Leaderboard: Round 2 of 3M Open

Cameron Smith is a household name in Australia, particularly along the east coast and its three most inhabited states of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Those three states make up about 78% of the country's population. Bring up Cameron Smith in any of those states and gums will start flapping. Some adore Cameron Smith. Some have an aversion bordering on hatred. Some might not love him but certainly respect him. Just about all have an opinion on Cameron Smith. We're not talking about the Cameron Smith who defends his Sony Open in Hawaii title this week. Nor the Cameron Smith who finished second in last year's Masters after becoming the first player to shoot four rounds in the 60s at Augusta National. That Cameron Smith might be the most underappreciated athlete in Australia. But - quite frankly - he doesn't care about that. It is another Cameron Smith who dominates the Australian sporting consciousness. (Australian readers bear with us a moment while we explain to the rest.) Cameron Smith is arguably the greatest rugby league player who ever lived. The National Rugby league (NRL) star is 10 years older than the golfer. The younger Smith spent his childhood idolizing the man. "It’s just cool. It’s like having Superman as your name basically. Everyone knows how good he is," says Smith, the golfer. "As a kid to have the same name it just makes you feel like you are kind of like him. So, it was fun for me to see his success and it makes you believe you can achieve great things to." The similarities go much deeper than a name. Both grew up in the Brisbane suburbs as part of working-class families. Both have a love of rugby league and golf, following their dads around golf courses from a young age. Both crave a "normal" life and prefer to point the spotlight in a different direction, despite their impressive accomplishments. Both have a steely determination to prove themselves after having their abilities questioned. And both were forced to leave the comfort of their cultural surrounds to become great. Smith, the rugby league player, is pretty fond of Smith, the golfer, these days as well. An avid recreational golfer, Smith, the rugby league player, keeps up with the Aussies on TOUR - particularly his fellow Queenslander who shares the same name. The two met a few years back and instantly hit it off. "I first heard of Cam when he came on TOUR as a young fella a few years back," Smith, the rugby league player, told PGATOUR.COM. "Smith and Cameron are quite common names but of course it stood out, and to share the name and be pretty much from the same town – we grew up 30-40 kilometers apart from each other – that was pretty remarkable." "Ever since he started on the PGA TOUR, I have been following his progress. When I got to meet him, I found him to be a very laid-back type of fella. A typical Queensland kid who loves his sport. Of course, we got on." On that occasion the pair hit a few shots on the range for local news cameras and passed the football around. The occasion drew Smith, the golfer, out of his shell. He displayed the cheeky personality that isn't often on display in public. Smith, the rugby league player, says he can understand why the golfer may seem quiet and shy to his PGA TOUR peers. Leaving Queensland can be a shock. Those from Australia's northeastern state find joy in simple pleasures and enduring friendships. They're not enticed by bright lights and fame. And there is most definitely an underdog spirit. New South Wales has Sydney. Victoria has Melbourne. Those two cities are Australia's equivalent of New York and Los Angeles. Queensland has Brisbane, which can be compared to Birmingham, Alabama, a big, friendly country town (but with Hawaii style beaches). "The first couple of years being away from home were the most difficult of my career," says Smith, the rugby league player, who played Australian Rules Football in Melbourne. "Making the move, it's a shock to the system. And my move wasn't as significant as Cam's was. I was only moving two states away, but it was like another world. "The way people dress and talk and the way they interact is very different to Queensland. The lifestyle is very different, and it takes time to adjust to that and you probably don't offer your full self to other people because you are trying to fit in a little bit to the people around you rather than being yourself and being a bit of an outcast. I'd imagine it's similar for Cam in the U.S." There's no doubt Smith, the golfer, would live in Queensland if not for the transcontinental commute. In his spare time, he'd hang with his mates at the pub, race cars, go fishing and hunt for the best coffee in town. But it's hard enough to take on the best golfers in the world without adding 15-hour flights to the mix. So, he lives in Ponte Vedra, Florida, instead. His friendship circle is small, but tight. You often see Smith, the golfer, with fellow Australians and New Zealanders, like his caddie Sam Pinfold, or the odd European like Jonas Blixt with whom he paired up with to win his first TOUR title at the 2017 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. One of his best mates from home moved to Ponte Vedra to be a personal assistant of sorts. Smith, the golfer, does have a long-term girlfriend who is American, and many friends who are American. But he opens up quicker to those who understand his self-deprecating and stinging humor and who aren't looking for too much attention. Smith is a throwback, a millennial straight out of the 1970s. Hence the mullet he started growing after he saw National Rugby league players growing similar ones last year. "Queenslanders, and most Australians, are pretty good at bringing people back down to earth if you get a little bit full yourself," Smith, the golfer, says. Smith doesn't need to be reined