Hurricane Dorian could make life uncomfortable for Aussie ace Cameron Smith and his two scholarship winners
Cameron Smith is hoping Hurricane Dorian doesn’t disrupt the golf adventure he has planned with two up-and-coming Aussie players - but he has his evaculation plans in place just in case.
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Even by Cameron Smith’s laidback standards, this was masterful: “Yeah, we’ve got some golf planned but we may have to be on our toes with the hurricane coming.”
Talk about the sting in the tail.
Smith’s American home in Jacksonville will certainly cop a lashing from the strong winds and rain of Hurricane Dorian this week.
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How severe is the question with the wild storm’s winds potentially reaching over 200km/h off the northern coast of Florida late Wednesday or Thursday morning.
Smith will be prepared but he’ll also be hosting Gold Coast teen Elvis Smylie and Redcliffe ace Tyler Duncan on the golf adventure of their young lives this week.
As Cameron Smith Scholarship winners, the Queensland pair are staying at the home of the affable pro and get to absorb wisdom from one of the PGA Tour’s short-game experts.
“We just hang out for a very chilled week, play TPC Sawgrass and some great courses and they pick my brain on any little thing they want,” Smith said from Florida.
“We’ll definitely play one or two rounds but we might have to do some last-minute evacuation and go somewhere else.
“What’s happening (with the hurricane) is really uncertain so we will be on our toes.”
Smith is excited about his December at home with the Australian Open at The Australian Golf Club, the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne and the Australian PGA at Royal Pines on the Gold Coast.
Being locked into the Internationals team under captain Ernie Els for Royal Melbourne is a high.
“One of my goals as soon as a I turned pro (in 2013) was to be in a Presidents Cup team and I’d love to make a difference and turn the ship around,” Smith said.
At 26, he’s not so far removed from the amateur days that Smylie and Duncan are now finding their way in.
“What I like the most is that they bring me back to being a kid again on course with all the stupid stuff you say,” Smith said with a laugh.
“That and to hear what they are thinking golf-wise because it is so natural.
“What I want to get across is that they’ll always have a mate over here and they can always talk to me.
“When I first came over to the US it was almost like I had no one to talk to but over a very short period Aussie guys like Leish (Marc Leishman), Jase (Jason Day) and Rod (Pampling) were all really good to lean on.”