A day after “kicking his backside” in a chipping contest, Jason Day said he believes Cameron Smith has major championship material written all over him.
Both Day and Smith are returning to competition at this week’s Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass at Ponte Vedre in Florida.
It is a unique week for both Queenslanders with Day being the defending champion and the baby-faced 23-year old Smith teeing-up for a first occasion since he and Swede Jonas Blixt teamed to capture last fortnight’s Zurich Classic in New Orleans.
Day has been at TPC Sawgrass since Saturday working on his game and tackled Smith in a chipping contest on Sunday.
Day and partner Rickie Fowler missed the cut in New Orleans, but the former world No. 1 was thrilled about fellow-Queeeslander Smith in securing a maiden Tour victory.
“It was great to see Cam win and I actually sat there watching the closing holes on the Sunday and was then glued to TV coverage of the play-off on Monday morning, so very happy for him”, said Day.
“The biggest thing now for Cam is to now go forward and strive to improve as that is the ultimate goal in this game, and that is keep improving each and every year. So, hopefully he does get better and better and I am sure he will because he is a very level-headed given he is only 23 years of age.
“But then winning any PGA Tour event is career changing as he now has the benefit of a two-year Tour exemption, the prize-money and now being able to plan a schedule to the remainder of this year and the following two years. That is a great luxury to have and while he didn’t receive the World Ranking points or the invitation to the Masters, and they will come, he is in a very good place.
“And Cameron has so much talent I am confident he can go all the way in this game and win at the game’s highest level."
Another to sing Smith’s praise is a third Queenslander in Adam Scott. “I have got to know Cam a little bit and it was a very impressive victory considering the big part he played in the win”, said Scott.
“It was a big moment for him and to be such a young player and get a breakthrough win will certainly change his mind set for the next couple of years as to how he tackles the Tour.
“There is nothing like winning as it will give him the confidence going forward knowing he can win out here and knowing also he hit the shots when he needed to and pulled off those shots under the pressure of fighting for a victory. Even though it was a team situation Cam will have taken a lot of confidence out of the very big part he played in the victory”.
In fact, Scott was also aged 23 when he captured a maiden PGA Tour title at the 2003 Deutsche Bank Championship but then he had already won three times before turning 23 on the European Tour.
“I do remember vividly my first PGA Tour win back in 2003 as I was on a sponsor’s invitation and was playing great and beat Rocco Mediate by four shots,” he said.
“Tiger was in the field that week and the win was huge for me as next few months were massive for me as I played my first Presidents Cup and then heading into next year I won the Players and then won the Booz Allen (Classic).
“I won like three tournaments in about eight starts out here on the PGA Tour and my confidence was just sky high, and that is the biggest thing in this game and that is confidence. So, my advice to Cam is that he has to take advantage of that. He does not need to do anything different but just let the momentum go.
“It is not that 23-year old’s need advice this day-and-age but that would my advice to Cam and somehow he needs to keep the expectation low and get him his momentum to continue. And in saying that, I wish I knew how to do that (smiling)”.