Cameron Smith – file photo
Cameron Smith’s quest to win the FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis and climb to the number one ranking in the world was thwarted before it even started today when he was advised he had incurred a two-shot penalty dating back to yesterday’s third round.
At the 4th hole, Smith had hit his tee shot into the penalty area and took a drop but when he did so his ball was still touching the red line which delineated the penalty area.
Initially rules officials had seen the situation but had decided not to pursue it as camera angles were inconclusive however on further investigation on Sunday morning and after interviewing Smith it was determined an indiscretion had incurred.
As written by the PGA Tour’s website it was the PGA Tour’s Gary Young who was left with the task of talking with Smith and advising him of a possible indiscretion.
“Young found Smith in the clubhouse about an hour before his 12:30 p.m. tee time for the final round and asked him about the incident. When Smith told Young that, yes, the ball had been touching the line, the penalty was assessed. Smith would not have been penalized if he told Young that he believed his ball was outside the penalty area.
“I thought it was simply going to be a situation where I asked (Cameron) the question and he was going to tell me that he was comfortable that his ball was outside the penalty area,” Young said. “When I asked him the question, unfortunately, he said to me, ‘No, the ball was definitely touching the line.’ So at that point there’s no turning back.”
Young described Smith’s reaction to the penalty as “very calm, very matter of fact.”
“His answer to me was, ‘The rules are the rules,’” Young said.”
Smith understandably found the penalty a distraction and despite a birdie at the first, struggled for much of his round, slipping from a share of 5th and just two shots from the 54 hole lead to finish around 13th although, given the circumstances, he showed a lot of courage to record a final round of even par 70.
Adam Scott led the Australians when he finished in a share of 5th with a final round of 66 and has moved inside the all important top 70 and into the field for next week’s BMW Championship in Delaware.
“What’s satisfying” asked Scott when repeating that very question. “Getting through I guess ultimately, but I played really poorly yesterday and somehow shot a decent score and to turn it around and play solid today and give myself a chance to go through, I’m happy with that. I get to play four rounds next week.
“And my golf’s been pretty good and I’ve got nothing out of it. I feel even though I’m not winning this event, I feel like I’m getting something out of the week, so hopefully that’s good for the confidence going into next week and somehow have a big week and get through to East Lake.”
Cameron Davis tied with Smith for a share of 13th and he too is in the field next week as is Marc Leishman who finished 64th this week but sneaks inside the top 70 in 68th position.
Lucas Hebert missed the cut this week but is assured of a place in next week’s field in 54th position in the standings.
Scores
Projected FedEx Cup standings
Cameron Smith’s quest for Number one thwarted
Cameron Smith – file photo
Cameron Smith’s quest to win the FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis and climb to the number one ranking in the world was thwarted before it even started today when he was advised he had incurred a two-shot penalty dating back to yesterday’s third round.
At the 4th hole, Smith had hit his tee shot into the penalty area and took a drop but when he did so his ball was still touching the red line which delineated the penalty area.
Initially rules officials had seen the situation but had decided not to pursue it as camera angles were inconclusive however on further investigation on Sunday morning and after interviewing Smith it was determined an indiscretion had incurred.
As written by the PGA Tour’s website it was the PGA Tour’s Gary Young who was left with the task of talking with Smith and advising him of a possible indiscretion.
“Young found Smith in the clubhouse about an hour before his 12:30 p.m. tee time for the final round and asked him about the incident. When Smith told Young that, yes, the ball had been touching the line, the penalty was assessed. Smith would not have been penalized if he told Young that he believed his ball was outside the penalty area.
“I thought it was simply going to be a situation where I asked (Cameron) the question and he was going to tell me that he was comfortable that his ball was outside the penalty area,” Young said. “When I asked him the question, unfortunately, he said to me, ‘No, the ball was definitely touching the line.’ So at that point there’s no turning back.”
Young described Smith’s reaction to the penalty as “very calm, very matter of fact.”
“His answer to me was, ‘The rules are the rules,’” Young said.”
Smith understandably found the penalty a distraction and despite a birdie at the first, struggled for much of his round, slipping from a share of 5th and just two shots from the 54 hole lead to finish around 13th although, given the circumstances, he showed a lot of courage to record a final round of even par 70.
Adam Scott led the Australians when he finished in a share of 5th with a final round of 66 and has moved inside the all important top 70 and into the field for next week’s BMW Championship in Delaware.
“What’s satisfying” asked Scott when repeating that very question. “Getting through I guess ultimately, but I played really poorly yesterday and somehow shot a decent score and to turn it around and play solid today and give myself a chance to go through, I’m happy with that. I get to play four rounds next week.
“And my golf’s been pretty good and I’ve got nothing out of it. I feel even though I’m not winning this event, I feel like I’m getting something out of the week, so hopefully that’s good for the confidence going into next week and somehow have a big week and get through to East Lake.”
