Cameron Smith (golfer)

Cameron Smith (born 18 August 1993) is an Australian professional golfer who currently plays on the LIV Golf League. He won the 2022 Open Championship, and has won five other tournaments on the PGA Tour, including the 2022 Players Championship.

Cameron Smith
Smith at the 2017 Emirates Australian Open
Personal information
Born (1993-08-18) 18 August 1993
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight172 lb (78 kg)
Sporting nationality Australia
ResidenceJacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Career
Turned professional2013
Current tour(s)PGA Tour of Australasia
LIV Golf
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Asian Tour
Professional wins12
Highest ranking2 (17 July 2022)[1]
(as of 22 October 2023)
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour6
European Tour4
PGA Tour of Australasia3
LIV Golf3
Best results in major championships
(wins: 1)
Masters TournamentT2: 2020
PGA ChampionshipT9: 2023
U.S. Open4th/T4: 2015, 2023
The Open ChampionshipWon: 2022
Achievements and awards
Asian Tour
Rookie of the Year		2014
PGA Player of the Year2022

Early life

Smith was born in Brisbane, Queensland,[2] and grew up in the northern suburb of Bray Park where he attended Pine Rivers State High School throughout his upbringing.[3] As a two-year-old, Smith began playing at Wantima Country Club,[4] a small golf course in the northern suburb of Brisbane[5] while his father Des worked as a printer[6] and was a club captain at the club.[4] Smith's mother, Sharon, worked at the local department store.[6] Smith has a sister, Mel.[7]

Professional career

Smith turned professional in 2013[8] and played on the PGA Tour of Australasia. He was tied for second at the 2015 Coca-Cola Queensland PGA Championship and at the 2016 Emirates Australian Open.

2014

Smith played on the Asian Tour in 2014, finishing in the top-10 seven times and finishing 5th on the Order of Merit. His best finish was tied for second at the 2014 CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters. Smith's first PGA Tour event was the CIMB Classic in October 2014, which was a co-sanctioned event with the Asian Tour; he tied for 5th.

2015

In April, Smith tied for 15th in the RBC Heritage, playing on a sponsor's exemption. After qualifying for the 2015 U.S. Open, his top-4 finish earned him an invitation to the 2016 Masters Tournament.[9] The finish also earned Smith Special Temporary Membership on the PGA Tour for the remainder of the 2015 season.[10] Smith earned his 2015–16 PGA Tour card by earning enough as a non-member to have been in the top 125 on the money list: his best three events would have been sufficient.[11]

2016

In 2016 Smith finished 157th in the FedEx points list. His performance in the Web.com Tour Finals, where he was runner-up in the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship, allowed him to return to the PGA Tour for 2017.

2017

In May, Smith, partnered with Jonas Blixt, won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the first team event on the PGA Tour since 1981. The pair did not make a bogey during the tournament and defeated Scott Brown and Kevin Kisner in a playoff. It was Smith's first career PGA Tour win.[12] He had two top-10 finishes on the 2017 PGA Tour, tying for 6th place at the Valero Texas Open and for 7th at the Wyndham Championship and finished 46th in the FedEx Cup standings. He started the new PGA Tour season by tying for 5th place in the CIMB Classic in Malaysia and finishing 3rd in the CJ Cup in South Korea in late 2017. Smith continued his good form by finishing 4th in the Emirates Australian Open and then winning the Australian PGA Championship the following week, beating Jordan Zunic in a playoff.[13]

2018

In December, Smith defended his title at the Australian PGA Championship, winning by two strokes over Marc Leishman.[14]

2019

In December, Smith played on the International team at the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia. The U.S. team won 16–14. Smith went 1–1–1 including a win in his Sunday singles match against Justin Thomas.[15]

2020

In January, Smith won the Sony Open in Hawaii in a playoff over Brendan Steele; his first individual victory on the PGA Tour.[16]

In finishing tied for runner-up to Dustin Johnson at the 2020 Masters in November, Smith became the first golfer in Masters history to shoot four rounds in the 60s (67-68-69-69).[17]

