Greensboro, NC …
Brisbane-born Cameron Smith felt right at home in sweltering heatwave conditions to record a 63 and the lowest round of his PGA Tour career on day one of the Wyndham Championship.
It is Smith’s lowest score in his 60 Tour events and a shot better than a 64 he posted earlier this year on day one of the Sony Hawaii Open.
But in a complete turnaround in recent weeks the 23-year old seized seven birdies and none better than his 181-yard uphill second shot into the 18th green that he Smith was playing as his ninth that he landed just two-feet from the pin for a virtual tap-in birdie on the par 70 Sedgefield County Club course.
Cameron Smith licking his lips after recording the lowest score of his PGA Tour career .. a sizzling nine-under par 63 on day one of the Wyndham Championship
Smith then managed four birdies over his inward half and with the picks being on the two par threes, the third and seventh where he rolled in respective birdies of 35-feet and 43-feet.
It handed the reigning Zurich Classic champion a share of third place on seven-under par
Daytona’s Matt Every raced to the lead holing his second shot for an eagle ‘2’ at the first on route to a nine-under par 61 on the par 70 Donald Ross designed layout and one shy of the record set a year ago of a 60 set by Si Woo Kim on day two and on roue to his victory.
World No. 1 Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, and the highest-ranked player in the field, produced a 62 to be in second place at eight-under par.
Smith had missed the cut a year ago with scores of 74 and 68 but he made a mockery of that effort twelve months on.
“I love playing here in Greensboro as it’s a real old school type of golf course with big loopy greens and if you get the putter going you can post a score like I did today”, he said.
“The putter was good today, so I definitely have felt a lot better today than it’s been of late”.
Smith is contesting the $US 5.8m event for a third year running and while his 63 is a lowest on Tour it was also two shots fewer than a final day 65 he shot to share 18th place on debut in 2015.
However, Smith arrived in Greensboro having missed the halfway cut in five of six events since teaming with Swede Jonas Blixt to win the Zurich Classic.
And the arrival also of his coach, Grant Field could not have been more timely with Smith lying 45th on the FedEx Cup standings but having dropped to 170th on the World Rankings.
“My coach flew in on Monday and go back to basics really with the whole game and yeah, it felt good today,” he said.
“We hadn’t seen each other for some time and my set-up was getting a little askew and out of timing, so it has been nothing major and if anything, just fine-tuning.
“So, today was more like the way I know I can play while the heat didn’t bother me given I’m from Brisbane and it gets really hot there”.
And also helping Smith get back to his New Orleans winning ways is the work he’s undertaking with renowned US-based sports psychologist, Dr. Fran Pirozzolo.
Renowned sports psychologist, Dr. Fran Pirozzolo.
Pirozzolo has been a consultant to numerous collegiate athletic departments, including the University of Texas (men’s & women’s golf), Fordham University (basketball), University of Oklahoma (golf), Texas A&M University (men’s & women’s golf), Rice University (golf), Texas Christian University (golf) and the University of Houston (golf, baseball, basketball).
Dr. Pirozzolo has published 14 books and over 250 scientific and popular articles. His golf books include “The Game I Love” (Harper Collins) with golf legend Sam Snead, “The Mental Game Pocket Companion” (Harper Collins), and “The Putter’s Pocket Companion” (Harper Collins). Fran collaborated with Jim McLean on the Golf Channel production of Sam Snead: “A Swing for A Lifetime”. Fran’s most recent book is entitled, “Multiple Intelligence and Leadership” (with scholars Ron Riggio and Susan Murphy at the Kravis Leadership Institute – Claremont-McKenna College) Dr. Pirozzolo’s also has done a mental training for golf CD entitled “Golf Mind”.
“I have been working with Dr. Pirozzolo for a while and he hands me a lot material to read and I then like working it out myself”, said Smith.
“I have always found it works better for me that I teach myself but then I have to say the biggest thing Dr. Pirozzolo has taught me and that is how to calm down and control emotions so that aspect has been very helpful”.
