Collin Morikawa’s longtime teacher Rick Sessinghaus saw the ‘it’ factor early in a curious 12-year-old

Deadlines create pressure. They bring stress. Anxiety. Some falter under the stress. Others thrive. Just ask Cameron Smith. He fits firmly in the latter category. The 24-year-old Australian, who forms half of the defending duo at this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans, has already proven his propensity to perform his best when the pressure is highest. Just look at last year’s Monday finish at TPC Louisiana, where Smith clinched the title by knocking a wedge to 3 feet on the fourth hole of a sudden-death playoff. “He has a sense of occasion,â€� says his long-time coach, Grant Field. And it all started, unexpectedly, with a missed deadline. Smith has shown his mettle many times since missing his tee time at Web.com Tour Q-School in November 2013. He turned up to The Woodlands Country Club near Houston for his Wednesday practice round, only to find that the tournament had already begun and his tee time had passed. He was duly disqualified. Smith had mistakenly assumed play started on Thursday. It was a costly error, but one that woke the youngster up. “In a way it helped him,â€� Field says. “It was a brutal lesson to learn but he just got on with it. He didn’t dwell on it. He got back to business. He certainly didn’t let it define him.â€� And so Smith played on the Asian Tour four years ago as a fresh-faced teenager, a former Australian Amateur champion trying to figure a path that would one day land him in the United States. He circled the 2014 CIMB Classic, where the top 10 on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit got to compete alongside PGA TOUR players in the co-sanctioned event, as an important opportunity. He had four top-10 finishes, including a runner up at the Indonesian Masters, through six events, but he was just outside the mark as the CIMB Classic approached. Needing a decent result at the Hong Kong Open, Smith stepped up. He finished ninth to take the last spot afforded to Asian Tour players. Seeing an opening for a quick path to the PGA TOUR, Smith finished T5. He’d proven he could hang with the big guys. Knowing he could receive up to seven sponsor exemptions, Smith was confident he would find a home on the PGA TOUR. But five missed cuts and nothing better than a T15 afterwards had seemingly crushed his chances. Enter a new deadline. LIFE AT A CROSSROADS Days after missing the cut at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, Smith sat in a rain delay at the U.S. Open sectional qualifier in Columbus, Ohio. He was facing the prospect of returning to Asia or perhaps the Web.com Tour. He sat outside the qualification mark for a trip to Chambers Bay and his life felt like it was at a crossroads of sorts. “I knew I needed to pull my finger out and get something going. I’d been working hard on my game and not seeing results. I was a bit annoyed. So, I figured – stuff it – I’m going to go back out aggressively,â€� Smith said. He birdied four of six holes to book a trip to his first major championship. “No big deal,â€� he said at the time. But what happened a few weeks later was a pretty big deal. He needed a high finish at Chambers Bay, the futuristic links course carved out of a gravel pit, to keep his PGA TOUR dreams alive. He was still on the leaderboard after 71 holes but he needed a miraculous finish to earn his playing privileges for next season. Standing 290 yards from the 18th green, he knew he needed to get down in two shots. He needed to eagle the 72nd hole of the U.S. Open. No simple task. Smith had asked his caddie on the tee what he thought their chances were of getting home in two. The reply was he’d need “a bloody good drive.â€� He gave it his all but still had nearly 300 yards remaining for his second shot. “It was on a slight upslope which helped a bit, but I knew I had to have a crack. The stage was set to go hard or go home,â€� he said at the time. The thunderous roar that would come soon after his piercing 3-wood landed on the green, rolled around some slopes and finally came to rest at tap-in range was one he will never forget. “It was spine-tingling. It was crazy,â€� he says now. “It is still the coolest moment and shot I’ve had in golf.â€� His fourth-place finish earned him special temporary membership and ultimately his TOUR card for the 2015-16 season, not to mention a Masters invite and return trip to the U.S. Open. In a whirlwind, his life had changed. But, to be fair, perhaps he wasn’t ready for it. While Jordan Spieth, the same age, had won his second major at Chambers Bay, Smith was still every bit a young man. A young man who clung very tightly to the comforts of his homeland. As he navigated his first full season on the PGA TOUR, two sicknesses conspired against him. A long-term stomach issue that would strip him of weight and strength. And a hardcore case of homesickness. COUNTRY KID Smith grew up in the suburbs of Brisbane, Australia. While it is the capital city of Queensland, it is essentially a large country town known for its laid-back ethos. It is nicknamed “the Sunshine Stateâ€� for a reason. It’s tropical and full of gorgeous beaches. Think the Great Barrier Reef. They’re a mostly happy bunch up there. And they – for the most part – stay put. Queenslanders like their footy (rugby league) and a drink with their mates above most else. They branch out to other sports – Australian rules football, cricket, car racing — and they also like their golf. They worship their slice of paradise and will protect it to no end. They’re a parochial lot that has no problem pointing out that all three Australian golfers who have hit world No. 1 are from their state. But at the same time, they try to never let one of their own grow arrogant enough to forget where he’s from. Queenslanders are a “weâ€� bunch. Not “I.