2021

In April, Smith won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for the second time. This time he was partnered with fellow countryman Marc Leishman. The duo won in a playoff over Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel.[18]

Smith qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and competed in the men's competition in July/August 2021. He scored −14 across the four rounds and finished tenth. In spite of shooting 66 in the third and fourth rounds, he was still out of medal contention.[19]

2022: Players and Open Championship victories

In January, Smith won the 2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua Resort on Maui, Hawaii. Smith shot a PGA Tour record of 34 under par winning by one stroke over world number one Jon Rahm. 34 under par beat the previous mark of 31 under par set by Ernie Els at the same tournament in 2003.[20] In March, Smith won The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, becoming the fifth Australian to win the tournament; having hit his second shot on the final hole into the water, Smith managed to get up and down to make a bogey and finish one stroke ahead of Anirban Lahiri.[21]

In July, Smith won his first major championship at the 150th Open Championship, played at the Old Course at St Andrews. He shot a final-round 64 to come from four strokes off the lead and finish one shot ahead of Cameron Young and two ahead of joint third round leader Rory McIlroy.[22] During the FedEx Cup Playoffs in August, he struggled with a hip injury, and did not play in the second event, the BMW Championship.[23] At the end of the PGA Tour season, he won the PGA Player of the Year award.[24] In November, Smith won the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship for the third time.[25]

Joining LIV Golf
Cameron Smith at his LIV Golf introductory press conference with Marc Leishman, August 2022

At the end of August, following the Tour Championship, it was announced that Smith had joined LIV Golf.[26] The move had been speculated since The Open, with him repeatedly declining to confirm or deny the rumours.[23][27][28]

Smith finished in a tie for 4th in his first LIV start in Boston, with Dustin Johnson winning the 3-man playoff.[29] He won in his second start, scoring rounds of 66, 68 and 69 to finish on 13-under par to win by three shots ahead of previous winner Dustin Johnson and Peter Uihlein. Smith won over $5 million from his first 4 starts on LIV Golf.[30]

Amateur wins

Professional wins (12)

PGA Tour wins (6)
Legend
Major championships (1)
Players Championships (1)
Other PGA Tour (4)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
1 1 May 2017 Zurich Classic of New Orleans
(with Sweden Jonas Blixt)		 −27 (67-62-68-64=261) Playoff United States Scott Brown and United States Kevin Kisner
2 12 Jan 2020 Sony Open in Hawaii −11 (70-65-66-68=269) Playoff United States Brendan Steele
3 25 Apr 2021 Zurich Classic of New Orleans (2)
(with Australia Marc Leishman)		 −20 (63-72-63-70=268) Playoff South Africa Louis Oosthuizen and South Africa Charl Schwartzel
4 9 Jan 2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions −34 (65-64-64-65=258) 1 stroke Spain Jon Rahm
5 14 Mar 2022 The Players Championship −13 (69-71-69-66=275) 1 stroke India Anirban Lahiri
6 17 Jul 2022 The Open Championship −20 (67-64-73-64=268) 1 stroke United States Cameron Young

PGA Tour playoff record (3–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 2017 Zurich Classic of New Orleans
(with Sweden Jonas Blixt)		 United States Scott Brown and United States Kevin Kisner Won with birdie on fourth extra hole
2 2020 Sony Open in Hawaii United States Brendan Steele Won with par on first extra hole
3 2021 Zurich Classic of New Orleans
(with Australia Marc Leishman)		 South Africa Louis Oosthuizen and South Africa Charl Schwartzel Won with par on first extra hole
4 2021 The Northern Trust United States Tony Finau Lost to par on first extra hole

