Cam Smith wasn’t frustrated on day one of The Open Championship despite his round taking more than five hours to complete.
Smith posted a three-over 73 in round one at Royal Birkdale, although he has since made a positive start to round two.
The Australian is, of course, a former champion of the tournament, having lifted the Claret Jug at St Andrews in 2022.
Smith has now analyzed his latest efforts at The Open Championship, discussing the pace of play at Royal Birkdale.
Cam Smith not frustrated by pace of play on day one of The Open Championship
Sharing his general thoughts on the round, Smith commented: I was just talking to Sam (Pinfold, his caddie) just then.
“I don’t think it was all really that bad. Got a lot of crosswinds off the tee and hit it into the rough by one or two metres a few times and ended up making bogey.
“It was tough out there, though. Yeah, I don’t really think I would change a whole lot to be honest. Just needed a couple of putts to go in that missed, and a couple more fairways would have been nice.”
And when asked if it’s hard to play when the pace of play is so slow, he said: “Not really. I think we’re used to it.
“Major championship venues are going to be long days. They’re tough tests. It’s just kind of what you expect. I definitely wasn’t frustrated with the pace of play. I think you’re just kind of waiting for it.”
Pace of play has been a very frustrating issue for many golf fans in recent years, but Smith somewhat surprisingly hasn’t let it impact him in Southport this week.
The Australian is now well up and running in round two, playing alongside American Keith Mitchell and Irish amateur Stuart Grehan.
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Cam Smith says Royal Birkdale played ‘pretty good’ throughout round one
Given the lengthy round, the conditions at Royal Birkdale weren’t the exact same for Smith throughout the day, although he didn’t notice too much of a change.
He said of the matter: “I think we got the 1st hole with that morning wind, and about the time we reached the 2nd hole, the wind switched.
“Like I said, a lot of those holes, particularly off the tee, played like that crosswind, and it’s just hard to kind of hold the fairway, like you have to hit a really nice shot to hold the fairway.
“It changed a little bit, the wind direction, but the course was honestly pretty good the whole day. It didn’t really change a whole lot.”
And sharing his excitement for the round two conditions after his first round on Thursday, Smith noted: “I think we’re like third or fourth group tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to getting onto some fresher greens.
“They were getting pretty baked out and a little bit bouncy. Felt like you couldn’t really be aggressive. Looking forward to some fresher greens, hopefully see some putts go in.”
It has been a roller-coaster major championship season for the LIV Golf star, who will now be desperate to end on a high.
He finished in a tie for seventh at the PGA Championship, but that arrived in between missed cuts at The Masters and the US Open.
Read more: Scottie Scheffler ‘shocked’ after what happened to him on the 17th hole on day one at The Open
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