Cameron Smith has a huge chance to win the opening PGA Tour FedEx Cup play-offs tournament and claim the world number one ranking, set to enter the final round two shots from the lead.
As speculation continues to swirl about whether he’ll jump to the rebel LIV Golf circuit, Australian world number two Smith birdied two of the last three holes to shoot a 3-under 67 at the FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis on Saturday.
Already the winner of the Tournament of Champions, Players Championship and British Open this year, 28-year-old Smith trails the only American leader, JJ Spaun (68), and second-placed Austrian Sepp Straka (68).
Smith is in a three-way tie for third with Americans Will Zalatoris (65) and Trey Mullinax (66).
He is keenly aware that a victory would take him to the world number one ranking for the first time after the incumbent, Scottie Scheffler, missed the cut on Friday.
“That’s been one of my goals probably since the start of the year is to try to get to that top spot,” Smith said. “try [to] chase it down.”
Fellow Australian Adam Scott fell to tied 25th, six shots from the lead, after a round of 70, while countryman Cam Davis (67) is tied 36th at 5-under.
Spaun had a two-putt birdie on the par-5 16th and holed an 18-foot birdie putt on the next hole to claim the 54-hole lead at 13-under 197.
Straka was right there with him until he failed to save par from the bunker on the 18th.
Both are first-time winners on the PGA Tour this year, and a victory in a FedEx Cup play-offs even carries even more weight: $3.78 million to the winner and a guaranteed spot at East Lake for the FedEx Cup finale.
However, there are a host of players in contention, with 16 within four shots of the lead, including stars Sam Burns and Tony Finau.
But no one stands out like Smith, for so many reasons.
Not only is it his first start since being introduced at St Andrews as the “champion golfer of the year”, the UK’s Daily Telegraph also reported on Tuesday that he had signed with LIV and would join the defectors outside Boston after the PGA Tour play- offs were over.
Smith has steadfastly refused to talk about the move, only to say he’s only thinking of the FedEx Cup.
“I’m a man of my word and, whenever you guys need to know anything, it’ll be said by me,” Smith said on Tuesday.
That was shortly before a California federal judge denied a request by three LIV golfers to play in the FedEx Cup play-offs.
Distractions don’t seem to be an issue, and there is no shortage of them.
“There’s definitely been a few more but, for me, I’m just trying to hit the best shot I can,” Smith said. “That’s what I’m here to do, is to hit good golf shots and make birdies.”
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