European Tour wins (4)
Legend
Major championships (1)
Other European Tour (3)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 3 Dec 2017
(2018 season)		 Australian PGA Championship1 −18 (68-67-67-68=270) Playoff Australia Jordan Zunic
2 2 Dec 2018
(2019 season)		 Australian PGA Championship1 (2) −16 (70-65-67-70=272) 2 strokes Australia Marc Leishman
3 17 Jul 2022 The Open Championship −20 (67-64-73-64=268) 1 stroke United States Cameron Young
4 27 Nov 2022
(2023 season)		 Fortinet Australian PGA Championship1 (3) −14 (68-65-69-68=270) 3 strokes Japan Ryo Hisatsune, Australia Jason Scrivener

1Co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia

European Tour playoff record (1–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 2017 Australian PGA Championship Australia Jordan Zunic Won with par on second extra hole

PGA Tour of Australasia wins (3)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 3 Dec 2017 Australian PGA Championship1 −18 (68-67-67-68=270) Playoff Australia Jordan Zunic
2 2 Dec 2018 Australian PGA Championship1 (2) −16 (70-65-67-70=272) 2 strokes Australia Marc Leishman
3 27 Nov 2022 Fortinet Australian PGA Championship1 (3) −14 (68-65-69-68=270) 3 strokes Japan Ryo Hisatsune, Australia Jason Scrivener

1Co-sanctioned by the European Tour

PGA Tour of Australasia playoff record (1–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 2016 Emirates Australian Open Australia Ashley Hall, United States Jordan Spieth Spieth won with birdie on first extra hole
2 2017 Australian PGA Championship Australia Jordan Zunic Won with par on second extra hole

LIV Golf League wins (3)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
1 18 Sep 2022 LIV Golf Invitational Chicago −13 (66-68-69=203) 3 strokes United States Dustin Johnson, United States Peter Uihlein
2 9 Jul 2023 LIV Golf London1 −15 (63-67-68=198) 1 stroke Australia Marc Leishman, United States Patrick Reed
3 13 Aug 2023 LIV Golf Bedminster1 −12 (66-67-68=201) 7 strokes India Anirban Lahiri

1Co-sanctioned by the MENA Tour

LIV Golf League playoff record (0–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentsResult
1 2023 LIV Golf Tulsa South Africa Branden Grace, United States Dustin Johnson Johnson won with birdie on first extra hole

Major championships

Wins (1)
YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner-up
2022The Open Championship4 shot deficit−20 (67-64-73-64=268)1 strokeUnited States Cameron Young

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order in 2020.

Tournament 2015201620172018
Masters Tournament T55 T5
U.S. Open T4 T59 CUT
The Open Championship CUT 78
PGA Championship T25 CUT T56
Tournament 20192020202120222023
Masters Tournament T51 T2 T10 T3 T34
PGA Championship T64 T43 T59 T13 T9
U.S. Open T72 T38 CUT CUT 4
The Open Championship T20 NT T33 1 T33
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

Summary
TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament01134477
PGA Championship00001387
U.S. Open00022285
The Open Championship10011265
Totals11168112924
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 11 (2018 Open – 2021 PGA)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (twice)

The Players Championship

Wins (1)
YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner-up
2022The Players Championship2 shot deficit−13 (69-71-69-66=275)1 strokeIndia Anirban Lahiri

Results timeline
Tournament 201720182019202020212022
The Players Championship CUT CUT T56 C T17 1
  Win

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
C = Cancelled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Results in World Golf Championships
Tournament2015201620172018201920202021
Championship T6 T22 T11
Match Play QF T61 NT1 T28
Invitational 23 T12 T59 T5
Champions T64 T54 T60 NT1 NT1

1Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic

  Top 10
  Did not play

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
NT = No tournament
"T" = Tied

