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
Four Australians battle for starts at Tour Championship
Adam Scott currently in 46th, he and the other Australians need good weeks to make it to Atlanta
Five Australians remain with hopes of securing some of the riches available in the final event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, the Tour Championship in Atlanta, but, before they do, four of them must ensure they get there and in order to do so they will need to be inside the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings at the completion of this week’s BMW Championship in Wilmington in Delaware.
One of the five, Cameron Smith, is already assured of being in Atlanta but because he is struggling with a recurring hip injury he has decided to sit out this week’s event. Smith is currently 3rd in the FedEx Cup standings.
The other four, Adam Scott, Lucas Herbert, Cameron Davis and Marc Leishman all have work to do if this is not to be their last event of the 2021/ 2022 PGA Tour.
Scott begins the week in 46th place but his most recent form is encouraging in terms of reaching the Tour Championship once again, having won the event in 2006 and been a regular in the field since.
Herbert (53rd) has yet to play the Tour Championship and in fact has yet to play this event having only just secured his PGA Tour card when winning in Bermuda late last year and in the early part of the 2021/2022 season.
Cameron Davis (50th) too is striving to reach the Tour Championship for the first occasion although he did play this event last year, albeit at another venue. Davis continues to play well of late having finished inside the top 20 in each of his last five PGA Tour starts.
Marc Leishman (66th) has been a regular at the Tour Championship since first making the field in his rookie year and will play the BMW Championship, an event he has won and finished runner-up in previously.
Tee Times
McKinney and Hopewell through to second round at US Am
Connor McKinney in action today – photo Kathryn Riley USGA
West Australians Connor McKinney and Hayden Hopewell have both advanced to the second round of match play at the US Amateur Championship in New Jersey following their victories in the Round of 64 today.
McKinney made a fast start in his match against American Travis Vick, winning the first three holes with birdies, although Vick fought his way back into the encounter to be just one down with three to play.
McKinney, the current Australian Amateur Champion would birdie the 16th and 17th holes and take the match 3&1.
“One of my goals in match play, which I haven’t been amazing at, is getting up early, so to do today, it set the tone real good,” said the Scottish born but now Perth domiciled McKinney.
Vick had been the low amateur at the US Open earlier in the year and a semi finalist in this event last year so he was a potentially dangerous opponent.
“Yeah, I heard about that. The 64 guys, (that made it into the match play) they’re all good enough to qualify for the U.S. Amateur, like the match play, so anyone can beat anyone,” added McKinney.
Hopewell survived a gripping encounter against Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira of Argentina, coming from 2 down with five to play to eventually win the match 1 up with a birdie at the 19th hole.
The other Australian who finished inside the temporary cutline but who lost out on a playoff between 15 players attempting top gain one of the 11 remaining spots in the field, was Karl Vilips, his US Am journey finishing on Wednesday morning when all 15 players returned to the course to determine their fate.
Vilips has previously made the quarter finals in this event so the loss was a real blow for the former Perth but now US based golfer.
Hayden Hopewell hugs Ariel Hopewell after winning his match at the 19th – photo Grant Halverson USGA
McKinney, Hopewell and maybe Vilips through to match play at US Am
Hayden Hopewell – one of two possibly three Australians into the match play – file photo AAC
Two Australians are guaranteed to advance to the match play phase of the US Amateur Championships in Paramus in New Jersey but one has a wait for his fate to be determined following the completion of the 36-hole stroke play this morning.
The current Australian Amateur Champion Connor McKinney did best when he finished in a share of 14th after a round of 68 at the Arcola Golf Club, one of two courses being used for the 36-hole qualifying.
McKinney’s fellow West Australian Hayden Hopewell finished in a share of 30th place after consecutive rounds of 70 at the Ridgewood Golf Club and the Arcola Golf Club while former Perth resident Karl Vilips is forced to negotiate a 15 man playoff for 11 remaining spots in the 64 man field for tomorrow’s match play.
The playoff to complete the field for the knockout phase begins early on Wednesday morning US time.
SCORES
David McKenzie’s important runner-up finish on Champions Tour
David McKenzie earlier this year at the Senior PGA – photo PGA of America Montana Pritchard
Victorian David McKenzie’s runner-up finish in the PGA Tour Champion’s Boeing Classic behind Miguel Angel Jimenez in Washington State over the weekend opened the door for the successful retention of his full playing rights on that tour in 2023.
