Cameron Smith wins Australian PGA Championship

Cameron Smith closed his outstanding 2017 season with a dramatic win at the Australian PGA. Can he be the next great Australian golfer?

Young Cameron Smith won the Australian PGA Championship in a battle of two Aussies on Sunday, edging out unheralded Jordan Zunic for the title.

Smith, 24, earned his first worldwide individual title as a professional on the strength of an 18-under-par total and two pars in the playoff.

The win appeared anything but destined at times on Sunday at RACV Royal Pines.

For starters, Smith began the day three back of Zunic, 25, in the final pairing. Despite gaining two strokes at the turn thanks to a front-nine 32, it wasn’t easy for Smith. After finding the water with his drive on No. 8, his third shot was a beauty that hit the flagstick only to carom almost off the green.

Smith remained cool and calm to knock in the clutch par putt. It was a sign of more composure to come.

As Zunic sputtered to the finish with no birdies after the sixth hole, Smith took the lead on the 17th with a towering shot over trees to 10 feet for a made birdie.

Then, 18 happened.

"“He just said a few nasty things there telling me not to choke. I tried to play it off,” Smith said of a heckler in the crowd pulling for New South Wales native Zunic, as reported by the Australian Associated Press. “I guess he was from NSW. Earlier I hit the bottom of pin and that was a bit like, you know, am I not meant to win this thing.”"

Smith, a Queenslander, went on to miss about a six-footer for par that sent him to the playoff.

The two waited for the other to make a big mistake on the par-4 18th used for both playoff hole. It was the unproven Zunic, whose best European Tour finish was a T18 at the 2016 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, who blinked first.

Smith capped off a splendid 2017 that saw him win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans alongside buddy Jonas Blixt.

"“Neither my mum or dad were there for the win in New Orleans. To be able to win in front of them and in front of other family and friends, and then winning in Queensland, makes it so much more special to me,” Smith was quoted by the European Tour."

“I haven’t even had time to process that but it’s been a really good year. My goals this year were to win one down here and it’s nice to tick that one off.”

This could also be a launching pad for Zunic, who impressed a lot of new eyes.

“It’s always great. This is why we practice and this is why we dream to play these sort of events and play in front of huge crowds, I loved every minute of it,” Zunic told the European Tour.

He entered missing his last two cuts and spent most of his season on the Challenge Tour or the PGA Tour of Australasia.

Australian PGA: In the cards

Remember how I said Smith’s win was all but destined on Sunday? Well, I’m going to contradict myself.

Smith’s win was very much in the cards. He entered on a scorching run of golf: T12 at the BMW Championship (reaching the third leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs in his sophomore PGA Tour season, mind you), T5 at the CIMB Classic, third at the CJ Cup and fourth last week at the Australian Open.

It is certainly too soon to crown Smith as the next big thing from Down Under, but he joins Cameron Davis and Curtis Luck as a budding new generation of Australian golf.

Chip shots

• Aussie, Aussie, Aussie: Smith followed up Adelaide, South Australia, native Wade Ormsby’s win last week at the Hong Kong Open. Also, the top five at the Aussie PGA was all countrymen: Adam Bland (-17), David Bransdon (-14) and Marc Leishman (-14). Bland was in contention all day Sunday, but couldn’t make a birdie on No. 17 or 18 to reach the playoff.
• Harold Varner III defended his 2016 title nicely, finishing solo sixth that included a final-round six-under 66 after a 73 on Saturday.
• Zunic’s eight-under 64 on Saturday was the low round of the tournament.
• Mike Weir came out of nowhere to record his first top-15 worldwide finish since May 2014 (!), finishing T15 thanks to a Sunday 67.
• More notable finishes: Two-time tournament winner Greg Chalmers, Ormsby and Curtis Luck T9 (-10); Sergio García T24 (-6); Matt Jones T30 (-5); Adam Scott MC (+1); Jonas Blixt MC (+3).