Golf news 2022: Cameron Smith dedicates third Australian PGA title to courageous grandmother Carol
A quivering voice signalled something was up when Cam Smith revealed his grandmother’s health battle and her brave deeds to be there alongside him for his third Australian PGA title.
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An emotional Cam Smith fought back tears after revealing how his grandmother’s chemotherapy battle had inspired him to his third Australian PGA title.
Smith choked up and momentarily fell silent at the presentation of his three-shot win at Royal Queensland when he revealed how his grandmother Carol’s courage had driven him to his fifth win of the year.
“A special mention to my nan,’’ Smith said at the presentation before falling silent for several seconds before continuing with a quivering voice.
“We had some good news the other day after she had two rounds of chemotherapy and ended up walking 18 holes all four days.’’
The news brought a stirring round of applause and Smith explained later that his grandmother’s plight and the fact that Sunday was his father Des’ birthday were twin inspirations for his robust victory.
“I can’t believe she did it,” Smith said.
“Everyone at the start of the week was telling her to pace herself, and she was out there all day every day, so it was pretty amazing, and definitely inspiring.
“It was also my dad’s birthday today so after I got back to a tie for the lead there after (hole) 11, I really wanted to do it for those two.”
Smith clinched his third Australian PGA title after surviving a mid-round scare and two inclement weather delays on a stormy Sunday.
The event’s star billing, world No.3 and proud Queenslander Smith lived up to the hype to finish at 14-under, three strokes ahead of fellow Australian Jason Scrivener and Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune.
Smith’s final round of three-under 68 included four birdies and a bogey on the par-three 11th that dropped him back level with Scrivener (67) and Hisatsune (65).
However, the reigning British Open champion then lifted with successive birdies on the 12th and 13th hole to re-establish his dominance.
Mixed in were two delays — one for surrounding lightning and the other for heavy rain — that threatened to push the tournament’s finish back to Monday.
However, after returning to action for a second time at 4.05pm Queensland time, the remaining players were able to complete their rounds, with Smith lifting the Joe Kirkwood Cup for a third time after also winning the event in 2017 and 2018 when it was played at Royal Pines.
“It’s awesome,” Smith said.
“I really didn’t think I had it in me this week. The start of the week was a little bit scratchy and the game just got better and better as the week went on, other than the front nine today.”
Smith admitted to feeling frustrated by Sunday’s two stoppages for bad weather.
“You’re in the mojo there a little bit and for it to be stopped not once but twice is a little bit frustrating but I just held on to it and played really solid those last eight holes.”
Scrivener’s brave bid for victory came to an end on the par-three 17th, better known as the ‘party hole’.
However, there were nobody cheering when Scrivener double-bogeyed the hole.
Scrivener’s fellow West Australian Min Woo Lee was the next best of the Australians, finishing at nine-under after a final-round 69. Also finishing at nine-under was Englishman John Parry, who had a final round of 65.
David Micheluzzi was next best at eight-under after shooting 69 on Sunday/
Four players — Greg Chalmers, Cameron Davis, Sam Brazel and Takumi Kanaya – finished on seven under.
How King Cam will spark a golf revolution
Cameron Smith’s rise to the top of the world contains the hidden hint for golf it’s time to undo its top button.
Smith is the working class hero Australian golf has been searching for and unable to find for decades.
Quite frankly, Smith’s effort to win the Australian PGA in a week in which he was pulled in more directions than Santa Claus on Christmas Day was remarkable.
Hundreds of selfies, countless autographs, the Greg Norman medal night, the keys to the city, a prerecorded victory speech for the Queensland Sports Star of the Year, thunder, lightning, wind and rain …
He had everything bar the kitchen sink thrown at him to sign, smile at or talk to — but nothing could stop him.
By the end of the final day, after two rain delays kept Smith toiling away until near dusk, he looked ready for a cold beer and a warm pillow. Somehow, before 10,000 fans, he got there. Amazing.
Smith’s magic wand — again — was his mesmeric short game, whether it be chipping over a tree to a metre from the flag on 12 or sinking any number of testing putts.
Smith is the star signing of Norman’s controversial LIV golf who have shaken the establishment with some very non-golfing moves such as skydivers and loud music on course.
To some it’s over the top but the concept of the party hole again worked well at the PGA at Royal Queensland’s 17th hole, where fans had lively interaction with players. It gave officials a snapshot of the pulse golf needs to harness if it wants a younger more vibrant audience.
The players seemed enlivened by it. Min Woo Lee said it was “one of the top three moments in my life’’ to hear “people screaming my name for two or three minutes’’ on that hole.
Love Cam Smith, bloody legend pic.twitter.com/n4qQjg9P4k
— Simon (@Knight_Ryders) November 27, 2022
Smith was playfully heckled by his former schoolmates but enjoyed the banter and feels there should be more of it.
“I think people enjoy it — it’s much better than sitting there in silence and clapping every five minutes,’’ he told News Corp of the party vibe at LIV.
The challenge for traditional golf is to move towards more fan engagement.
Every major winner brings their own charm but Smith’s down to earth love of pies, cars, rugby league and his state’s home brew will connect the sport to a market it has often underestimated.
The closest major winner in style to Smith is Wayne Grady who won the PGA Championship in 1991 and celebrated by saying “you bloody Bewdy.’’
When man-of-the-people Grady won, the celebrations stretched all the way to a Banyo bakery in north Brisbane where he used to order two pies and an iced coffee every morning.
There was a feeling that Grady reconnected the game with a working class following which don’t naturally watch it.
The prospect of Smith becoming a regular Australian tourist to play and live here part time is a blessing for the game for it’s always hard to lure the big boys home.
Jason Day started his golfing life with a seven iron his father found at a dump and he went on to be the game’s No. 1 ranked player. It’s a great story but Australia does not see much of him.
As great as Greg Norman was and as loyal as he was to the Australian golf scene, there was also a feeling he was more of a citizen of the world than Australia where he left long ago.
Smith has that local hero feel about him, not simply to Queensland but Australia.
It’s a rare quality and Australian golf officials are hoping he takes an entirely new generation of fans along his journey.
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