TWO-TIME defending champion Cameron Smith is bidding to create history this week as he seeks a third consecutive Australian PGA Championship title.
The Australian defeated Jordan Zunic in a play-off in 2017, and finished two strokes ahead of Marc Leishman last year.
That back-to-back win set up an historic second title defence at RACV Royal Pines Resort as he bids for a third victory at his national PGA Championship, starting on Thursday.
Not since Dan Soutar won the first three editions of the historic championship, from 1905-1907, has a player won three consecutive Joe Kirkwood Cups.
Twenty-six-year-old Smith is hoping to back up his strong performance for Ernie Els’ International team at last week’s Presidents Cup match against America, with another successful defence on Queensland’s Gold Coast.
The Australian earned one-and-a-half points for the International’s cause, including a victory over Major champion Justin Thomas in the Sunday singles, at Royal Melbourne.
Smith, who hails from Brisbane, some 50 miles north, said: “It’s a little bit more stressful. Last week was a big week on-and-off the golf course, I’m still a little bit tired.
“But I’m sure tomorrow will hype me up and I will be ready to go. I feel pretty confident in my game – it’s probably the best I’ve felt with my iron play all year.
“To do it on such a challenging layout last week, against some of the best players in the world, was good. I can’t wait for this week and I’m feeling good.
“I like the golf course. I play well around here. It’s just such a good week for me off the golf course – lots of family and friends.
“The support is really good throughout the week,” said Smith, who lost a play-off in the Emirates Austrlian Open won by Jordan Spieth, three yearsa go, at Royal Sydney GC.
“Last week was very team orientated, which was great. I love being around a team,” added Smith who played for Australia as an amateur in the 2012 Eisenhower Trophy.
Smith also represented his country at last year’s World Cup, at Melbourne’s Metropolitan Golf Club.
“The team embraced the underdog mentality, but I’ve got a good record around here,” said Smith, who finished fourth at the 2015 US Open, at Chambers Bay.
“I’m feeling really confident with where my game is at.
“As soon as we were done (at the Presidents Cup), Adam (Scott) said he was coming for me this week,” added Smith, whose only win in three seasons on the PGA Tour, came playing alongside Jonas Blixt at the 2017 Zurich Classic of New Orleans pairs event.
“There’s 150 guys this week all wanting the same thing, so it’s going to be tough to get that trophy on Sunday,”
The last player to successfully win a European Tour event in three successive years was Tiger Woods.
The 15-time Major winner won the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational from 2005-07, while Ernie Els was the last player to win a non-Major or WGC event three years running at the Heineken Classic from 2002-4.
Seeking to put a stop to the dominance of Cameron Smith, at the event over the last two years, is his Presidents Cup teammate and compatriot Adam Scott, who won the title in 2013 – the same year as his Masters triumph.
Scott said: “My goal is to bring a similar kind of focus that I had going last week to the golf course and try and get my name on that trophy again.
“I’m feeling good, I started playing nicely last week in Melbourne. When you get those good feelings it’s nice to have another event to play in and I’d like to make the most of that this week.
“Things were starting to fall into a good spot, so I’ll see if I can carry that on over here and put some good rounds in.
“I’m really pleased with where my golf is from leaving Melbourne, if I can bring some of that out here this week then I think I’ve got a good chance of getting myself in for a chance to win, that sounds fun to me.
“I’d like to try and take some good momentum into next year.”
Scott returned to the top 20 on the Official World Golf Ranking this year for the first time since 2017.
But the Aussie legend has not won since the 2016 WGC-Cadillac Championship. The 39-year-old earned two-and-a-half points from five matches at last week’s Presidents Cup.
Nicolai Hjøgaard leads off field at Royal Pines
QUEENSLAND is 10 hours ahead of GMT with the first players teeing off at 8pm UK time, on Wednesday evening.
First off the first is Denmark’s Nicolai Hjøgaard, who is looking to emulate twin brother Rasmus by winning on his first European Tour start of the 2020 season – after his twin brother claimed victory in the AfrAsia Mauritius Open, at the end of last month.
Cameron Smith tees off in the first group off the 10th tee at 6am local time, playing with big-hitters Cameron Champ and Ryan Fox, while Scott plays from the first at 11am, with young Australian talent Min Woo Lee, and the 2009 Open Champion Stewart Cink.
•For lives scores from the first round of the Australian PGA click here.