McKenzie has struggled with continuity of opportunities given his limited status on the PGA Tour Champions in 2022 but this performance could well open the door for a strong finish to the season.
So significant was the prizemoney (US$193,000) for finishing runner-up this week that it has jumped McKenzie from 74th to 45th on the money list and leaves him well placed to graduate to the opening event of the Charl Schwab playoffs in mid- October where the leading 72 players tee it up.
The 55-year-old McKenzie joined the tour with several top ten finishes on the 2017 PGA Tour Champions including a 9th place on debut at the Senior Open Championship that year. He would then finish 12th at the Tour School later they year to gain limited status and has continued to play each year since, albeit with varying degrees of status.
“I have been playing well for a year, but I hadn’t been playing,” said McKenzie who because of his limited status has been unable to gain the number of starts to build momentum.
“I played like, going back to The Traditional, played one week, there was a week off. The next week, the Senior PGA. Scraped in, got into the next one. But my preparation wasn’t good that week for Des Moines.
“Missed the next week, went home. So I had four weeks off. I came back, I played the Senior Players. Then I went to the U.K. to play the Senior British Open, missed the qualifying. So I had another three weeks off. Came back over here, got into Calgary, and then got in here late.
“So all of a sudden, it’s the first time I think all year that I have played two tournaments in a row. So hopefully, that’s just a bit of continuity to feel like I’m playing well, give myself chances, and hopefully that will continue. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Interestingly, McKenzie gained entry to this week’s event as an alternate.
The finish was McKenzie’s equal best finish to that when runner-up at the SAS Tournament in 2019. His earning since joining the PGA Tour Champions in 2017 are now US$2.24 million.
Steve Alker celebrated a year on the Champions Tour by finishing 5th this week, yet another top ten for the 51 year old whose PGA Tour Champions career earnings in that time total US$3.573 million including four victories and numerous top ten finishes.
Alker is still well clear on this year’s Charl Schwab standings, some US$564,000 ahead of Jerry Kelly.
SCORES
Five Australians and a New Zealander tackle US Amateur Championship
Connor McKinney – file photo AAC
Five Australians and one New Zealander will take to the fairways of the Ridgewood Golf Club in Paramus in New Jersey, chasing a third US Amateur Championship for Australia and a second for New Zealand.
Perth’s Connor McKinney, heads the group in terms of world ranking but Hayden Hopewell, Harrison Crowe, Karl Vilips, Jack Buchanan and New Zealander Kazuma Kobori also get their chance.
Nick Flanagan became the first Australian to win his event in 2003 followed in 2016 by Curtis Luck.
New Zealand’s Danny Lee became the only New Zealander to take the title when he won in 2008, Lee now firmly ensconced on the PGA Tour while Flanagan and Luck have previously held PGA Tour cards.
McKinney is the current Australian Amateur Champion winning in a three way playoff at the Cranbourne Golf Club in Victoria in April while Buchanan was joint runner-up to McKinney.
McKinney was born and raised in Scotland but moved to Perth at the age of 13. He not only won the Australian Amateur Championship but also the South Australian Amateur and earlier this year finished 5th at the WAPGA Championship.
Perth’s Hayden Hopewell is a highly credentialed player with wins in the West Australian Open and a runner-up finish in that same event two years ago. He has not played well in leading amateur events over the northern summer in 2022 but there is little doubting his significant potential.
Karl Vilips was born in Indonesia but then moved to Perth and in more recent times has based himself in the US where he attends Stanford University. Three years ago he won the prestigious Southern Amateur Championship and played on the International Junior Presidents Cup team.
Vilips reached the quarter finals of this event at Pinehurst in 2019.
New Zealand’s Kazuma Kobori and his sister Momoka are the New Zealand version of the Lees from Perth.
At the age of just 17, Kobori won the New Zealand PGA Championship and earlier this year finished 6th in a Japan Tour event while Momoka is making her mark in secondary events on the Australian and European Tours with several wins already.
The event will see the leading 64 players at the completion of 36 holes advance to the matchplay phase.
Karl Vilips on his way to the quarter finals in this event in 2019 – photo Chris Keane USGA
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