of a curse for the 32-year-old. <\/p>\n
Smith had one hand on the Stonehaven Cup as a 23-year-old in 2016, but was edged out by Jordan Spieth in a three-man playoff. <\/p>\n
In 2022, Smith shockingly missed the 54-hole cut in the year he was the reigning Open champion. More recently, he last year wasted a strong start by going 24-consecutive holes mid-tournament without a birdie or eagle, finishing the national Open T39. <\/p>\n
For a trophy that features most of the who\u2019s who of Australian men\u2019s golf \u2014 Adam Scott, Greg Norman, Peter Thomson, Geoff Ogilvy, Greg Chalmers, Robert Allenby, Aaron Baddeley, Stuart Appleby, Peter Lonard, John Senden, Matt Jones, Cameron Davis \u2014 <\/p>\n
Smith\u2019s name remains a curious omission on the Stonehaven Cup. <\/p>\n
Bottom line; Smith\u2019s chances in Queensland appear better than in Victoria.<\/p>\n
As such, failure this weekend at Royal Queensland will only exacerbate one of the most prominent questions in the sport; is LIV Golf damaging its greatest stars?<\/p>\n
Smith, who signed with the rebel league in late 2022, has been one of the prime examples for those who have argued against the credibility of LIV Golf over the past two years. <\/p>\n
The Australian still looked a force in his debut season, winning twice and finishing second on the money list behind only Talor Gooch, while he notched top-10 finishes at the PGA Championship and the US Open. <\/p>\n
Few could predict that his T6 at the following year\u2019s Masters was the beginning of the fall. <\/p>\n
Despite a couple close calls, Smith wouldn\u2019t win on the LIV circuit that year, while he finished T63, T32 and missed one cut at the year\u2019s three remaining majors. <\/p>\n
The trend has only grown worse with Smith now on a streak of five-straight missed cuts at majors, and into his third year of not winning a professional tournament. <\/p>\n
This has been Smith\u2019s longest search for a win since he first turned pro in 2013. <\/p>\n
Many reasons can be attributed to Smith\u2019s stark drop-off. <\/p>\n
From a technical view point, his play off the tee is in disarray \u2014 he was ranked 47\/54 for driving accuracy this LIV Golf season, and struggled at all four majors, particularly at Royal Portrush where he was ranked almost last at 149th. <\/p>\n
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – NOVEMBER 25: Cameron Smith drives off the tee on the 7th hole prior to the BMW Australian PGA Championship 2025. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also the massive life change of becoming a father for the first time, which he admitted this year has changed his perspective to golf.<\/p>\n
\u201cReally, all I want now is to have a happy, healthy son rather than making as many birdies as I can on the golf course,\u201d he told Australian Golf Digest.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, I still want to do that and to win often. I\u2019m still fired up competitively once I\u2019m inside the ropes, but bad rounds probably don\u2019t ruin my day as much as they used to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whatever it is, Smith has slipped to 345th in the Official World Golf Rankings. On Datagolf, which uses a different formula that merits LIV Golf results, he\u2019s still only ranked 133rd. <\/p>\n
For many, it all points to one thing. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll say it out loud … I think LIV Golf has backfired for Cameron Smith, unfortunately,\u201d former golfer and Talk Birdie To Me podcast host Mark Allen said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI always feel like the guys that went to LIV\u2026 the majority of them\u2026 weren\u2019t die hard professional golfers.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the outside looking in, it just looks like LIV stuffed their game.\u201d <\/p>\n
Former Australian PGA Championship winner Nick O\u2019Hern added: \u201cNo one drove it worse than him at the majors last year…<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure it\u2019s annoying the hell out of him too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Others have been far more brutal on Smith\u2019s downwards trajectory.<\/p>\n
In April, before the Masters, Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee said Smith initially reminded him of eight-time major winner Tom Watson given his scrambling, putting, and ability under pressure. <\/p>\n
However, he said since joining LIV Golf, Smith had become an \u201cat bottom\u201d golfer. <\/p>\n
\u201cTo see him go to LIV, it really broke my heart,\u201d Chamblee told CODE Sports. \u201cI understand people make decisions based upon their own economics, but he was on his trajectory to be one of the greats.<\/p>\n
\u201cI miss him. I follow him around in majors. I\u2019ve met his crew. Nice people, I love them all, but like most of the LIV players, with the exception of a few, they might as well be in the witness protection program.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t see them except for four times a year and you hardly see them then because almost all of their games have decayed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking in July before The Open, Sky Sports expert Paul McGinley also pointed the finger at LIV Golf. <\/p>\n
