Smith Battles Wisdom Tooth Pain Ending Season With Painfull Play-Off Loss In Saudi

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…. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Champion Aussie golfer ended his 2024 not only revealing the pain from an aching wisdom tooth but also suffering a fourth event in his closing five tournaments where he’s had victories door slammed shut in his face at the PIF Saudi International Open in Riyadh.

Smith had written off his chances for victory despite posting a sizzling final round 62 for a 21-under-par tally on the host Riyadh.

The former Open Champion was in the clubhouse while the leading two players – American Caleb Surratt and Chilean Joaqin Niemann – were leading the $5m event at 22-under and with four holes to play.

The duo were still tied down the last but made a mess of their tee shots and walking off with bogey ‘5s’ and sending the final event of the 2024 Asian Tour season into a play-off.

Remarkably all three players birdied the 18th hole for a second time around before Niemann holed a birdie putt at 18, and the second extra hole, to claim victory after both Smigth and Surratt missed their own birdie attempts.

The win in Niemann’s is the 15th of his pro career and also a third success this year on the LIV Tour and with his second win in March at Jedda, and around an hour’s drive north of Riyadh.

Smith walked from the course after his 62 revealing he’s returning to his Florida home to have a nagging wisdom tooth removed but not for a moment using this as any excuse.

His last round just one shot shy of the record of 61 set a day earlier by Surratt.

However knowing he was into the play-off Smith looked headed to his Florida home with a fourth top-3 in his closing 2024 five events, as he sought a first success in two years since the  end of 2023 in capturing a third Australian PGA Championship.

“I’m out of it”, Smith smiled when advised perhaps he should hang around in case of a play-off.

“If it was gusty and windy I would say, ‘Yes, I’m not out of it’ but the benign conditions just don’t warrant three or four bogeys particularly with the way the leaders are playing.

“Saying that, these last fews events I’ve played really well.  I feel like I’ve done a lot of good work and the game and particularly my swing is on the right track.

“There was a few rounds where I felt I couldn’t trust my swing but other than that it’s all been pretty solid, so other a bit of a rest over Christmas and the New Year, I should feel pretty good”.

Though not too good was the 2022 Open Champion revealing he’d been carrying an annoying wisdom tooth ache, and having been competing on two continents he’s just not had time to have the tooth attended to.

“The last few weeks the tooth has been nagging me but I’ve been competing the last few weeks back home in Australia and here this week in Saudi, so that’ s made it difficult to have the tooth attended to”, he said.

“It hasn’t really affected my golf other for a little bit of pain.

“But then I’m a Queenslander, mate (smiling)”

 

 



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