2022 PGA Championship: Top 10 Power Rankings at Southern Hills

Cameron Smith hasn’t played in a ton of events the last couple months, so it’s easy for him to slip under the radar.

It’s foolish to forget about him.

Smith has capitalized when he has teed it up in 2022, starting with a tournament record 34-under-par mark to win the Sentry Tournament of Champions. The long-locked Aussie followed with a win about as far away in the United States from Hawaii as you can get, winning in his current residential metro at the Players Championship.

The field at TPC Sawgrass was about as deep as it will be here in Southern Hills, so to get it done there is a great harbinger.

Smith still seeks his first major championship win, but it’s not due to poor play.

He was runner-up at the 2020 Masters and got in the final pairing this year en route to T-3rd.

The 28-year-old has made a stellar 18 of 22 career cuts in majors with five top-10s.

We last saw Smith team up with fellow countryman Marc Leishman a few weeks back at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. They took T-21st.

Smith doesn’t have the length that may be important at a 7,500-yard ballpark this week, but firm and fast conditions paired with wind are what he’s used to growing up playing sandbelt golf.

He ranks second on the PGA Tour in total strokes gained approach (1.892) and seventh in SG approach (.88). His weakness is with the driver, so he’s thankful Southern Hills doesn’t look like it did in 2007 with a more pronounced tree line.

Smith also leads in birdie average (5.38) and scoring average (69.338).