PONTE VEDRA, Florida – Cameron Smith lined up a 25-foot birdie putt at TPC Sawgrass’ 18th green on a balmy Wednesday afternoon. The putt had two feet of left-to-right break and was slightly downhill; a tricky putt for a right-hander.
“This is going to break ‘Pinna’s’ heart when I hole this,” Smith said with a smirk, referring to a bet his long-time caddie, Sam Pinfold, made on the previous hole that his boss couldn’t birdie the last hole of this practice round at the Players Championship.
Smith, the 12th best butter on PGA Tour, stepped up and drained the putt in the centre of the cup.
He smiled and looked at Pinfold. “Add that to the tally,” Smith said of the pair’s rolling scoreboard of on-course bets.
The $100 is obviously insignificant for a player who has earned almost $US20 million ($A27 million) already in his career (on the PGA Tour alone). But it’s not about money for Smith; it’s about competition and even a practice round bet means a lot to the Brisbane product.
On Wednesday, world No.10 Smith appeared like a player who knows the Players – considered golf’s unofficial fifth Major – is the start of a serious, five-month stretch of golf. There are 46 of the world’s top 50 golfers in the field this week, while the $US20 million prize purse ($US3.6 million for the winner) is the largest in golf’s history.
“This is our biggest tournament of the year so far; from here there’s a Major championship every month and big tournaments in between,” Smith, one of seven Australians at the Players, told Australian Golf Digest on Wednesday.
“So it’s head down, bum up this year. The Players Championship is a good kick-starter because there are lots of top players and the course is great, so it gets you in the right mindset before the Masters next month.”
The Players Championship also comes at a perfect time for Smith, who is looking to fire back up after the comedown of his stunning victory two months ago at the elite Tournament of Champions on Maui.
“Yeah, we gave it a pretty good nudge in Hawaii,” Smith said with a laugh about his celebrations. “The next week’s result (missed cut at the Sony Open) probably reflected that. We had a good group of lads and good friends there.”
Smith’s results have been decent since then; a tie for fourth at the Saudi International and a share of 33rd at Riviera Country Club last month.
But now it’s time for Smith – who owns three top-five results at the Majors – to set his sights on a second victory for 2022.
If that is to be this week, Ponte Vedra resident Smith will have to overcome a run of poor results at TPC Sawgrass – where he practices daily when not on Tour.
Smith’s best finish at the Players was a tie for 56th – and there were missed cuts in his first two Players – until he shared 17th place at last year’s event.
He averages over par for the first two rounds of the Players but when he makes it to the weekend he steps up, averaging 69 in third rounds and half a stroke under par in final rounds.
“I thought originally it would be an advantage for me to live in this area when it came to the Players Championship, but the golf course plays so differently through the year,” he said.
“Playing here regularly probably is a disadvantage for the Players Championship; the course is a lot slower and you have to make a big adjustment come Players week.
“For that reason, now I really only the play the course when mates or family come over from Australia for a hit and giggle.
“I mainly just practice at TPC Sawgrass on the range and short game areas. There are a few PGA Tour players based here at Sawgrass. Billy Horschel, Doc Redman Sam Ryder and Lanto Griffin are the guys I hit balls with and we have a good group.”
But Smith feels ready to contend at the 2022 Players – his sixth start at TPC Sawgrass – given he’s now a four-time PGA Tour winner and ranked within the best 10 golfers in the world.
“I feel really confident in my game; it feels as good as it ever has. I know my history around here isn’t great, but hopefully we can change it,” he said.
Smith is in a big-name group with reigning Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama and Joaquin Niemann for the first two rounds, off at 7.40am local time.
Adam Scott, the 2004 Players winner, has also been given a marquee grouping for the first two rounds alongside 2008 Players winner Sergio Garcia and former British Open winner Louis Oosthuizen.
TEE TIMES (AEST)
Matt Jones: 11.29pm (Thursday AEST); Scott (off 10th tee)
Cam Smith: 11.40pm
Jason Day: 4.23am (Friday AEST)
Cam Davis 4.34am
Lucas Herbert: 4.56am
Marc Leishman: 5.18am
BETTING
Favourite: Justin Thomas ($18 via BlueBet.com.au)
With an average 5.26 for birdies-or-better per round at TPC Sawgrass, the 2021 Players winner Thomas knows how to go low at the Players. No golfer has ever successfully defended the Players Championship, but Thomas could be the one to break the record. He ranks second in strokes gained tee-to-green per round and sixth in strokes gained approach per round here in that same span.The former world No.1’s sixth placing at Riviera last month is among eight consecutive top 20 results around the world.
Underrated: Rory McIlroy ($20)
The conditions are ripe for McIlroy’s booming drives and towering long irons. Soft conditions and rain forecast for the week are very similar to when the Northern Irishman won at TPC Sawgrass in 2019. Although McIlroy finished T13 last week and faded on the weekend at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the course was brutal and he showed promise by leading after round one.
Consider: Talor Gooch ($67)
I’m predicting Gooch to bounce back from a disappointing Sunday at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, which he co-led after 54 holes only to finished tied seventh. Gooch was also tied for fifth at last year’s Players Championship/
It was a tough Sunday for the 54-hole co-leader of the API, but he prefers it that way and he’ll be stronger as a result. Among the best tee to green. T5 in tame conditions here last year.
Top Aussie: Cam Smith ($34)
Smith has had a red-hot start to 2022, with a win on Maui and a tie for fourth at the Saudi International. In practice rounds this week at TPC Sawgrass, he has looked razor sharp with the irons and with the putter. His body language looks upbeat and ready to overturn a poor record at the Players Championship, which he began to do with a tie for 17th at last year’s event.
Dark horse: Adam Scott ($41)
Two reasons why 41-year-old Adam Scott should not be overlooked: he’s a past winner at TPC Sawgrass (2004) and he is in form. Scott owns six top 20s at the Players since 2012. His results overall this year read: T10 and T9 in the Middle East swing of the European Tour before T38, T4 and T26 in his three events in the US so far. A very solid bet.
