Cameron Smith has revealed what a wrench it is going to be for him at hand again the Claret Jug however he believes he’s within the form of type to have in his clutches once more by the tip of subsequent week.
The Australian celebrity will, as custom dictates, give his reproduction of the well-known outdated trophy again to the R&A chief govt Martin Slumbers on Monday earlier than the 151st Open Championship begins at Hoylake three days later.
“The toughest factor is gonna be giving again the trophy to be sincere, it’s been a lot enjoyable,” conceded Smith, chatting to reporters in London earlier than travelling for his first glimpse of the Royal Liverpool course on Saturday.
“I’ve had a few good cleans of it, I be certain to wash it after each night time we’ve got it (on show), it’s all the time been a fairly good nick,” laughed the 29-year-old Queenslander.
“I assume I’ll wait and see if it’s going to really feel emotional giving it again – however it’ll undoubtedly be motivation to try to get it again.
“It’s the best trophy on this planet. It’s unreal to have, and hopefully, if not this yr, in years to come back I can try to get it again all the way down to Australia.”
Possibly as early as subsequent Sunday, in reality.
Drive to succeed
Smith says he couldn’t have a greater preparation for defending the Jug he received so brilliantly on the landmark one hundred and fiftieth Open final yr – and he’s adamant that he’s a greater golfer now than even when he received at St Andrew’s 12 months in the past.
“I do really feel like I’m a greater golfer,” he stated per week after profitable LIV Golf London.
“I really feel like though I received 5 instances final yr, I had just a few days throughout a event after I was actually in rivalry that the driving force actually let me down and I used to be type of grinding attempting to remain on the high of the leaderboard.”
However after engaged on “straightening out” his drives on the vary, he believes his recreation’s in tip-top form. “It’s feeling higher than it’s ever felt,” he says of his driving.
“So I’m proud of with what we’re doing and it undoubtedly appears to be working. The driving force and all of the longer stuff, which I’ve usually struggled with, is beginning to be actually good.”
Surprisingly, he felt his driving wasn’t his “finest pal” final week at Centurion golf membership north of London, but his peerless quick recreation nonetheless earned him his first win of the yr for an ideal Open preparation.
“We’ve performed loads of golf these days, however it’s good for the aggressive juices to remain at that type of degree and I really feel higher than ever for the time being.”
No Australian golfer has received the Open back-to-back because the late, nice Peter Thomson received three in a row between 1954 and 1956, with the final of these being held at Royal Liverpool.
Requested if he felt he may very well be a repeat winner, Smith shrugged: “For positive I need to go up there and provides it my finest shot and I’d like to win. However there’s in all probability 50 guys in that subject that may all win a golf event if they’ve their week and also you’ve received to be careful for all of them as effectively.
“However the golf is beginning to really feel very nice and it’s in a spot the place it doesn’t actually should be 100 per cent for me to contend – and that’s only a very nice feeling.”
-AAP