Cam Smith has been singing Rory McIlroy’s praise ahead of this week’s Crown Australian Open in Melbourne.
Smith is contesting his ‘home’ national Open clearly as one of the crowds favourite as he looks to be handed the Stonehaven trophy for a first occasion after the disappointment at the 2016 Australian Open in losing out in a three-way play-off to visiting American Jordan Spieth.
Of course, Smith has tasted success in Australia having won three Australian PGA Championships (2018, 2019 and 2022) in his beloved Queensland while he’s also a former Australian Amateur champion winning in 2013.
Not long after his Aussie Amateur success Smith had turned pro and 2013 being the year McIlroy captured the Australian Open at Royal Sydney.
Three years ago the golfer with the now famed ‘Mullet’ haircut joined McIlroy as an Open Champion winning the 150th Open Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews.
CAM SINGING RORS PRAISE …
A long overdue @AusOpenGolf would hand @camsmith9 an #Aussie golfing treble though first as @livgolf_league star had time to single out @McIlroyRory ‘as a great golf ambassador’
Read: https://t.co/zBUhWK7JN0
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✅ @TOURMISS pic.twitter.com/Q80UuNqZZn
— Fatiha (@TOURMISS) December 2, 2025
However it’s been a lean few years for Smith not having added to his collection of a dozen pro career victories since capturing a third LIV Golf title in August 2023.
As well, Smith disappointed in missing the halfway cut in last week’s BMW Australian PGA Championship and, as mentioned above’, an event he’s won three times.
However it’s a new week, a new tournament and with McIlroy returning to Australian as golf’s newest Grand Slam champion and reigning Masters winner, Smith will be hoping he’s well in the mix come the back nine on Sunday.
“Yeah, there is a real lift in this year’s Australian Open,” said Smith.
“It definitely feels like, I guess the intensity of the tournament leading up to the tournament. Yeah, it feels like everything’s kind of led to this kind of moment. So yeah, it’s nice to be here. It’s a privilege to play Royal Melbourne. It’s a great venue and hopefully we can come here and be here for a long time”.
And Smith was asked what he thought McIlroy brings to the 108th hosting of the Australilan Open.
“Rory’s a great player, has been for a very long time. He’s a great ambassador for the game of golf,” said Smith.
“He’s a great player. He is going to bring a lot of fans out here. A lot of kids are going to come and watch him and are going to want to be like him. And I think that’s our job at the end of the day, is to get clubs in kids’ hands and he does it a lot.
“So yeah, I’m happy that he’s here and supporting our Open”.
Smith may not be aware that should he win this week he will join Seve Ballesteros as winners of championships at St Andrews and Royal Melbourne. The legendary Spaniard captured the 1981 Australian PGA at Royal Melbourne and The Open at the Old Course three years later.
And Smith provided a ‘joyful’ reply when also quizzed if he had a preference golf course where he would like to win at the Australian Open,
“I think I’d take an Aussie Open anywhere – I’d take an Aussie Open at Wantima, to be honest,” Smith said.
“That’d be nice but it’s a tournament that I desperately want to win and then you get the course vibe with it as well… It’d be a pretty special thing to win an Aussie Open around Royal Melbourne, for sure.”
Wantima is a small 18-hole course close to Smith’s Brisbane family home and where he first began playing golf at age two.
Smith is out in the fourth group on day one, hitting off the 10th and playing alongside Elvis Smylie and Danny Willett, and in the group behind McIlroy, Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee.