Team appearances

Amateur

Professional

Recognition

See also

References
  1. "Week 29 2022 Ending 17 Jul 2022" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  2. Tremlett, Sam (16 March 2022). "15 Things You Didn't Know About Cameron Smith". Golf Monthly. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  3. Tucker, Jim (6 April 2016). "Bray Park golfer Cameron Smith will put two-day 'recce' to test at world famous Augusta National". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  4. Cleary, Matt (18 July 2022). "Cameron Smith is Australia's newest major champion and golf's everyman". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  5. Bilton, Dean (17 July 2022). "Cameron Smith's road to Open triumph a story of one fearless Queenslander whose humble beginnings made a champion". ABC. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  6. Brown, Oliver (15 July 2022). "Meet the man behind the mullet – Open leader Cameron Smith shows he can do it his own way". The Telegraph. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  7. Pengilly, Adam (18 July 2022). "The PVC pipe that started Cameron Smith on the path to superstardom". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  8. "Smith makes his Aussie debut at the QLD Open". PGA of Australia. 21 August 2013. Archived from the original on 21 August 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  9. "Australian golfer Cameron Smith fires early at Pebble Beach". The Sydney Morning Herald. 12 February 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  10. Gray, Will (22 June 2015). "Smith (T-4): Temporary membership, Masters invite". Golf Channel. Archived from the original on 23 June 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  11. "Cameron Smith – Profile". PGA Tour. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  12. "Cameron Smith-Jonas Blixt team wins Zurich Classic in a playoff". ESPN. Associated Press. 1 May 2017.
  13. Randleman, Mike (3 December 2017). "Cameron Smith wins Australian PGA Championship". Pro Golf Now. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  14. "Cameron Smith defends Australian PGA Championship title by two strokes". ESPN. 2 December 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  15. Dusek, David (15 December 2019). "Presidents Cup grades: Captains, Royal Melbourne score high marks". Golfweek.
  16. "Australia fires: Cameron Smith dedicates Sony Open win to homeland". BBC Sport. 13 January 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  17. Wacker, Brian (15 November 2020). "Masters 2020: Cameron Smith makes Augusta history and still doesn't get a green jacket". Golf Digest. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  18. "Australian duo Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman win Zurich Classic in playoff". ESPN. Associated Press. 25 April 2021.
  19. "Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo 2021". The Roar. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  20. "Cameron Smith (34 under) sets PGA Tour record, outlasts Jon Rahm at Sentry Tournament of Champions". ESPN. Associated Press. 9 January 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  21. "Aussie Cam Smith seals 'wild' $5m Players Championship win after 'rollercoaster ride'". Fox Sports. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  22. Livie, Alex (17 July 2022). "Open Championship 2022: Cameron Smith reels in Rory McIlroy to win Claret Jug and eclipse Tiger Woods record". Eurosport. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  23. Beall, Joel; Priest, Evin (15 August 2022). "Cameron Smith WDs from BMW Championship, citing hip injury". Golf Digest. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  24. "Cameron Smith Captures PGA of America Player of the Year Award & Rory McIlroy Wins Vardon Trophy". PGA of America. 29 August 2022.
  25. "British Open champion Cameron Smith wins 3rd Australian PGA". Associated Press. 27 November 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  26. Lavner, Ryan (31 August 2022). "Cameron Smith outlines reasons why he left Tour for LIV Golf". Golf Channel. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  27. Heath, Elliott (17 July 2022). "Cameron Smith Fails To Deny LIV Golf Rumours". Golf Monthly. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  28. "LIV Golf: Cameron Smith and Joaquin Niemann join Saudi Arabian-funded series". BBC Sport. 30 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  29. "Cameron Smith finishes fourth on LIV Golf debut but still pockets over $1m". The Guardian. 5 September 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  30. Jerram, Rob (17 October 2022). "LIV Golf prize money: How much every player has earned so far". Today's Golfer. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  31. Powter, Anthony (16 April 2011). "Cameron Smith double Aussie titles". iseekgolf.com. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  32. "2012 Australian Men's Amateur Championship" (PDF). Golf Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 March 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  33. "Smith and Lee crowned Amateur champions". Golf Australia. 22 January 2013. Archived from the original on 19 February 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  34. "Cameron Smith comes full circle with Greg Norman Medal win". Australian Golf Media. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  35. "Jessica Stenson and Athletics among big winners at AIS Sport Performance Awards". Australian Sports Commission. 15 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
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