â€� His local Wantima Golf Club – where his father Des is an established competitor who plays off a scratch handicap – is a place of fun and friends. There has never been a stuck-up or snooty vibe there. “You can get a little bit caught up in all over here in the U.S., but I get it beaten out of me pretty quick,â€� Smith said of the elitist attitude that can befall some youngsters when wealth and fame is thrust upon them. “The guys back home at the golf club bring you back to Earth, which is so nice. One of the best traits of Australians is taking the mickey out of your mates, keeping them grounded.â€� Des never heaped pressure on Smith, in itself another huge help in his development. Short of “the quietest car ride of our livesâ€� when Smith, then 12, first beat his dad in the weekly Sunday competition, his father has always been there with encouragement. “Cam was always allowed to play badly. He was never discouraged for failure and there were no repercussions for that. It was very beneficial,â€� Field says. “Des said he didn’t care if Cameron ever made a dollar out of golf. He was gaining plenty of life experience in the sport and staying out of trouble.â€� On first impression, Smith is still a shy country kid. He couldn’t even speak on camera after sinking the winning putt at last year’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He still enjoys the comforts of Queensland and tinkering with his race cars. So he tried unsuccessfully to play his first PGA TOUR seasons out of Australia. He quickly found it was too difficult to face the world’s best players from a continent away. His adjustment to golf’s highest level was made even more difficult after he lost even more weight off of his small frame with what doctors thought was a parasite. “I was … basically a skeleton with skin on it,â€� Smith says. “From a stability and power standpoint it hurt me. I couldn’t keep up with the long stuff at all.â€� In 24 starts, Smith failed to get a top-10 finish during his true rookie year. He headed to the Web.com Tour Finals after finishing 157th in the FedExCup. Halfway through the four-event Finals, his management team called to ask if he wanted to be entered into Web.com Tour Q-School. Just in case. Smith said no. He was going to earn his card. “He went out and finished second. Clinched his card. That’s pretty special,â€� Field recalls. THE BIG WIN  Last season was a life-changer for Smith. Through 15 events, Smith had shown more consistency. He’d missed just three cuts and posted two top-10s. He looked a solid bet to retain playing privileges, but it was a surprise when he and Jonas Blixt built a four-shot lead after three rounds last year at TPC Louisiana And when Kevin Kisner and Scott Brown went bananas with 10 birdies in their first 11 holes on Sunday, not many expected Smith would be the one to respond. But hey, he was once again under the gun. Three birdies to open his back nine and an important one on the 17th hole had his team back in business. A sublime wedge on the 72nd hole to close range had seemingly sealed the deal for his first PGA TOUR win. Then Kisner holed a chip for eagle and Smith had to make his short putt just for extra holes. He did. In the playoff the following day it was Smith who ultimately made the winning play and putt. Smith was now a TOUR winner. With the win, he dreamed of buying a high-end Nissan GT-R (which he did). He also wanted to take advantage of his job security and return to Australia for a few long stints. “’How good is this,’ is what I thought at the time. My schedule is set, I can spend as much time as I want at home,â€� Smith recalls. He took his tricked-out Subaru WRX to his favorite race track and met his famous namesake, the rugby star who is one of Australia’s most famous athletes. He loved it all, but his game suffered. Smith played just 10 TOUR events in the 5 ½ months following his win. He missed the cut in seven of them, costing him a chance at his first Presidents Cup appearance. “At the end of the season … I had a truth session with myself,â€� he said. He had a home on the PGA TOUR – the Zurich win came with a two-year exemption – but now he needed to find a home more permanently in the United States. He settled in America’s version of the Sunshine State. Smith bought a new home in Ponte Vedra Beach, just a couple of well struck drives from TPC Sawgrass. With his mind more settled Smith closed last year with a victory in the Australian PGA Championship, his first official individual title (the Zurich Classic awards FedExCup points but is not included in the world ranking). “Some people were questioning my win at Zurich as it was with a teammate but to win alone, at home, was very special.