Who knows if it was the heat of his great triumph or because he truly believes it, Cameron Smith dared yesterday to make one of those predictions that can accompany you for the rest of your days. For better or for worse. The subject of his predictions was, of course, Elvis Smylie, a player who is much more than his teammate in LIV Golf. According to Smith, the 2022 Open Championship winner, Smylie, who is only 23 years old, could be the best on the planet. He didn’t just say he has everything to be World Number One, no. He was much more emphatic: “Honestly, I think he can be the World Number One.” Literally.
Elvis, have friends like these. Jokes aside, the brand new winner of the LIV Golf Riyadh, his first tournament in the Saudi league, has just been put under a million-volt spotlight. “It’s not so much about how far I think he can go. He has made a decision. He wants to be one of the best players in the world. He has shown it this week. I honestly believe he can be the best golfer in the world. He has all the tools. He just has to keep doing what he’s doing and push. He has the mentality. He showed it this Saturday. He has grit. He’s from Queensland, so that comes with the package,” he explained.
Cameron Smith has known Smylie for a long time. Specifically, since 2019. Ten years ago, Smith created a mentoring and scholarship program for young Australian golfers with great potential. Each year he chose two players, and among the perks was the opportunity to spend a week working with him in Florida. Smylie was chosen for this program in 2019, and they shared training. Additionally, both are from Queensland, almost neighbours. “I am tremendously proud. I knew he was going to come here and do great things. Winning on debut is… quite big. Probably very big. I didn’t expect that, but yes, super proud of him. I’ve seen him grow as a person and as a golfer over the last six or seven years. Yes, it’s very nice to see it, and it’s very nice to see that moment at the end and the emotion. Seeing him let all that out was really great,” Smith noted.
In this regard, and within the same prediction, Cameron warns that Smylie has not yet reached his ceiling. “The craziest thing about all this is that I still think he has a lot of room for improvement, which is a bit scary for the rest because he ran over us this week. He has to decide where he’s going to go from here, and I think he can only go in one direction… and that’s upwards,” he stated.
Smylie didn’t engage with the possibility of being World Number One in the future, but he did express immense happiness about his victory. He wanted to send a message, and he has done so. “I didn’t really know what to expect this week. I know golf is a completely different world. You have to deal with all kinds of conditions. You’re playing a bit at altitude here. But I was clear I wanted to go out and make a statement. I am very grateful to be here and feel that I am in an environment, with these guys too, to continue progressing as a golfer,” he pointed out.
Regarding the week in question, he described a change in his bag of clubs as key. “I’ve changed putters. It’s the first week it’s in the bag. The guys at Scotty Cameron in the United States were able to set me up with a regular blade. I’ve been using a centre-shafted putter for a couple of years, so it’s nice to see something different. It’s amazing what happens when you see something new: it somehow frees you up a bit. I felt that was what happened to me this week. Every hole seemed like a basketball hoop to me.”
On the other hand, Jon Rahm added another second place to his collection in LIV Golf. He pushed hard in the final stretch and put pressure on a player who was simply playing a different game. Rahm’s golf from the 13th hole onwards was simply imperial. The man from Barrika is more than satisfied to see that things are in place after so much time without competing, specifically since October at the Open de España. However, there is one area where he feels he has even taken a step forward compared to last year. “After taking such a long break, to come and play so well and with such comfort, hitting the driver much better than last year and, in general, doing good things… I’m happy.”
Regarding yesterday’s round (63 strokes, nine under par), Jon only has two minor criticisms. “I suppose, yes, I could ask for one more thing. The only thing I’m going to say today is the 6th hole. I’m lucky from the tee, I hit a good second shot, and not making birdie there was a mistake (he missed a short putt). That and maybe the second shot on the 11th. Those are the two shots today where, if I have to be picky, I will be. However, really if we have to look for two shots that prevented my victory today, I would have to go back to the first two days to be fairer,” he explained.
Rahm leaves Saudi Arabia with a great display from tee to green. He was fifth in fairways hit (Smylie was first), fifth in distance from the tee, with that massive drive on the 18th that reached the green in one, fifth also in greens in regulation, second in recoveries, and second also in the number of birdies. Statistically, the weakest part of his game was putting, although it cannot be said that he putted poorly, far from it. As for the Spaniards, it should also be highlighted that David Puig was the best in greens in regulation, once again showing that enormous consistency that has accompanied him for more than a year.