He suggested that its three-round format with no cuts and guaranteed big paydays had blunted the threat of many of its players when facing their PGA Tour rivals. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a great quote from a Navy SEAL that\u2019s widely used in leadership. \u2018What do you do under pressure?\u2019. And he says, \u2018I sink to the level of my training\u2019,\u201d McGinley said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe training that the guys get on LIV, the way they play on LIV, it\u2019s not the same intensity as the PGA Tour. <\/p>\n
\u201cNobody can argue that that is not true.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heartbreak! Minjee robbed of an Eagle | 00:29<\/p>\n
While it painted a bleak picture at the time \u2014 and in many ways it still does \u2014 McGinley\u2019s assessment may soon be seen as a positive given LIV Golf\u2019s imminent switch to four-round tournaments. <\/p>\n
LIV Golf, which awarded about A$580m in prize money in 2025 \u2014 will ditch its 54-hole format for next season in its latest, and biggest, push to be recognised by the OWGR. <\/p>\n
It means Smith will have an extra round to let his skill rise him to the top, while any push to win OWGR points will be crucial when his five-year exemption to the Masters, PGA Championship and US Open run out in 2027. <\/p>\n
For fellow Australian Min Woo Lee, the change can only be a good thing for Smith. <\/p>\n
\u201cCam was one of the best players in the world before he went to LIV, and I hope he can find a stride,\u201d he told Australian Associated Press.<\/p>\n
\u201cGreat golfers, over time, if there are more holes, they\u2019re probably going to come out on top. So hopefully we can see some good golf out of him.\u201d <\/p>\n
It\u2019s been some time since Smith even played a fourth round of competitive golf given he missed the cut at all four majors, and the Saudi International, while the Alfred Dunhill Links was reduced to three rounds due to high winds.<\/p>\n
The Australian summer of golf will therefore be the first test of that theory.<\/p>\n
And if it goes well, it\u2019s not only a legacy piece on Australian shores that\u2019s up for grabs. <\/p>\n
So, too, is a momentum-shifting moment \u2014 one which could shake the Broncos-sized monkey off his back, and have massive ramifications for Smith\u2019s 2026, and potentially beyond. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Putting out on the 54th hole in Indianapolis in August, you can\u2019t help but wonder what felt longer…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":595118,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4106],"tags":[71437,187125,187155,5262,6207,186,22631,187130,187142,164647,89113,187150,187157,187146,187124,187133,22422,187159,117743,393,299,187131,160315,22626,2826,117533,121176,187156,12353,187120,187135,23258,35063,187154,187128,187141,187143,23767,187118,187121,41244,187119,300,24993,17670,187122,22617,31175,187153,128937,187151,187126,187136,187137,187145,13691,187140,187123,187152,24412,187138,712,187147,198,187158,79,187132,187127,187149,187134,187139,187144,187129,91119,16,15,25002,22599,187148],"class_list":{"0":"post-595117","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-golf","8":"tag-cameron-smith","9":"tag-aaron-baddeley","10":"tag-adam-reynolds","11":"tag-adam-scott","12":"tag-america","13":"tag-australia","14":"tag-australia-and-new-zealand","15":"tag-australian-associated-press","16":"tag-australian-golfing-stars","17":"tag-australian-men","18":"tag-australian-shores","19":"tag-australian-sport","20":"tag-australian-summer","21":"tag-bleak-picture","22":"tag-brandel-chamblee","23":"tag-brilliant-way","24":"tag-brisbane","25":"tag-cameron-davis","26":"tag-debut-season","27":"tag-england","28":"tag-europe","29":"tag-four-round-tournaments","30":"tag-geoff-ogilvy","31":"tag-getty-images-inc","32":"tag-golf","33":"tag-golf-channel","34":"tag-golf-course","35":"tag-greg-chalmers","36":"tag-greg-norman","37":"tag-home-soil-victory","38":"tag-hunting-home","39":"tag-indiana","40":"tag-indianapolis","41":"tag-jacob-polychronis","42":"tag-jan-kruger","43":"tag-john-senden","44":"tag-legacy-piece","45":"tag-mark-allen","46":"tag-massive-life-change","47":"tag-massive-ramifications","48":"tag-matt-jones","49":"tag-money-list","50":"tag-north-america","51":"tag-northern-america","52":"tag-northern-europe","53":"tag-obsession-outside","54":"tag-oceania","55":"tag-paul-mcginley","56":"tag-peter-lonard","57":"tag-peter-thomson","58":"tag-podcast-host","59":"tag-professional-golfers","60":"tag-professional-tournament","61":"tag-professional-win","62":"tag-prominent-questions","63":"tag-queensland","64":"tag-rain-delay","65":"tag-robert-allenby","66":"tag-rounds-creeping","67":"tag-royal-portrush","68":"tag-scores-turn","69":"tag-scotland","70":"tag-skill-rise","71":"tag-sky-sports","72":"tag-small-field-events","73":"tag-sports","74":"tag-stuart-appleby","75":"tag-technical-view-point","76":"tag-tee-times","77":"tag-tee-times-inc","78":"tag-title-drought","79":"tag-title-exploits","80":"tag-title-winning-inspiration","81":"tag-tom-watson","82":"tag-uk","83":"tag-united-kingdom","84":"tag-united-states-of-america","85":"tag-victoria","86":"tag-witness-protection-program"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/595117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=595117"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/595117\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/595118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=595117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=595117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=595117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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