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U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2022


June 14, 2022


Cameron Smith


Brookline, Massachusetts, USA

The Country Club

Press Conference


THE MODERATOR: Welcome back to the interview area. We're here with world No. 6, Cameron Smith. What are your impressions of the course?

CAMERON SMITH: I love it, mate. It's probably my favorite U.S. Open venue I think I've been to. Lots of options off the tee. Have to strike the ball well, obviously. Yeah, just a real typical old-school course. I love it.

THE MODERATOR: You've had two wins already this year. How is your game feeling coming into this U.S. Open week?

CAMERON SMITH: Yeah, it feels good, mate. I think the last couple of weeks the driver has got me a little bit in trouble. Haven't hit as many fairways as I would like, and the rough the last couple of weeks has been pretty brutal as well.

So lots of chopping out and practicing my wedges for this week, so hopefully I can hit some more fairways and make some more birdies.

THE MODERATOR: Do you have any experience with the city of Boston, and what are you expecting from the crowd this week?

CAMERON SMITH: I really don't have any experience here. Other than playing at TPC Boston, which I know is a little bit out of the city, yeah, haven't been here. I haven't been to the baseball stadium. Drove past it. Looks unreal. My dad is a big Red Sox fan, so he is a bit bummed that he is missing out on this week.

Yeah, it should be great.

Q. Are you pretty confident taking your form from the Masters and from Southern Hills into this week?

CAMERON SMITH: Yeah, I think so. I love the majors. I feel like they bring out the best in me. I love the demand for good play and just the grinding out good scores. I feel like I've had a little bit of success in U.S. Opens before. Yeah, I feel like this is a really good venue for me.

Q. That was my next question. How do you feel about the U.S. Open now versus when you debuted in 2015? Obviously, you tied for fourth. Do you feel like you're a more complete player? Do you feel like the challenge suits you, or do you feel like your game is maybe suited for some of the other majors?

CAMERON SMITH: I would like to think that my game has progressed where I can compete on most golf courses. Like I said, I just need to hit -- I just need to hit some more fairways. That for me, especially out here with rough like this, I think, will be a big -- it will be a big part this week, but for me especially I think like my iron game is exactly where it needs to be. I'll have plenty of looks at birdie.

Q. You were talking about the golf course. What parts of your game are the best fits for this course this week?

CAMERON SMITH: I think it's a bit of a second-shot course. Obviously, off the tee it's very demanding as well, but I feel like you need to be smart into the greens.

There's plenty of pitch to the greens. You need to be underneath the hole, especially as the week goes on. I think the greens will get firmer and faster.

Yes, so I just think the control into the greens is going to be really important.

Q. Which part of your game fits the best in that scenario?

CAMERON SMITH: I think that my iron game. Iron game and wedge game, I think.

Q. What's been the problem with your driving? Is that a technical thing, or what is it?

CAMERON SMITH: Yeah, a little bit of a technical thing. We've actually mixed up the driver length this week, so hopefully I can find some more control there, but, yeah, nothing I don't really know to be honest. It's always the same stuff, and it's just what I need to get back to.

Q. Can you be a bit more specific?

CAMERON SMITH: With the driver length or --

Q. What the problems are. When you say the same stuff --

CAMERON SMITH: Yeah, yeah. For me I just get a little bit, I guess -- that first move away from the ball for me is really key, and when I get away from that, the whole swing kind of dismantles itself. I find it hard with driver to kind of, I guess, stay in control of that first sequence of the swing.

I know exactly what I'm doing. It's just when you are out there trying to hit golf shots sometimes it gets away from you.

Q. Since you won THE PLAYERS, do you find yourself getting treated any differently? You're up here talking to us right now before the U.S. Open. I'm not sure that would have happened before you won THE PLAYERS.

CAMERON SMITH: I think so. I think there's a little bit of a different vibe on the golf course as well towards me. I think there's maybe a few more people rooting for me, which is nice. It's definitely a little bit different.

It's something that I'm still getting used to, but I like it.

Q. No sign of a haircut?

CAMERON SMITH: No. Nothing yet.

Q. I'm just jealous.

CAMERON SMITH: (Laughing.)

Q. Cam, just the driver changes, specifically what are they? Is the shaft shorter? Is it a different shaft?

CAMERON SMITH: No, the same shaft. We had to change up the head weight a little bit to get the swing rate the same. Just cut down half an inch and, yeah, hit a few balls on the range today. I just felt like I could control that kind of fairway, find the swing I guess a little bit more. That's what we need.

Q. What would be your ideal vision for the PGA TOUR adding regular stops in Australia?

CAMERON SMITH: I would love if the PGA TOUR would go down there and play some golf. It's something that I haven't been able to do personally for a couple of years due to COVID, but I miss playing at home. I'm sure all the fans at home miss seeing world quality golf. I know the Presidents Cup down there was well-received. Hopefully we can get some more good players down there.

Q. Back with the almost compulsory LIV Golf question. How have you viewed that from a distance?

CAMERON SMITH: I haven't too much, mate, to be honest. This week my focus is to play golf. I'm far from the smartest person in the room, and I'm not a politician.

I'm here to follow a white golf ball around and kind of see what it does.

Q. So you're not tempted?

CAMERON SMITH: What's that?

Q. You're not tempted to make the jump like others have done?

CAMERON SMITH: I'm here to play the U.S. Open. Everyone has answered the question differently this week, but my focus is just to be here and play good golf.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Cam.

CAMERON SMITH: Thanks.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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