Cameron Davis tied with Smith for a share of 13th and he too is in the field next week as is Marc Leishman who finished 64th this week but sneaks inside the top 70 in 68th position.
Lucas Hebert missed the cut this week but is assured of a place in next week’s field in 54th position in the standings.
Scores
Projected FedEx Cup standings
Todd Sinnott finishes 5th in Singapore
Todd Sinnott – file photo Japan Golf Tour.
Victorian golfer, Todd Sinnott, has stormed home at the Asian Tour’s International Series event in Singapore, his final round 64 sweeping him into a share of 5th place and into 13th place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit for 2022.
Sinnott, who won a small event on the PGA Tour of Australasia earlier this year, earned US$55,000 and although he still trails Travis Smyth as the leading Australian money winner on the Asian Tour, this season 2022 has proven to be somewhat of a comeback year for the 30 year old.
Sinnott turned professional in late 2016 and just a few weeks after turning to the paid ranks won an Asian Tour event in Myanmar but there were slim pickings over the next few years until things made a turn for the better this season.
Sinnott got to play the US Open this year and finished 31st in his first showing in that event after gaining that start through final qualifying in Japan.
Sydney’s Harrison Endycott earns PGA Tour card
Harrison Endycott and his Dad celebrate a milestone achievement – photo PGA Tour / Getty
Sydney’s Harrison Endycott has secured a PGA Tour card for next season by finishing in 21st position at the end of the regular Korn Ferry Tour season’s standings.
Endycott was in 19th position as this week’s final event of the regular season began and although he has slipped to 21st he has finished inside the required 25 players to advance to the PGA Tour.
He could manage only 55th place in the final event in Omaha but he had done enough earlier in the season including a win in Alabama in April to secure his card.
“It’s incredible. This was an amazing tournament with an amazing atmosphere. To have my dad and girlfriend here this week on a tough golf course, it was great. To be #TOURBound is an incredible feeling. We’ll be having some champagne to celebrate. It feels incredible and I have so many people that have worked so hard and sacrificed so much for me.”
Endycott has the opportunity over the next three event Korn Ferry Tour Final series to improve his standing as all 25 players will tee it up in the Finals against another 50 from the Korn Ferry Tour and those players finishing between 126th and 200th on the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup standings as they chase one of 25 additional cards available via the Finals.
Either way, 26 year old Endycott has achieved the dream of so many to play the PGA Tour five years after turning professional and following an amateur career which saw him as one of the Australian 2016 Eisenhower winning team members in Mexico.
SCORES
Cam Smith closes in on world number one ranking
Cameron Smith – file photo USGA
Cameron Smith is on the verge of becoming the world number one, tomorrow’s final round at the FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis to decide if he is to become Australia’s fourth golfer to reach the ranking pinnacle of the game.
Smith starts the final round of the opening event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs just two shots behind the lead held by J.J. Spaun and in a share of 3rd place in the US$15 million event where not only is a first prize of US$2.7 million available to Smith should be win but the world ranking points available will see him move past the incumbent Scottie Scheffler who has missed the cut this week and can do no more.
“Yeah, that would mean a lot,” said Smith when asked what such elevation would mean to him. “I mean, that’s what we’re all here to do. That’s been one of my goals probably since the start of the year is to try to get to that top spot and (inaudible) and try and chase it down.”
Smith began 2022 in 21st place but wins at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, the Players Championship and last month’s Open Championship along with three other top tesn in 2022 have jumped him to number two and if he can get across the line tomorrow then the coveted spot at the top of the world ranking is his.
Smith would join Greg Norman, Adam Scott and Jason Day as former Australian world number ones and although a world ranking for women came after the height of Karrie Webb’s career she too could well have been number one in earlier times.
Minjee Lee is currently the world number two in the female rankings.
SCORES
Cam Smith improves sharply to share 5th at FedEx St Jude Championship
Cameron Smith has improved 25 positions on his opening round with a second round of 65 at the FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis and at the halfway stage of the opening event of the FedEx Cup playoff series he finds himself in a share of 5th place.
The highlight of Smith’s round came at the 16th (video below) when he converted an 18 foot eagle putt after a superb approach from 235 yards at the par 5, his only real blemish coming at the 15th when he was forced to lay up after finding the rough and eventually dropped his only shot of the day.
Smith is now just three behind the leader, J.J. Spaun who leads by one over Sepp Straka and Troy Merrit.
Smith has slipped one spot to 3rd in projected FedEx Cup standings although such projections are very much a moving feast at this early stage.
Scotttie Scheffler, who missed the cut retains his top ranking while J.J. Spaun has moved into second place.
Adam Scott was another to advance his cause considerably on day two, a round of 67 moving him from 18th to 9th this week and importantly, in terms of projected FedEx Cup standings, to 53rd from 77th and given that at next week’s BMW Championship only the top 70 are eligible he has opened the door for that possibility.
