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Cam Smith tweaks driver for US Open tilt

3 minute read

Australia's world No.6 Cameron Smith has made a technical adjustment to his driver in the hope of finding more fairways in pursuit of US Open glory.

CAMERON SMITH celebrates winning Australian PGA Championship at Royal Pines Resort in Gold Coast, Australia.
CAMERON SMITH celebrates winning Australian PGA Championship at Royal Pines Resort in Gold Coast, Australia. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Cameron Smith is banking on a technical tweak to reap rich rewards as Australia's world No.6 once again bids to land an elusive maiden major at this week's US Open in Massachusetts.

Third at the Masters and tied for 13th at last month's PGA Championship, Smith arrived at Brookline as, rankings-wise, the second-best player yet to win a major behind American world No.4 Patrick Cantley.

A supreme iron player and a wizard around the greens, the 28-year-old knows it's the errant driver holding him back.

Ranked 151st on the PGA Tour this season for driving accuracy, Smith is finding only 56.70 per cent of fairways off the tee.

That won't get the job done at any US Open, where the rough is as penal as anywhere in world golf, let alone at Brookline, a course notorious for high scoring.

In the search for more control, Smith and coach Grant Field have taken a half-inch off his regular Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 X shaft and adjusted the weight in the head of his Titleist TSi3 driver.

"We had to change up the head weight a little bit to get the swing rate the same. That's what we need," Smith said.

"For me, that first move away from the ball for me is really key and, when I get away from that, the whole swing kind of dismantles itself.

"I find it hard with driver to kind of stay in control of that first sequence of the swing.

"I know exactly what I'm doing. It's just when you are out there trying to hit golf shots sometimes it gets away from you."

If he'd made a few more putts around Southern Hills, Smith would have seriously contended for PGA Championship glory and fancies his chances of another Masters-like run on Sunday.

"I love the majors. I feel like they bring out the best in me," he said.

"I love the demand for good play and just the grinding out good scores.

"I feel like I've had a little bit of success in US Opens before. I feel like this is a really good venue for me."

His best US Open result was a tie for fourth on debut at Chambers Bay in 2015.

"I would like to think that my game has progressed where I can compete on most golf courses. I just need to hit some more fairways," Smith said.

"That for me, especially out here with rough like this will be a big part this week.

"My iron game is exactly where it needs to be. I'll have plenty of looks at birdie."

Smith spearheads a seven-strong Australian assault, with veterans Adam Scott and Marc Leishman joined by Lucas Herbert and Open debutants Min Woo Lee, Jed Morgan and little-known qualifier Todd Sinnott, a major championship rookie from Melbourne.

AUSSIE AEST TEE TIMES FOR THE FIRST ROUND OF THE US OPEN GOLF (denotes starting on 10th hole):

Thursday

9.29pm: Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth (USA), Max Homa

*10.02pm: Marc Leishman, Keegan Bradley (USA), Aaron Wise (USA)

Friday

*2.30am: Jed Morgan, Taylor Montgomery (USA), Sean Crocker (USA)

3.25am: Min Woo Lee, Seamus Power (IRE), Joohyung Kim (KOR)

*3.25am: Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka (USA), Scottie Scheffler (USA)

*4.09am: Lucas Herbert, Harris English (USA), Jason Kokrak (USA)

4.31am: Todd Sinnott, Jonas Blixt (SWE), Bo Hoag (USA)

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