I’m Not Sounding the Alarm for Cam Smith - But It’s Close

Cameron Smith has not won a professional golf tournament since he made an absolute mockery of Trump Bedminster in 2023. I followed him around for the first and final round that week. After the final round on Sunday I found myself drinking a beer, standing in a small circle of people that included Marc Leishman, Jed Morgan, a couple people I didn’t know, and Cam Smith. I didn’t say a single word to him, but more on that later. One year prior I’d watched Henrik Stenson win the very same event, but the way Cam did it felt a lot different.

In 2022, Cam had had one of the best season’s from an Australian golfer in some time. He won the Players Championship, and then had the unforgettable final round at St. Andrews where he ripped the Claret Jug from Rory McIlroy’s hands. There was no doubt that Cam had the necessary skill-set to compete with any golfer on the planet, he’d just done it all year. But even still, the way he played Bedminster in 2023 felt different.

Watch some of his highlights from The Players, watch what he did at St. Andrews, you’ll notice that Cam’s short game was just flat out incredible at those events. Couple that with elite putting, and of course he’s going to come out on top. He can get up and down from anywhere, he’ll roll in 30 footers for pars, and at any moment he can get hot and take a long ride on the birdie train. That’s what made Cam Smith compelling to watch. Not that I, or the average golfer is anything like Cam, but from time to time it felt just a little bit relatable. He’d miss shots and put himself in places where I could see myself ending up. I’m not doing what he does from those spots, but I might end up there. His chipping and putting is elite in a way that almost feels like cheating. It’s not the flashy game that Phil’s made himself known for over the years, it’s subtle, but without fault. Cam Smith has a way of making the most difficult shots look easy. And still, that’s not even how he won at Bedminster.

After watching 36 of Cam’s 54 holes that week at Bedminster, I could count on one hand the amount of shots he missed. It wasn’t the same level of play that he won his prior events with, it was more complete, it was better. He’d still hit the great shots around the green, he still rolled in some good putts, but the frequency that he had to do that was so much lower. And that course is no joke. They tipped it out, they grew out the rough, it was a true test of golf. A test of golf that Cam passed with flying colors. He was leading by 1 after 18 holes and the last guy on the range that night. He was leading by 3 after 36 holes, and the last guy on the range that night, he was the first guy on the putting green the next morning. He won by 7.

So when I’m standing around in a circle with some of the Ripper GC guys at the end of the event, and I’m just staring off into space not saying a word to one of my favorite players, it’s not because I’m trying to work out how a social media page I started in my spare time got me to this spot, it’s because I’m trying to work out how anyone is supposed to beat him if he’s playing like this. He’s the best putter on the planet, the rest of his game is firing on all cylinders, and he’s working harder than anyone else.

To think that Cam Smith has not won an individual event since that week is borderline unfathomable. If I hadn’t watched them and didn’t know better, I’d have a hard time believing it to be true.

Cameron Smith posted a -2 first round at the Australian PGA Championship, a tournament he’s won three times before. There’s still some golf to be played in the first round, but he’s currently tied for 22nd. A solid second round will get him into a good spot for the weekend, where he’ll be looking to get back in the winner’s circle for the first time in over two full years.

It’s hard to not find yourself thinking about the bad shots, but that’s what Cam’s game has been built around for so many years. He’s never struck me as a guy that’s spending a ton of mental bandwidth on what might go wrong, where to miss, or where the safe shot is. He’ll fire at pins and utilize his elite short game if things don’t go well. But when you start to think about the misses, or get frustrated by the bad shots, so much more is going to go wrong, and it’s going to feel forced. He’s not playing his game.

His game embodies what got Ripper GC crowned the Team Champions on LIV Golf in 2023, just good vibes, having a good time, and taking what the course gives you. No stressing over things not going exactly as planned. If he can get himself back in that mindset, there’s no telling what the 2026 season might look like.

He gets a little leeway as a new father, and he’s had his fair share of fantastic rounds, just hasn’t put together many complete events. He’s also keenly aware of what he needs to work on, and though that might not make it easier, he’ll be focused on the task at hand. For those reasons I’m not yet sounding the alarms on Cameron Smith, but I’m hovering my hand over the button, hoping that it doesn’t need to be pressed.

With his skillset, his drive to get his game back to where it was, and awareness that his faults stem from the mental side, not the physical, one win could open the floodgates and get Cam back to the level he was at just two years ago. Let’s hope that’s the case.