Quick look at the FedEx St. Jude Classic

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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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When a golf course is approved to undergo a renovation, it usually means that it’s older and outdated. It’s tired. It’s getting (or has already been) passed by due to the never-ending advancement of equipment and its agronomy has deteriorated beyond the point of sustainable maintenance to achieve expectations. Then there’s what happened at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. After it hosted the PGA TOUR from 1987-2004 and once more in 2006, it not only required an overhaul to eliminate concern over poor drainage and substandard turf, it likely wasn’t going to rejoin any sort of rotation as a host at this level until something significant occurred. Done and done. A much tougher test is in store for the field of 120 at this week’s Quicken Loans National. Continues to sizzle and remains one of the most active among the elite. Since a T14 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, he’s 7-for-7 with six top 25s. Season-best T5 last week. The PGA TOUR’s leader in adjusted scoring took a week to lick his wounds after a T5 at the U.S. Open. Fifth in birdie-or-better percentage and 10th in bogey avoidance. To steal his phrase, wouldn’t be surprised if he just won this (the week after sitting atop the Power Rankings, naturally). Tops on TOUR in birdies-or-better percentage. The 2013 champ (a mile away at Congressional) struts in on a T12-T25-T5 burst. Sits eighth in greens in regulation, seventh in scrambling and third in bogey avoidance. His affinity for tough tracks doesn’t hurt, but foreign greens already enhance his ball-striking skill set. Four top 25s since the Masters, including breakthrough title at Valero. Keeps printing top 20s like money. A T14 at TPC River Highlands is his eighth in 2017 alone. A force throughout his bag, he’s also 13th in bogey avoidance. Scratched out four sub-70s for a T17 at TPC River Highlands, his third top 20 in the last six weeks. Ranks 10th in strokes gained: tee-to-green and sixth in adjusted scoring. Heating up again as we near the Presidents Cup. Last week’s T3 occurs just one month after he went T5-solo sixth in the final swing through Texas. Has always enjoyed a tough test. Win at the AT&T Byron Nelson and T4 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic illustrate recent connections with tiptop form. Twelfth on TOUR in GIR. Might fulfill the eye test more than any other golfer because his occasional brilliance transcends data. Always a threat to WD, but nonetheless rested since a T13 at Erin Hills. Radically improved putting has yielded progressively better top 20s in his last three starts. It’s paid off what was already a serviceable tee-to-green game. Captured his only Web.com Tour title here in 2012. Like Reed, the Swede was also sparked by a T14 at the Zurich Classic and is 7-for-7 since, albeit with one less top 25. No stranger to thriving on smaller greens is fresh off a T5 at TPC River Highlands where he ranked T3 in greens in regulation and 15th in proximity to the hole. Duties as a first-time defending champion may be distracting, but practices at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, so he likes the level of comfort and advantage it presents. The team event in NOLA has marked a turnaround for him as well. The rookie backed up a T5 at the U.S. Open with a T14 at the Travelers. Ranks 24th in GIR. POWER RANKINGS: QUICKEN LOANS NATIONAL RANK PLAYER COMMENT Along with many other notables, Tony Finau, Jimmy Walker, J.B. Holmes and Charles Howell III will be included in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider. Back when TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm was a regular stop on the PGA TOUR and then known simply as TPC Avenel, it played as a pushover of a par 71. Charles Howell III owns the course record with a 61 in 2004. Three golfers share the tournament record of 263, most recently submitted by Adam Scott, also in 2004. Neither mark is expected to be threatened this week even. To shed perspective on the challenge, we turn to the career of World Golf Hall of Famer Bernhard Langer. He’s made 197 starts on the PGA TOUR Champions, but in only 14 has he completed a tournament over par. One of those occasions was during the Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship in October of 2010 when TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm resurfaced following its overhaul (in 2007). Mark O’Meara prevailed in a playoff after the duo completed the 72-hole competition in 7-under 273. The Web.com Tour then swung into town in October of 2012, and then again on the weekend after Memorial Day in 2013. David Lingmerth’s 8-under 272 was good enough for the first title, while Michael Putnam’s 7-under 273 secured victory in the latter. Only a combined 21 golfers finished under par for the week in the two editions. Jason Gore’s opening 63 in 2012 is the lowest aggregate of any of the three sanctioned competitions since 2010. Since Ben Curtis was the last PGA TOUR winner to pose for pictures at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, none of the 18 holes were left alone during the upgrade and modernization. Multiple holes were completely redone and all 83 bunkers were rebuilt. Particular attention was paid to land directly affected when water rises on the Rock Run Stream Valley that crosses through the southern edge of the property. The course now tips at 7,107 yards. Bentgrass greens averaging 5,300 square feet and running at about 12 feet on the Stimpmeter place a premium on distance and accuracy on approach. They’ll also help hide poor putters, but the relative unfamiliarity of the surfaces already presents an even playing field. However, as of midday Monday, 17 in the field (including Lingmerth) competed in the Web.com Tour event in 2012 and 21 were here in 2013, including Quicken Loans National defending champion Billy Hurley III. He missed the cut. Overall, 28 played in at least one of the two with 10 pegging it in both. (All former participants will be listed in The Confidence Factor on Tuesday.) Summerlike weather is in store throughout the tournament, and that includes an increasing threat of rain and boomers into the weekend. Warm and muggy air will provide the ingredients, while prevailing winds from a southwesterly direction may play a role at times, especially early. ROB BOLTON’S WRITING SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Columnist Rob Bolton will be filing his usual staples leading up to this week’s event. Look for the following columns this week. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, The Confidence Factor, Fantasy Insider WEDNESDAY: One & Done THURSDAY: Ownership Percentages in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf and One & Done presented by SERVPRO * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, which also publishes on Tuesdays.

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