The world number six showed off his range of tricks on a windy Wednesday at the Home of Golf as he, Adam Scott, Marc Leishman and South African Garrick Higgo scrutinized the back nine while three -time tennis grand slam champion Ash Barty walked the Old Course with them.
Smith, 28, played multiple balls on almost every tee to try out a variety of techniques, from aggressive driving to low-flight scaffolding, to punching in the wind, fighting wind gusts. and roll the ball on fairways described by Tiger Woods as more stable. than many of the vegetables.
“Trying to be creative is the theory in the last days,” Smith said.
“[Driving] was quite a challenge the last two days in the air. I really feel like I’m hitting the driver. ”
Smith’s driving has proven difficult at times but his short game is where he always shines.
The packed galleries on the final day of training first experienced his genius and were left in awe as the Queenslander combined low-running approaches with majestic chips that gently landed like a butterfly.
He said he was just having fun allowing his mind to work on the different scenarios available.
“Around the greens, there are so many choices. I think you can put the ball here from, like, 50, 60 yards, which is a little bit different to what we’re used to,” Smith said.
“But there are so many choices. I hit every club, it seems, in the bag from 30, 40 yards, and I could just see what would happen. I think the wind plays a big factor even when you’re trying to hit the ground here.
“You have to correct all the shots here. There will be some pretty ugly places that you will find yourself there. Links golf tries to get the perfect shot and hopes for the best.
“You have to be prepared for this. You have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. “
His playing partners also provide a wealth of knowledge on the complex courses where Leishman lost in a playoff and Scott was leading the final round the last time this event was held in St Andrews in 2015.
Smith watches them closely now, but especially his great wife Leishman.
“Leish is very creative and he is able to correct those shots against the wind, which I think will be a real advantage this week in terms of the stability of the fairways.
“We played back nine today, and he hit the little cut in the air as I was kind of riding in the air and went wild. Leish was able to hit that cut in the air and pretty much stayed on the fairway.
“I’m going to work this afternoon, and hopefully he helped me.”
Round 1 tee times AEST
3:35 pm Min Woo Lee |Webb Simpson, Paul Lawrie
4:30 pm Lucas HerbertPhil Mickelson, Kurt Kityama
5:03 pm Cameron SmithBrooks Koepka, Seamus Power
6:25 pm Brad KennedyErnie Els, Adri Arnaus
7:53 pm Anthony Quayle, Zander Lombard, John Parry
8:36 pm Jed Morgan, Ryan Fox (NZ)Mark Calcavecchia
10:15 pm Adam Scott, Marc LeishmanDustin Johnson
11.15pm Jason ScrivenerShugo Imahira, David Law
12.43am Dimitrios Papadatos, Matt GriffinLaurie Canter