Marc Leishman, and Cameron Davis made the cut on the number and are currently 66th and 72nd in the projected standings.
Jason Day bogeyed six of his last eight holes today for a round of 75 to miss the cut and his season is over.
Lucas Herbert missed the cut this week but has done enough this season to ensure he will be at the BMW Championship irrespective of what happens over the weekend, but for New Zealand’s Danny Lee, after missing the cut this week his FedEx Cup journey is over for the season.
SCORES
Kelsey Bennett bows out at US Am but not without titanic battle
New South Wales golfer, Kelsey Bennett, was the last Australasian woman standing in today’s Round of 16 encounters at the US Women’s Amateur Championship at Chambers Bay but although she staged a titanic battle against American Brianna Navarrosa, she would eventually bow out at the third extra hole.
On four occasions during her afternoon match against Navarrosa, Bennett recovered from a 1 hole deficit and was able to do it for one last time at the 18th hole which she birdied to take the match into extra time after holing a testing putt at the 17th to keep the match alive.
Both players would par the 19th and 20th before the American won the third and final extra hole (after Bennett found the front bunker and took bogey) to take the match 1 up.
Bennett had impressed in her morning match, after fog had again delayed early play, against Japan’s Nika Hito winning by a 5 &4 margin.
The other Australian into the round of 32, Maddison Hinson Tolchard, lost out in her morning Round of 32 match going down 4&3 after never being in front against American Annabelle Pancake.
Fog over Puget Sound delayed early proceedings on day four of the event – photo USGA
Jason Day bounces back from illness at FedEx St Jude
Jason Day – file photo PGA of America
Jason Day has bounced back from his withdrawal at last week’s Wyndham Championship to open with a round of 65 in the opening event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs the FedEx St Jude Championship at the TPC Southwind in Memphis.
Day began the Playoffs in 113th position in the FedEx Cup standings and needs a good week (perhaps a top ten or better) if he is to advance to next week’s BMW event in Delaware where the leading 70 will tee it up.
Day’s outstanding career has been plagued by injury and illness throughout but while the illness he suffered last week was enough to force his withdrawal from that event, he was able to recover in time to tee it up today.
“I’m just tired,” said Day referring to the lingering effects of last week’s flu like illness.
“I got a fever on Friday morning and I just knew I wasn’t going to be able to go. Over the weekend I felt great. Unfortunately, it was just one of those weird kind of like a flu or something like that, I guess. But I feel good now. I’m just going to kind of take it easy the rest of the day.
“I don’t feel like I needed to do anything today to kind of build on for tomorrow, I feel like everything’s pretty solid. I’ve just got to kind of stick to the game plan that I come up with in my head and if that doesn’t work out, just keep grinding.
“I mean, I felt like I was working on a lot of good momentum going into especially last week, from kind of Rocket Mortgage on. Felt like the game was starting to show a lot of good signs, which was nice, not only from, you know, tee to green, but also on the greens.
“I don’t know, it’s hard. Like you’re always just trying like to just blend everything together and hopefully it will click. I’m not getting too excited about anything right now, just got to stay patient as much as I can because the more I start thinking about outcome and being able to get into next week, it just does nothing for me, or at least anything positive for me.
“It actually gives you more anxiety and a lot of other stuff that comes along with it. Yeah, I feel pretty good about the opening round and looking forward to the rest of the week.”
Day leads the Australians although Adam Scott has also begun well with a round of 66, Cameron Davis and Cameron Smith (67), Marc Leishman 69 and Lucas Herbert 73.
New Zealand’s Danny Lee had 72.
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Hinson Tolchard and Bennett advance at US Women’s Am
This week’s venue and venue for the 2015 US Open Chambers Bay – photo USGA
Perth’s Maddison Hinson Tolchard and NSW’s Kelsey Bennett have advanced to the Round of 32 following victories in their opening round matches at the US Women’s Amateur Championship at Chambers Bay in Washington State this morning.
Hinson Tolchard, now a member of the Oklahoma State University team, came from 1 down at turn in her match against China’s Yixian Guo to win 2&1, sealing the deal with a birdie at the 17th hole.
“It was a bit weird to start off with,” said Hinson Tolchard referring to the conditions. “Definitely didn’t expect it to downpour like it did to start off with, and then this weird misty fog came in in the arvo, but yeah, it’s a bit cold now, but it didn’t bother me too much. You have to take it as it comes with the weather, so it’s fine.
“Dad (father and caddie) and I have been having fun, so we’re just going to go out and take it one shot at a time again and just enjoy it. I don’t think we can really do anything different at this point.”
Bennett also faced a competitor from China, Jieni Li, and was never behind in their match, although after being tied through nine holes Bennett drew clear to win at the 17th which she too birdied to win 3&1.
