Cameron Smith adds another career-defining year with victory at the 2022 Australian PGA Championship
When looking back at the world of wild golf in 2022, you would be hard pressed to tell the story without Cameron Smith. In addition to what has been identified as a career-defining year both on and off the course, Smith won the 2022 Australian PGA Championship — the third tournament of his career — at Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane, Australia.
Playing at his hometown’s PGA Championship for the first time in three years, the world No. 3 weathered the weather, stress and countrymen to his fifth win of the year. Beating Jason Scrivener and Ryo Hisatsune of Japan, Smith finished with a 72-hole total of 14 under 270 to win by three shots.
“That’s great, man,” Smith said. “Honestly, I really don’t think I’ve got it this week. The start of the week was a bit rough. The game just got better and better the next week, except for the first nine today. “
Smith’s game is getting “better” not just this week, but all year long. Heading into 2022 with three wins worldwide in his name and only one of them on the PGA Tour, the Australian has broken what many believe is his ceiling and continues to do so. so.
The duel with Jon Rahm kicked off Smith’s 2022 at the Tournament of Champions in Kapalua. Needing to set a PGA Tour scoring record, Smith went under 34 in the week to overtake the then world No. Reaching the finish line on a limited field of only 38 opponents, it really wasn’t until the spring when the conversation around Smith began to shift from “He’s a pretty good player” to “He’s one of the best.” the best in the world.”
A weather-beaten Players Championship has seen many of the world’s best games come to an end as a brutal system unfolds in the Jacksonville area the week of the “big five”. With a bit of tee time luck when the tournament started, Smith turned this golden opportunity into a golden moment with 10 birdies in the final round at TPC Sawgrass.
Featured with his wedge hit on the famous 17th par-3 green island, Smith’s bold move on the 71st hole of the championship gave him his biggest win to date. The same words will be uttered just four months later as the return of the ages takes place at the oldest major championship in the game.
Five consecutive birdies and a nine-point 30-point reverse put Smith ahead of crowd favorite Rory McIlroy on the final day of the 150th Open. Refueling throughout the third round, Smith restarted in the opening day of the 150th Open. Sunday and leaned on his trusty putter on one last stroll around the Old Court in St. Andrews.
Boasting 25 hits a week, an unlikely up-and-down hit from behind the roadside bunker on the 71st hole helped Smith win his first major championship and the title of “Golf Player”. champion of the year”. The celebration, beer from the Claret Jug and plaudits followed, but not before a moment of raised eyebrows at the winners’ press conference.
“I just won the British Open and you’re asking about that? I don’t think it’s good,” Smith said when asked about the possibility of a move to LIV Golf.
With rumors swirling, growing increasingly intense, and seemingly coming to life in real time, Smith was once again bombarded with questions ahead of the FedEx Cup Qualifiers. Skipping interrogation in a way only a man with a mullet can do, the 29-year-old eventually opted to join the PGA Tour opponent after completing the Tour Championship.
“It feels like I haven’t slept in months,” he told the newspaper. Sydney Morning Newspaper. “I couldn’t stop thinking, ‘what would other people think?’ That’s really an important factor for me. I feel like I do almost everything according to the book and to be one of those people who have to walk… it’s been really hard for me.”
Smith’s decision worked almost immediately. Losing a stroke before the playoffs on his debut at LIV Golf Boston, Smith corrected two weeks later with a win at LIV Golf Chicago. Ending his first LIV campaign with a 7 under 65 at Trump National Doral, Smith single-handedly led his Punch GC team to one of the LIV Golf Team Championships.
Fast-forward to the present day, and Smith will have no problem sleeping after his win at the 2022 Australian PGA Championship. Adding to what has been a memorable year, but in the same eerie sense, Smith has now racked up five wins in five different time zones on three different continents on three different tours.
While McIlroy will enter the new year as world No. 1 and winner of season-long races on both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, it’s actually Smith who gets the attention, think the most. provocative player 2022.
Having won two of the biggest awards in golf, the subject of controversy, and a champion back home, Smith will move on. While the path may be less traveled by people moving forward, it’s been nothing more and less and the one that helped shape Smith’s world-class year.
