Cameron Smith says he will “still be shitting himself” on the first tee on Sunday morning at the Australian PGA Championship despite surging into a three-shot lead 54-hole lead after a gutsy third round at Royal Queensland.
World No. 3 Smith secured the 54-hole lead at 11 under par after a third-round 69 in hot, windy conditions. China’s Yan Wei (70) and Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura (71) Liu are three shot back at eight under. Min Woo Lee Jake McLeod Brad Kennedy and 36-hole leader Jason Scrivener are at seven under.
Although it seems Smith’s final round will be but a formality, given he is the World No.3, reigning British Open Champion and two-time winner of the Australian PGA (2017 and 2018), Smith will still be feeling the butterflies in his stomach.
“I still get nervous,” Smith said. “I think I’ve become better at handling the nerves and playing under the nerve. But I’ll be out there tomorrow s——g myself.”
But Smith is at the top of his game, even after three weeks off from competitive golf, last playing at the LIV Golf finale in Miami in October. He’s shot 68, 65 and 69 in three rounds this week at Royal Queensland.
“Everything’s feeling really good and I’m confident, so I’m really looking forward to [the final round],” he said.
Smith will tee off Sunday Queensland time at 10.50a.m. in a three-ball final group with Kawamura and Liu. But he’s determined to overcome the emotions and add a third Australian PGA title (having won in 2017 and 2018) to his whirlwind 2022. His rise to World No. 3 included a victory at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January, the Players Championship in March, and the Open in July before he left the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf, where he won its Chicago event in September. “It’d be nice; I wouldn’t complain with another one of these (Australian PGA Championships),” Smith said.
Victory for Smith is not a fait accompli, though, especially if you ask the golfers in chase. Min Woo Lee, whose two DP World Tour wins include last year’s Scottish Open, is also relishing the pressure of chasing six-time PGA Tour winner Smith. Lee is tied fourth at seven under and will play in the second-to-last group.
“It will be amazing; that’s why we play golf,” Lee, the younger brother of LPGA Tour star Minjee Lee, said. “[Smith] is a top golfer for a reason. I’m striving to [get to that level]. I want to see if my game matches up with his. If the wind blows like this, it doesn’t matter how good you are, it’s going to be tough [in the final round].”
The stage is set for Smith to cement his legacy as one of Australia’s greatest golfers both internationally and domestically.