â€� That win came in Queensland and the time spent once again intensified the homesickness. But Smith knows he’ll need to spend more time in the States now. The contingent of Australians who live in northeast Florida’s coastal communities have eased the transition. And sometimes Australia comes to him. Prior to the Masters, he had some of his closest friends from Australia come hang out in Florida and then in Augusta. They grilled steaks, sipped drinks and played video games, just like the old days. He fired up his drone and talked about photography, one of his passions that can elicit more excitement than a well-struck golf shot. While some players arrive at Augusta National the week before the Masters, Smith’s laid-back approach paid off. A final-round 66, with a blistering back-nine 30, gave him a fifth-place finish. Just getting there had been evidence of success at another deadline. The World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play was the last week to earn a Masters invitation via the world ranking. Smith knew he needed to make the quarterfinals to crack the top 50 in the OWGR. He did both. The Masters was his fifth top 10 in 12 starts this season. He ranks 25th in the FedExCup thanks to his third-place finish at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES and three fifth-place finishes (CIMB Classic, WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, Masters). Spieth, Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele and Daniel Berger may headline the famed Class of 2011, but it’s worth noting that Smith also can be included in that group. And his sights are now set on achieving the heights they have. He likes being clutch, but he’d also love to be consistent. “I feel I am ahead of where I thought I might be,â€� Smith says. “Hopefully sometime soon I can catch up to some or all of the achievements of the other guys my age.â€� When asked when he hoped to add a second PGA TOUR win to his resume, Smith could only respond with “soon.â€� Perhaps he should set a more definitive deadline. That’s when he performs best.

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DUBLIN, Ohio — The Captains Club announced that World Golf Hall of Famer Hale Irwin, a winner of three U.S. Open championships, has been selected as the Honoree for the 2018 Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide. Irwin, who celebrated his 72nd birthday last week, is a two-time winner of the Memorial Tournament, in 1983 and ’85, making him one of just six multiple winners in tournament history. Also being honored posthumously in 2018 will be two-time major champion Jock Hutchison and Willie Turnesa, widely considered one of the game’s finest amateur golfers. “I’ve always simply accepted the game for what it’s given me and never assumed anything, so I feel very honored,â€� Irwin said. “The whole fact that Jack established this tournament to recognize some of golf’s notable figures means everything. Jack and Barbara are very near and dear to me. I have a hard time putting myself in that category with the greats of the past, so I am absolutely delighted.â€� Irwin was born on June 3, 1945, in Joplin, Missouri, but it was in Baxter Springs, Kansas, where Hale and his father spent countless hours on the sand greens at their local municipal golf course. He took up the game at age 4, and it was the work on those sand greens that helped Hale break 70 for the first time at age 14. The Irwin family relocated to Boulder, Colo., where Hale began to star at the prep level in golf, football and baseball. Hale led Boulder High School to a state title in football as their quarterback his senior year, earning him a scholarship to the University of Colorado. Irwin was a two-sport athlete at Colorado, excelling in golf and football. He graduated in 1967 and decided to pursue a golf career, turning professional a year later. He won his first PGA TOUR event at the 1971 Sea Pines Heritage Classic at Harbour Town Golf Links, the first golf course to be designed by Memorial Tournament founder and host Jack Nicklaus. During his illustrious career, Irwin won three U.S. Opens and 20 PGA TOUR events in all. He played on five U.S. Ryder Cup teams, captained the 1994 U.S. Presidents Cup team, and won a record 45 times on the PGA TOUR Champions to become the most decorated player in the history of senior golf. The leader in career earnings on the PGA TOUR Champions with more than $26 million, Irwin’s success in U.S. Golf Association events carried over to his senior golf career. He won two U.S. Senior Open titles and seven senior majors overall. Irwin’s record in the U.S. Open also cements his spot among golf’s legends. With 11 years between his second and third titles, he ties Julius Boros for the longest span between victories. He is the last winner who received a special exemption (1990), and that same year, he became the last winner to birdie the 72nd hole to force a playoff. His victory at age 45 years and 15 days also makes him the oldest U.S. Open champion. Only Willie Anderson, Bob Jones, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus have more U.S. Open victories. “Hale was truly one of the great golfers and athletes we ever had playing on the PGA TOUR,â€� Nicklaus said. “He was a terrific golfer. He always had tremendous integrity. He’s been a terrific family man. Hale has always been one of the purest strikers of the golf ball. You knew when you got to a difficult golf course that Hale Irwin was going to be there somewhere. He was probably the best senior player we’ve ever had on the PGA TOUR Champions.