BRISBANE :  World number three and reigning British Open champion Cameron Smith overcame a final round challenge and electrical storms to win the Australian PGA Championships for a third time Sunday by three strokes.

The 29-year-old was back on home soil after three Covid-impacted years away, with his presence helping draw the biggest galleries to the Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane since the 1980s. He didn’t disappoint the fans, firing a final round 68 to end on 14-under 270, seeing off the challenge of Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune (65) and Australian Jason Scrivener (67) who both tied for second at the DP World Tour-sanctioned event. "It’s awesome mate, I really didn’t think I had it in me this week to be honest," said Smith.

"The start of the week was a little bit scratchy, but my game got better and better as the week went on other than the front nine today." Smith defected to the Saudi-backed LIV circuit and is banned from playing on the US PGA Tour, but is allowed to tee off in DP World Tour events in his homeland as a full member of the PGA Tour of Australasia.His defection to LIV in September came after a breakthrough year with three US PGA Tour victories, including the 150th Open at St. Andrews in July, then one on the breakaway tour in Chicago.

Published in The Daily National Courier, November, 28 2022

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