Australian Open: Cameron Smith is ready to bounce back as he sets his sights on the Stonehaven Cup

Cameron Smith believes he may be only one good swing away from finding his best form and has looked to one of Rugby’s greatest for inspiration on fighting through adversity.

Cameron Smith reckons golf is a silly game. Silly enough, perhaps, that he could turn around one of the worst weeks of his professional career and win the Australian Open.

Smith was reduced to tears after missing the cut at the Australian PGA and on Wednesday he fronted the media for the first time since that bitter disappointment and spoke about rebuilding his confidence, competing again and potentially getting his hands on the Stonehaven Cup.

Smith had only just spent five hours playing the pro-am alongside All Blacks legend Richie McCaw, a man who knew a thing of two about winning. The hope is that some of his magic dust found its way into Smith’s golf bag.

“It is amazing how athletes, really solid athletes, can manage to play all different kinds of sports,” Smith said of McCaw.

“I could see him playing cricket well, I could see him playing everything well. Although he didn’t have the best action, he still hit a lot of great shots, which I think is a really good trait of a really good athlete.”

Cameron Smith and Richie McCaw played together in the pro-am. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

Smith has a few of them himself, although they went AWOL a week ago as his game fell apart at Royal Queensland.

The pressure of playing in front of family and friends took a toll after a long year and he arrived at The Australian Golf Club this week intent on atoning for that aberration.

Smith knows better than most that you’re only one swing away from finding your best form.

“Yeah, it was a very frustrating week,” he said.

“The game didn’t feel good. It was pretty upsetting to play like that at home, not only in Australia but in my hometown.

“I had lots of friends and family there that were hoping for another good week but it wasn’t to be.

“I guess it’s easy to lose confidence with rounds like that but I’ve been playing pretty good golf the last seven or eight months and it’s easy to look at it as just another round, but at the same time, it hurts the confidence a little bit.

“Like I said, just got to get back to what I know and what I know I can do. The old saying of one swing can change a round.

“I think over the weekend it’s changed how I felt about my game. I’m looking forward to it.”

His playing opponents haven’t been fooled. Adam Scott played a practice round with Smith on Tuesday and his performance at the PGA didn’t rate a mention in the four hours they spent together.

Smith had one of the worst showings of his career at the Aussie PGA. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

“I played with him yesterday but I didn’t really speak with him about how he played last week,” Scott said.

“No doubt there was disappointment but this happens unfortunately in golf and his self-pride will make him turn it around.

“He’s too good a player to accept that and no doubt he’ll be looking to kind of redeem himself this week and I’d be surprised if he’s not contending come the weekend.

“I think there’s nothing to read into a couple of bad rounds of golf for Cam Smith at this point.”

Smith clearly agrees. He will play the first two rounds of the Open alongside Min Woo Lee, starting on Thursday at The Lakes – the tournament will also be played at The Australian – and reckons his game is in shape to contend.

“I think like I said before, I’ve done the work now, over the last four or five days,” he said.

“The game’s feeling better than it did last week. I just need to go out there tomorrow and really commit to what I’m doing.

“It’s easy to break back into those habits, so going out there, committing and hitting a few good shots, I think that confidence will build as the week goes on.

“I wouldn’t say my confidence is at 100 per cent, but like I said, there’s no reason I can’t go out there and be competitive.

“It only takes a few good shots and a few good feels and all of a sudden you’re looking at yourself at the top of the leaderboard.”