New Zealand’s Fiona Xu, the current Australian Amateur Champion, lost her encounter against Ireland’s Annabel Wilson 5&4.
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Three Australasians reach matchplay at US Women’s Amateur
Maddison Hinson Tolchard – continues her recent collegiate form – photo USGA Darren Carroll
Three Australasians have made it to the match-play phase of the US Women’s Amateur Championship at Chambers Bay in Washington, Kelsey Bennett, Madison Hinson Tolchard and New Zealander, Fiona Xu, negotiating their way through the 36-hole qualifying stage to earn their right to tackle the knockout matches starting tomorrow.
After an opening round of 69 yesterday Bennett’s future in the championship could have gone either way when she reached the turn in 2 over in today’s second round but then came six birdies in seven holes to start her inward nine before a bogey at the last and after a round of 70 (the par is 73) she had qualified in a share of 4th place and one shot ahead of Hinson-Tolchard.
Bennett, from the Mollymook Golf Club on the south coast of NSW, gained her start in women golf’s most prestigious event, by qualifying first at her venue a month ago. She continues a great run in big events in the last twelve months including when reaching the quarter finals at the Women’s Amateur in Britain a few weeks ago, finishing runner-up in last year’s Asia Pacific Amateur Championship, and 3rd in the Australian Amateur Championship.
Perth’s Hinson-Tolchard is currently studying and on the golf team at Oklahoma State University where she recently won a NCAA Regional title. She made it into the match play stages in this event twelve months ago but was eliminated early.
Today she finished her 36 holes qualifying with a 2 under par round of 71 to finish in a share of 7th place.
“Last year I came up against a fellow Aussie in Emily Mahar, so that was a tough match having to go up against her, and we went down 18 holes last year in 64,” said Hinson Tolchard. “I mean, we’ll see what happens and who I get paired against, but definitely a lot of confidence in my game, so I think I’m going to go pretty good.
“I feel like it (the course) was a little bit tougher. A lot of the pins were sort of tucked away in corners a bit more. You had to work with the slopes a little bit, which we didn’t really have yesterday. But it was definitely a lot cooler, so the ball wasn’t flying as far, as well, so you had to take that into account. But yeah, I think it was a little bit tougher today but still scorable.”
New Zealand’s Fiona Xu made it to the quarter finals at the recent US Junior Girls Championship before being beaten but she is considered one of the brightest prospects to come out of New Zealand since Lydia Ko. Earlier this year she won the Australian Amateur Championship and has also won the New Zealand Amateur Championship previously.
Xu bounced back from an opening round of 76 with a round of 70 today to be at even par and safely inside the top 64 (26th) heading into the matchplay.
SCORES
This week’s venue – Chambers Bay Washington State – photo USGA
Cameron Smith faces more LIV Golf speculation
Cameron Smith – file photo
Cameron Smith neither fuelled or doused the increasing speculation about a possible move to LIV Golf during his pre-event media conference at the opening event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, the Fed Ex St Jude event, in Memphis today.
The suggestion that Smith might be about to join LIV Golf was raised this week by his fellow PGA Tour colleague and countryman, Cameron Percy, when he spoke to a Melbourne radio station but Smith was quick to cast a question mark over the source when asked.
“My goal here is to win the FedExCup Playoffs. That’s all I’m here for. If there’s something I need to say regarding the PGA TOUR or LIV, it will come from Cameron Smith, not Cameron Percy. I’m a man of my word and whenever you guys need to know anything, it’ll be said by me.
Seemingly agitated by what appeared to be a loose comment by Percy, Smith was again determined to remain focused on the job at hand and when asked if there was any truth to the suggestion in the Telegraph that he had already signed with LIV Smith again played a straight bat.
“I have no comment to that. Like I said, I’m here to play the FedExCup Playoffs. That’s been my focus the last week and a half, that’s what I’m here to do, I’m here to win the FedExCup Playoffs. And like I said, it will come from me, it won’t come from Cameron Percy.”
When asked if he would be in the field for the next LIV event in Boston on September Smith said; “Like I said, I’m here to play the FedExCup Playoffs, mate. That’s what I’m here to do. I’m here to win the FedExCup Playoffs, that’s my priority.”
Smith enters this week as the number two in the FedEx Cup standings behind Scottie Scheffler and is excited about the three event series which culminate at the Tour Championship in Atlanta in just over two week’s time.
“I have had a couple of good rest weeks, I guess, back home in Jacksonville, a few-night celebration and yeah, we had a really fun time. The last week and a half I guess has all been about prep. My trainer came in from Australia, he tried to get me back into shape before this big three weeks.
“Yeah, this golf course is course that I love. I’ve got a pretty decent record around here, really suits my eye. I love the grasses and yeah, can’t wait to get the week started.”