Cameron Smith will play the Australian PGA and Australian Open

Cam Smith partied hard after he won last year’s Australian PGA and the party could resume after his latest announcement.

Cameron Smith won his third Australia PGA last year. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Cameron Smith has put winning a maiden Australian Open at the top of his priority list after confirming he’ll return home at the end of the year for another crack at doing the local double.

Smith, who has won twice on the LIV tour this year and was the main man as thousands lined fairways at the event in Adelaide in April, will defend his Australian PGA title in his native Queensland before chasing his first Australian Open in Sydney.

The major champion struggled to back up his PGA win after moving to Victoria Golf Club for the Australian Open last year as the post-victory celebrations caught up with him and he never contended.

But with three Australian PGA titles already on his resume, Smith is out to avoid a repeat of last year’s weekend fade-out and grab the Stonehaven Cup.

“I‘ve been fortunate to have a few PGAs, haven’t quite got the Open yet so that’s something that I want and I’ll be working hard to get it done,” Smith said of his quest.

“It’s probably number one for things I want to win.

“I’ve been close and I feel like it’s been right there for me a bunch of times and I haven’t really taken advantage of it.

“It’s at a couple of really good golf courses this year - The Australian in particularly I feel really comfortable around that place.

“I’ve also played well around the Lakes but the Australian for me is somewhere where I think I can go out there and make a ton of birdies and hopefully win convincingly, it would be nice.”

Despite his success this year, including two top-10 major finishes, Smith has officially dropped out of the world top 10, falling to 11 on the latest rankings with LIV events still not accumulating ranking points.

But Smith would get points at both events in Australia.

Cameron Smith celebrates victory at the 2022 Australian PGA Championship. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Golf Australia chief executive James Sutherland said Smith’s pursuit of the Australian Open would be “one of the highlights of the summer of sport”.

Smith’s best finish in an Australian Open was when he lost a playoff to Jordan Spieth in 2016.

“Cam Smith is one of the biggest drawcards in world golf and I’m sure Australian golf fans are as delighted as we are that we will see him at both the Australian Open and Australian PGA Championship this year,” he said.

The PGA will be played at Royal Queensland in Brisbane, while the Australian Open will again be a mixed event played at both The Australian Golf Club and The Lakes in Sydney.

“Cam will be trying to join an elite group of golfers by winning the Kirkwood Cup for a fourth time this November and I’m sure he’ll be ready to put on a great show once again at Royal Queensland,” PGA of Australia chief executive Gavin Kirkman said.

“Cam continues to support his home tour each year and the fans just want to see him live and in action showcasing his game while inspiring our next generation of players, girls and boys, to reach their peak.

“With Cam locked in for both fields, the Australian PGA and Australian Open will be must-see events.”

Smith’s LIV teammates Marc Leishman, Matt Jones and 2021 PGA winner Jed Morgan also played in both events last year.

Rising star Min Woo Lee has committed to play and Adam Scott is likely to follow with resurgent jason Day recently declaring he was also interested in a return home for the first time since the 2017 Open.