in. No matter how many zeros get added to his bank account - he won $2.4 million on the course last season, not including the bonus for finishing 24th in the FedExCup — he remains the same knockabout bloke from Brisbane. This Christmas, he paid off his father's mortgage as an expression of gratitude. "He knows where he's come from and appreciates everything that was given to him and appreciates everything he gets," said Cameron's father, Des. Des, a scratch golfer, introduced his son to the game at a young age. He was in the printing business, which meant his shift was over when school let out. Smith beat his dad for the first time when he was 12 but Des says he knew from age 6 the boy could be a professional. "He flushed every shot," his father remembers. But Des didn't force the issue, except suggesting he might want to give up the contact sport of rugby league. He did, but he still is a fan of the sport. His dog, Walter, is named after another Queensland rugby league idol, Wally Lewis. "He used to like the attack (offense) part of rugby league but let's just say he was a bit of a grabber in defense. He didn't use his shoulder much," Des chuckles. "So I told him it might be time to choose golf or league because the way you're defending you're likely to get hurt." Smith, the rugby league player, says Des and his wife deserve a lot of credit for the man they've raised. "Queensland attitudes, it's part of upbringing to be honest. You learn that from your parents," Smith, the rugby league player, says. "It’s just all about humility and while I don’t have anything against people self-promoting and enjoying their success, because we all have to enjoy our success, we just do it in different ways." There is one significant difference between the two Smiths. The rugby league player, trains harder than most. Smith, the golfer, knows that's a place he can sometimes get slack. "I feel like I have a really good understanding on golf, but I wish I did sometimes work a little harder than I do," he admits. "I don’t get lazy. I just get content sometimes. I’d rather be out doing something with my mates than pounding balls on the range." Smith, the golfer, knew as a 12-year-old he might not emulate his namesake in rugby league, but he figured he might be able to do something decent with a club and dimpled ball. And where he could emulate his hero was in attitude. Both Smiths have a knack for producing their best when the chips are down. It's another Queensland thing apparently. State of Origin is one of the biggest events on the Australian sporting calendar. It's a three-match rugby league series pitting Queensland against New South Wales. It's as fierce a rivalry as you'll find anywhere in world sport and pits club teammates against one another. Imagine if NFL players from Georgia and Tennessee returned to their state to play for state pride. Or the best of Texas took on one of their rival states. Smith, the rugby league player, was part of an incredible era when Queensland won eight series in a row, and 11 of 12. He was captain for a large chunk of it. Even before Smith's time, the Queensland Maroons Origin team would often win games against the odds. And they had an uncanny ability to come from behind late in matches to snatch victories from the jaws of defeat. They just never give up. As Smith, the golfer, came through the Australian junior system the spotlight fell towards the likes of Oliver Goss and Brady Watt. Goss was runner up in the 2013 U.S. Amateur and was the low amateur at the 2014 Masters. Watt reached No. 1 in the world amateur rankings. It helped fuel Smith's underdog mentality. When he qualified for the 2015 U.S. Open (by making four birdies in his last six holes at sectionals), Smith was determined to prove his worth. While Jordan Spieth was winning his second straight major, Smith was making his own splash. Knowing he needed to eagle the final hole to secure his future, Smith's final approach shot at Chambers Bay was a cracking 3-wood that set up a tap-in eagle and ensured a T4 finish. It gave him temporary membership on the PGA TOUR. He's been there since. And he's proven clutch on multiple occasions since. He was three down to Justin Thomas in the 2019 Presidents Cup singles before rallying to win. He was out of position multiple times at the recent Masters but created brilliant short game shots to stay in the mix. And a year ago, he was 4 over at the Sony Open after just two holes but managed to rebound all the way to victory. "Watching those Queensland boys on TV in Origin for me is inspiring," Smith, the golfer, says. "Just watching them smash the Blues and be willing to do anything to win despite always being the underdog team. To give every ounce for their mates - seemingly outside their ability... and most of the time they just find a way to win. It’s inspiring to me to just try and be like that." His namesake in rugby league can be compared to quarterback Tom Brady for the success he's had over the past two decades. The accolades attached to Smith, the rugby league player, who is now 37, are endless. Among them are records for the most games played and points scored, multiple MVP equivalent awards and numerous matches for his state and country. Despite all of this Smith, the rugby league player, is now the one being inspired. He thoroughly enjoyed Smith's efforts in the Masters and will be watching intently as he defends his Sony Open title. "Cam certainly has all the attributes to be No. 1 in the world somewhere down the track. His golf skills are there for all to see but he's also got the right temperament," Smith, the rugby league player, says. "All the great players and athletes no matter what sport it is have the temperament to come up with the right options, and with the big plays when they need them because they don't get overawed. He's that type of personality."