â€� Jock Hutchison Jack Fowler “Jockâ€� Hutchison was born in St Andrews, Scotland, in 1884, where he was trained as a caddie. He immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s, and became a PGA professional in 1919 and a U.S. citizen in 1920. He won the PGA Championship in 1920, and the following year he traveled back to St. Andrews and won the Open Championship, becoming the first U.S.-based player to win the Claret Jug. Hutchison had been playing — and setting records on the Old Course at St. Andrews — with the grooved clubs he had been working on, and the R&A’s Rules of Golf Committee banned such ribbed clubs six days after his historic Open victory. Hutchison competed in 99 PGA TOUR events from 1916-1961 and collected 14 titles. He also won the inaugural Senior PGA Championship in 1937, which was held at Augusta National Golf Club. He won it again a decade later. Augusta National recognized the quality of Hutchison’s career when they made him one of the first two honorary starters of the Masters, along with Fred McLeod. Hutchison served in that role from 1963-73. Hutchison died on Sept. 27, 1977, and was inducted posthumously into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011. Willie Turnesa William P. “Willieâ€� Turnesa was born Jan. 20, 1914, and lived most of his life in Elmsford, New York. Willie was the youngest of the famous golfing Turnesa brothers. Three of the seven Turnesa brothers were top touring pros in the 1930s and ’40s, and Willie, the only brother who did not turn pro, was considered by many to be the best amateur golfer after Bob Jones. Turnesa won the U.S. Amateur championship in 1938 and 1948 and the British Amateur championship in 1947, and he was runner-up in the British Am in 1949. He was a member of three winning Walker Cup teams, in 1947, ’49 and ’51, and also served as captain of the 1951 squad. Willie served as president of both the Metropolitan and New York State Golf Associations in the mid-1950s. At that time, he also co-founded what is now known as the Westchester Golf Association Caddie Scholarship Fund, which has awarded millions of dollars to college-bound students. The Turnesa brothers were once called “the greatest family dynasty in golf history.â€� Turnesa died on June 16, 2001, in Sleepy Hollow, New York.

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Medicals extensions in order of the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Priority Ranking ^ – Qualified for conditional status if he fails to meet the terms on his medical. & – Grayson Murray is fully exempt as a 2019 Korn Ferry Tour Finals graduate, so he will play out of no worse than Category No. 27 in the Priority Ranking. However, if he meets the terms of his medical, he’ll remain in Category No. 22. % – Conditionally exempt in Category 32 of the Priority Ranking. However, if he meets the terms of his medical, he’ll be promoted to Category No. 22. • Tim Wilkinson ... In the only start on his Minor Medical Extension, he finished in an eight-way T36 at the Safeway Open. He fell 76.897 FedExCup points shy of earning a promotion, so he will play out of no worse than Category No. 27 in the Priority Ranking for the remainder of the season. • Branden Grace ... In the last start on his Minor Medical Extension, he missed the cut at the 2020 U.S. Open. He fell 114.684 FedExCup points shy of earning a promotion, so he will play out of no worse than Category No. 27 in the Priority Ranking for the remainder of the season. • Hudson Swafford ... In the second-to-last start on his Major Medical Extension, he won the 2020 Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship. As a result, he will play out of no worse than Category No. 9 in the Priority Ranking for the remainder of the season. • Vincent Whaley ... In the last start on his Minor Medical Extension, he finished in a five-way T28 at the 2020 Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship. He fell 107.634 FedExCup points shy of earnings a promotion, so he will play out of no worse than Category No. 27 in the Priority Ranking for the remainder of the season. • Nick Watney ... In the last start on his Minor Medical Extension, he missed the cut at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. He fell 14.101 FedExCup points shy of earning a promotion, so he will play out of no worse than Category No. 27 in the Priority Ranking for the remainder of the season. • Greg Chalmers ... In the last start on his Major Medical Extension, he finished in an eight-way T50 at the Vivint Houston Open. He fell 234.244 FedExCup points shy of fulfilling its terms and 122.922 FedExCup points short of securing conditional status. As a result, the Past Champion has been demoted to Category 34 in the Priority Ranking. NOTE: None are in the field at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. * – Because the FedExCup points structure was modified for the 2016-17 season, when golfers on medicals granted to time missed before the conversion earn FedExCup points in a tournament in 2019-20, they will be credited with the values distributed through the 2015-16 season. Thus, both “FedExCup points earned” and “FedExCup points remaining” for these golfers reflect the distribution through 2015-16 and not actual points earned that apply to their FedExCup ranking in the 2019-20 season.

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