How Cam Smith plans to lure the world’s best golfer to the Australian Open
Updated ,first published
South port: The world’s best golfer, Scottie Scheffler, has revealed that he would love to play in Australia one day. Cam Smith, the last Australian to win the Open Championship, says he has a left-field idea to lure the 2025 Claret Jug winner to the Australian Open after Rory McIlroy accepted the invitation last year.
“Unreal meat pies and flat whites,” Smith said after a practice round at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Liverpool ahead of the opening round of The Open on Thursday.
“He’s a coffee snob, Scottie. I think we really need to sell him on flat whites, and I think he’ll land there.”
All joking aside, Smith wants more of the world’s best golfers to return to Australia. He could do worse than a quiet word about the immaculate greens and huge bunkers at Royal Birkdale, where the game’s elite, including seven Australians, are honing their short game ahead of the year’s fourth and final major.
McIlroy will return to the Australian Open at Kingston Heath Golf Club in December. Smith’s LIV Golf colleague and world No.11 Jon Rahm also did not name Australia when asked whether golf’s four majors would expand beyond the United States and Britain.
“I think it would be good for golf, yeah,” Rahm said. “From what I’ve seen over the last few years, pursuing a major in Australia can be very successful.”
Smith added: “We’ve got to look at a lot of guys. If you look at what the Australian Open was 20 or 30 years ago… it’s a long way to get back to that. But I feel like we’re moving in the right direction. I feel like we need a few more guys.” [big names].”
Australia tour kick off (AEST)
Thursday
- 17.47 — Michael Thorbjornsen, Kota Kaneko, travis smith
- 18.25 — Ben Griffin, Hideki Matsuyama, Min Woo Lee
- 18.47 — Justin Thomas, Alex Noren, Jason’s Day
- 21.14 — cameron smithKeith Mitchell, Stuart Gregan
- 23.09 — Bud Cauley, Jayden Schaper, Lucas Herbert
- 23.31 — Chris Gotterup, Sam Burns, Adam Scott
Friday
- 12.59 — cameron johnAusten Truslow, Sam Bairstow
Scheffler was in surprisingly good spirits on Tuesday despite missing the cut at last week’s Scottish Open, ending a streak of 78 consecutive tournaments he attended over the weekend.
One of the players who had nothing to do last weekend was Australia’s Min Woo Lee, who closed the final round with a 67 and finished second by 15 points. The 27-year-old has finished in the top five at a major with a fifth-place finish at the 2023 US Open and is confident he can replicate his form quickly and firmly on fairways.
“It’s a week where everything escalates, emotions escalate, and you feel like you want to practice more,” he said. “You’re getting so excited.”
He says it would be equally exciting to take Scheffler to Australia.
“He’s one of the best golfers of his generation,” Lee said of the four-time major champion. “What he does on the field is amazing and if Australia get a player like him… it will be pretty exciting.”
As another major race begins and thousands prepare to follow their every move, Scheffler was asked about his legacy.
“I’m not actually playing for a place in history. I’m not playing for anything like that because — this is going to sound a little morbid — at the end of the day I’m going to live my life and that’s going to be the end of it. When it’s over, I’m going to go somewhere else and I won’t be here anymore,” he said.
McIlroy’s response was equally matter-of-fact.
“I don’t think I’ll see what people say about me,” McIlroy added. “I’ll be five feet deep.”
Australians have the opportunity to shape their own legacy this week. Only four Australians have won the men’s title this century: Geoff Ogilvy (2006 US Open), Adam Scott (2013 Masters), Jason Day (2015 PGA Championship) and Smith at St Andrews in 2022. Greg Norman was the last Australian to win before them, in 1993.
Three of those four are in the field this week, with Scott heading into his 101st consecutive major. He said Royal Birkdale would offer everyone a chance to win the $4.6 million prize money that will be awarded to the winner.
“There won’t be guys with a huge advantage. The guys who hit the shortest and straightest have the biggest advantage. A good opening round or two in a major and the confidence can increase.”
Smith knows how difficult it is for Australians to seize these opportunities.
“There haven’t been a ton of majors won by Australians, so it’s definitely hard to do that,” Smith said. “It’s difficult because you have to play your game in the right week.
“I like our chances this week.”
Tom Decent is chief sports writer for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect with: X or email.
