Cameron Smith had a difficult week. An Aussie, Smith had the worries of the bushfires that had a devastating effect on some of his family members. He also was chasing down Brendan Steele, who seemed in control of the Sony Open in Hawaii after a bunker hole out for birdie on the 11th. But Smith persevered, and when Steele made a big unforced error after Smith hit a wonderful recovery shot on the first hole of a playoff, Smith had his second PGA Tour win and first individual title.
“You just had to hang in there,” Smith said afterwards. “No one was playing good golf today. It’s a big one that I’ve wanted to tick off for a long time.”
Smith got into the playoff by making a nervy eight-foot birdie putt on the final hole. All week, Smith relied on his Scotty Cameron by Titleist TFB 1.5 Teryllium putter, ranking first in strokes gained/putting while picking up more than eight strokes on the field.
Smith also won using Titleist’s Pro V1x ball, a ball he put into play nearly as soon as it became available to tour players. “I put it in straight away at the 2018 Australian Open,” he told Golf Digest last year. “I don’t feel the need to fiddle around. When they come out with a new ball, I’ll always put it straight in. After a couple of tournaments I’m always comfortable in knowing what it will do. I’ve been playing the V1x since I was about 15 years old and never changed.”
As for the impact of his win back home, Smith simply said, “I just hope it brings a little bit of joy to those going through tough times.”
A nice end to a difficult week.
What Cameron Smith had in the bag at the Sony Open in Hawaii
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: Titleist TS2 (UST Elements Platinum 6), 9.5 degrees
3-wood:Titleist TS2, 15 degrees
Irons (3): Titleist U500; (4-9): Titleist T100; (PW): Titleist Vokey SM8
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM8 (52, 56, 60 degrees)
Putter: Scotty Cameron by Titleist TFB 1.5 Teryllium
