Date: July 22, 2017
Author: Dave Tease

Smyth set to pounce at Porter

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A confidant Travis Smyth believes he is ready to get the job done in the final round of the Porter Cup.

Smyth sits in a four-way tie for the lead with one round to go after carding an even par 70 in testing conditions at Niagara Falls Country Club in Buffalo New York. The lead could have been his alone except for a snafu on the par five 13th that lead to a double bogey seven.

"I hit it through the wind over the pin and the back of the green. It was a bad club," Smyth said. "I chipped it to the top of the rise, then hit it 20ft past, and two-putted. I was pretty filthy with myself."

Despite the error, Smyth still likes the way his game is holding up and is no doubt about what he can achieve tomorrow. He knows the competition is still going to be tough, however, and he isn't taking his opponents lightly.

"I played with a couple of them today. They (Brandon Wu and Gavin Hall) are solid players. I'll have to play good golf, but this is what I've been training for in HP and at Precision Athletica, to perform well when I get into a position like I'm facing tomorrow."

The 22-year-old is also excited by the opportunity to add his name to the trophy beneath that of his NSW team mate Harrison Endycott, last year's Porter Cup Champion.

"How good would it be to go back-to-back in a way with 'Harro. He's a good mate. It would be a thrill to see both our names on it." Smyth smiled.

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The Porter Cup has been won by Australians on three previous occasions, Endycott the defending champion, Victorian Geoff Drakeford in 2015, and in 2003 Queenslander Simon Nash became the first while attending the University of Minnesota.
 
Major champions Phil Mickelson, Ben Crenshaw, David Duval and Scott Simpson also claimed the Porter Cup during their amateur careers. 

The final round will be played tonight AEST.

View scores HERE