The origins of Aussie golf phenom Elvis Smylie’s rock star name - and his journey to the Australian PGA title

Elvis Smylie, the son of tennis royalty lived up to his rock star name, trumping Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman to win the Australian PGA. But the origin of his famous name - and his journey to PGA winner - is a story in itself.

Elvis Smylie (R) celebrates winning the Australian PGA Championship. Picture: Patrick Hamilton/AFP

A man goes to an Elvis Presley concert with John McEnroe in 1976 …

Right now, it could be the start of one of those choose your own adventure books, or maybe choose your own misadventure.

“He’s also broken into Graceland, but that’s another story,” laughs Liz Smylie, whose husband Peter was the man who accompanied McEnroe to that famous concert (it’s unclear whether McEnroe was part of the crew which breached Graceland’s security).

But that concert night was when a fascination with the entertainer was born.

Almost 50 years later, the son of Peter and Liz Smylie, a tennis grand slam doubles champion and boasting the pearly whites which fronted those Extra ads, is now making a huge name for himself.

On a day when Elvis Smylie outduelled former world No.2 Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman to win the Australian PGA at Royal Queensland, Liz did her best to deflect the attention to her son.

But it’s hard not to think how the family’s remarkable sporting pedigree started.

“When I found out we were having a boy – he’s got two sisters – they patted my belly and said, ‘Elvis is in the building’,” Liz recalled. “When he was born, we said to the girls, ‘what are we going to call him?’ They said, ‘he’s already called Elvis’.”

Elvis Smylie (R) celebrates winning the Australian PGA Championship. Picture: Patrick Hamilton/AFP

Perhaps Smylie, 22, was born to be an entertainer – literally.

On a day when most expected the more experienced Smith to outgun his rivals, Smylie took centre stage, charging to a two-shot win and his breakthrough professional victory ... at the expense of the man whose scholarship he won five years ago.

“We went out with a goal of matching Cameron early,” Smylie’s coach Ritchie Smith said. “We knew he would come out early and we knew that he wouldn’t like being matched by a younger player. It sort of all went to script really.

“Both are great tournament leaders and frontrunners. It’s funny you have such confidence in a young player playing against an ex-world No.2. I think he’s got something pretty special.”

Sunday marked one year to the day since Smylie started working with Ritchie Smith, the Perth-based guru who also guides the careers of the Lee siblings, Minjee and Min Woo, and major winner Hannah Green.

Elvis Smylie of Australia (C) with parents Peter (L) and Liz (R). Picture: Patrick Hamilton/AFP

Instead of coaches pursuing golfers, golfers pursue Ritchie Smith.

Fearing his career, even though young, was stagnating, Smylie asked a member of his team last year to sound out Ritchie Smith to take him on.

“No, I’m not interested,” Smith said.

He feared he already had too much on his plate.

“But I thought about it, I thought about how he trains, I thought about the person,” Smith said. “I interviewed everyone in his team about the person he is and after about a month of thinking about it, I thought, ‘yep, let’s do it’. I interviewed him about two to three times, too.”

So, what convinced him to change his mind?

“Work ethic, honesty,” he said. “A few things I really respect. The ability to deal with criticism and the ability to deal with difficulty. I think he shows all of those characteristics. Today was an example of that resilience.”

Cam Smith congratulates Elvis Smylie (L). Picture: Patrick Hamilton/AFP

While Liz tried to fight back the emotion behind the 18th green, her phone rang. It was tennis great Pam Shriver. The calls kept coming.

Smylie and Shriver racked up hundreds of wins in remarkable careers either side of the net, but golfers do well to win once a year. Only their inner circle see the mental torment.

“I know the ups and downs,” Liz said.

“And we’re unbelievably lucky to have Cam in this country. It’s not just lip service to Cam. He’s committed to Australian golf and always has been. He understands what it means to see something and it becomes tangible. It’s continued ever since. Cam always puts his arm around [Elvis].

“I know what it was like because I had Evonne [Goolagong Cawley]. She was my hero and she came to Perth in the first year after she won Wimbledon in 1971. I was eight. I had a hit and she gave me a tennis racquet. Since then, I thought, ‘I want to win there’. There’s a bond created. Cam gets it.”

Originally published as The origins of Aussie golf phenom Elvis Smylie’s rock star name - and his journey to the Australian PGA title