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Stewart Cink was a mess. It was the final round of the 2007 PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Heat index: 109 degrees. Cink had been scripted to wear an orange shirt made of a synthetic, wicking material that breathed. It also reeked. An emergency call to his wife, Lisa, yielded a replacement shirt, which Cink changed into after ducking into a sweltering portable bathroom on the second hole. He left his toxic orange top behind. “Probably one of the top five grossest things I’ve ever left in a porta-john,� Cink says with a rueful smile. Welcome to summer on the PGA TOUR, where high-end sportswear can quickly morph into something best handled with salad tongs and a Hazmat suit. It is in this arena that the best players in the world and their caddies do whatever it takes to survive and even thrive. This week’s Quicken Loans National at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm is expected to be warm but not unbearable, with a forecast of 77 degrees and 70 percent humidity for the opening round. Talk to enough players and the ’07 PGA at Southern Hills, won by Tiger Woods and merely survived by Cink and others, comes up repeatedly. This year has been no picnic, either. The average high temperature in Dublin, Ohio, for tournament time, is 78 degrees, but the mercury hit a steamy 90 early in the week at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide. Temps topped out at 99 at the Fort Worth Invitational at Colonial, where the winner, Justin Rose, said he drank 15 to 20 bottles of water a day and never saw the inside of a restroom. Asked how he survived, Rose says, “I played in Jakarta last December and that was as hot as Texas. Actually, I won in both those climates, so I must not mind the heat. Maybe it’s my South African upbringing. It’s not the English one, that’s for sure.� The week before Rose won at Colonial, the high of 91 at the AT&T Byron Nelson at Trinity Forest, where Aaron Wise won, felt even hotter for the lack of shade. Earth-scorching heat around the world The story of Cink and his stinky shirt notwithstanding, summer heat is no joke. Chad Reynolds, Nick Watney’s caddie, suffered heat stroke in the first round of the 2012 CIMB Classic in Malaysia. He wound up taking an IV drip in the first-aid room while Watney’s wife, Amber, stepped in for the last hole. Watney used a local caddie for the second round before reuniting with Reynolds and shooting 65-61 to win the tournament. Michael Greller, Jordan Spieth’s caddie, had to relinquish the bag in the third round of the Fort Worth Invitational last season, when the heat index soared to 108. Chris Stroud and Chris Couch required medical attention at the sweltering 2012 AT&T National at Congressional Country Club, where several caddies, fans and others also struggled. Tennis players have it worse. For one thing, they run more, and for another, blast-furnace heat bounces off the court and right back up at them through their melting soles. Then again, sometimes golfers have it pretty bad. “I worked when it was 127 in Perth,� says longtime caddie Tony Navarro. It was the mid-1990s, and Navarro was working for Greg Norman at the Heineken Classic at the Vines Resort. “In the mornings the wind would blow out of the west,� Navarro says, “which is off the coast, and then at about 11:30 every day it would switch and come out of the east, which is nothing but about 2,300 miles of desert: dead, dry heat.� Having grown up in Moline, Illinois, home of the John Deere Classic, Navarro thought he was prepared. This time, however, the heat caught him off-guard. He had flown all night to get to the Vines, which meant Moline to Chicago, Chicago to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Melbourne, and Melbourne to Perth. He’d been in his hotel room a half an hour when the phone rang. “C’mon,� Norman said. “We’re going to go play.’� It didn’t work out; a bleary Navarro had gotten through only around six holes when Norman looked into his eyes and demanded he give up the bag. The dogged, dazed caddie protested, but made it just one more hole before the Shark insisted he turn the bag over to a boy in the gallery. “I walked the rest of the course with an umbrella over my head,� Navarro says. “I hadn’t seen the golf course, and it was Tuesday. I didn’t come to Perth for a haircut.