Australian Smith ready to get creative in bid for Masters title

Golfing – The Masters – Augusta National Golfing Club – Augusta, Ga, U.S. – April 4, 2022 Australia’s Cameron Smith hits his tee shot on the 7th tee in the course of a practice round REUTERS/Mike Segar

AUGUSTA, Ga., April 4 (Reuters) – Cameron Smith, who this 7 days will check out to turn out to be only the 2nd Australian to acquire the Masters, mentioned on Monday his most significant weapon at Augusta Nationwide will be how snug he is using risks on the unforgiving Augusta National layout.

That method has served Smith perfectly in the past as the world number 6 has produced the minimize in all five of his Masters begins, together with two prime 10s and a runner-up finish in 2020 when he became the very first participant to shoot in the 60s in all 4 rounds.

“I truly feel like I perform my ideal golfing when I’m artistic,” Smith, a five occasions winner on the PGA Tour, advised reporters in the course of his pre-match information meeting at Augusta Nationwide.

“This study course has so lots of, you know, slopes and things, you can perform it off the greens organization and quick. And, yeah, just like currently being inventive.”

The 28-calendar year-aged Smith, with two wins to his name currently this time, enters the 7 days as possibly Australia’s greatest chance for a Masters champion considering the fact that Adam Scott slipped into the coveted Green Jacket following his breakthrough earn in 2013.

Smith mentioned details he has collected in excess of the years from fellow Australians Scott and Marc Leishman, who posted his third profession top rated-10 Masters complete final yr, has taught him a whole lot about navigating Augusta Nationwide.

“I am not frightened to strike various pictures about below,” explained Smith. “It can be, you know, quite tough to strike the shot that you want to hit all over below because you know if it does not arrive off, you could be in some rather deep issues. I’m not afraid to do that. I want to strike the appropriate shot, and I want to get it near.”

The unflappable and in-type Smith will carry a new degree of self-confidence to the initial tee on Thursday acquiring currently secured a pair of remarkable wins this calendar year.

Smith set a PGA Tour history with a score of 34 below par to declare the title at Kapalua Golf Club in January and then picked up the most significant earn of his career two months afterwards at The Players Championship where by he carded 10 closing-round birdies.

“Really good time of 12 months to be enjoying good golf,” explained Smith, who is rock-good with his irons and has a limited video game that is among the ideal on tour.

“You know, it’s just pleasant to contend. Nonetheless been functioning tough the very last pair of weeks at residence and, yeah, I seriously can not wait around to get back again out right here this 7 days.”

Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto Editing by Ken Ferris

Our Criteria: The Thomson Reuters Rely on Rules.