World No. 3 Cameron Smith headed into the final round of the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship with a three-shot lead, but was caught at one point in the midst of a weather-plagued finale before ultimately sealing the deal by the same margin he started with: three shots.
Play was suspended not once but two times on Sunday at Brisbane’s Royal Queensland Golf Club, combining for a total delay of about two hours.
Smith was one under on the front nine before dropping a shot with a bogey on the par-3 11th. At that point, Smith was tied for the lead with chasers Jason Scrivener and Ryo Hisatsune. But then Smith kicked into gear, birdieing three of his next five holes to post a final round of three-under 68. Smith was 14 under for the tournament.
“You kind of get the mojo and for it to be stopped not once, but twice, is a little bit frustrating,” Smith said after his round. “But I held on to it and played solid on the last eight holes.”
The tournament marked the first time Smith has played in Australia for three years, and his fourth career victory on the DP World Tour. Smith won the Australian PGA in back-to-back years in 2017 and 2018, as well as this year’s Open Championship — his first major. Smith joined LIV Golf after winning the Open and though he and other LIV players have been banned from competing in PGA Tour events, he is allowed to play DP World Tour events until a judge makes a ruling, which is expected next year.
Next week, Smith will continue his Australian tournament tour with the Australian Open, in which men and women will play alongside each other in alternating groups for the first time in a national open. The first two rounds will be played at two Melbourne courses: Victoria Golf Club and Kingston Heath Golf Club. After the 36-hole cut, the final two rounds will be played at Victoria Golf Club.
The men and women will also receive equal prize money. The tournament begins on December 1.