� Who says golfers aren’t tough? The toughest among them might be those indefatigable world travelers like Navarro, players and caddies who are no stranger to stifling, equatorial heat. “The hottest I’ve ever been on the golf course was this place called Kota Kinabalu,� says Asian Tour veteran Anirban Lahiri. “It’s a Malaysian territory, but it’s on the Java Island. It was probably like 100, 102, but it was like 98 percent humidity. “Same thing with Brunei,� Lahiri adds. “Just standing around the driving range, you’re wet. You haven’t even hit a ball. I don’t like playing in cotton; you have to have the right fabric or you’re always pulling it away from you to get some air. You also need clothing that doesn’t smell; certain types of materials get really stinky. I don’t mind the heat; I’ve always played well.� Hydration: The earlier the better Pat Perez and his caddie, Mike Hartford, believe Perez momentarily blacked out in the heat at the 2007 PGA at Southern Hills. He not only remained upright, he shot a final-round 68 to finish T18. Fast-forward to the CIMB Classic at TPC Kuala Lumpur last fall, where it was 90 degrees and thick with humidity, and Perez played lights-out, shooting 24 under for his third win. “I just walk slow when it’s really, really hot,� he says. Rickie Fowler had another strategy at the Fort Worth Invitational at Colonial, where he finished T14. “I carried a little hand towel around,� Fowler said, “to throw some ice and water on it to wipe the neck and face and try to trick the body into not getting too hot.� Experts say the best defense against the heat is early hydration. If you wait until you’re on the course to start bolting water, you could already be too late. Also, water isn’t always enough. “I use electrolyte powder,� Lahiri says. “I usually start hydrating like an hour before I go out to practice and play. A lot of times if you start hydrating three or four holes in, you’ve already lost it; you’re already behind and now it’s going to take your body longer to absorb it.� Troy Van Biezen, a Dallas-based trainer who works with Jordan Spieth and several other TOUR pros, agrees. “Once you’re behind the 8-ball,� he says, “it’s hard to catch up.� The worst sign of heat distress is when a player stops sweating. Then there’s the headaches, dizziness, and muscle-cramping. “I honestly seem to struggle in the heat,� says Adam Hadwin, who grew up outside Vancouver, Canada, in a climate he describes as temperate. “Not necessarily struggling playing, but I get headaches. I try to pop as many electrolytes as possible.� He also limits practice time and seeks out air conditioning wherever possible. The story of Ken Venturi at the 1964 U.S. Open at Congressional has become legend. Venturi’s temperature reached a potentially fatal 106 degrees midway through the sweltering, 36-hole final day, and he lay on the locker room floor as concerned doctors and tournament officials looked down at his seemingly lifeless body. To keep playing, it seemed, was to invite disaster. “I’ve come this far, and I’ve never been this close,� Venturi said. “I’m going to try.� Against the advice of doctors, he not only kept playing, he won. Heat stress isn’t always so obvious; one symptom is far less visible, but still costly. “You deplete a lot of Vitamin Bs when you sweat, and the B complexes are very important for cognitive thinking and decision-making,� Van Biezen says. “When you’re dehydrated, you’re not aware of it, but sometimes you just don’t make those right decisions, maybe on the 12th or 13th hole on a Sunday. With the dip in blood-glucose, the brain isn’t getting what it needs.� Enjoying the heat To avert such problems, Van Biezen says, he instructs his clients to ingest a hydration product with Vitamin B and amino acids both the night before and the morning of a round. Caddies are also reminded to push bottled water, often with electrolytes, every three or four holes, and the right foods and post-round recovery drinks are also important. It’s all become second nature for clients like Fowler. “Summers in South Florida are hot, too,� he says, “but I prefer the heat over the cold.� Louis Oosthuizen agrees. “I enjoy the heat,� he says. “My body is better; it’s sort of looser. When it’s really cold and windy, it gets tough. I don’t get the same turn.� Lahiri says he feels like he has an advantage in the heat in the same way that, say, Padraig Harrington might have an advantage in cooler weather. Rose stresses the importance of proper nutrition, and says he didn’t practice much after his rounds at Colonial in order to keep fresh. Meanwhile, Perez keeps to his strategy of slowing things down, if not actually swapping tops. “Nah, I don’t change shirts,� he says. “You’re sweating like hell again five minutes later. Why ruin two?�

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