Share the post “Elvis Smylie, stronger than Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman”
Surrounded in the final round by two world Golf stars who have been at LIV Golf for two years, the Australian Elvis Smylie, only 22 years old, was able to counter the attacks of his illustrious compatriots and won his second success in a month among the pros, the first on the DP World Tour. In difficulty at the Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane, Jeong weon Ko, Victor Perez and Adrien Saddier finished beyond the top 20…
L.V.
On September 6, at Huddersfield (England), on one of the nine sites of PQ1 of European Cards, Elvis Smylie failed only once in his quest for a ticket to PQ2, taking 16th place in the final. Two and a half months after this disappointment, the young 22-year-old Australian won the BMW Australian PGA Championship. A victory which offers him a two-year exemption from the DP World Tour !
Find the complete ranking
And this success on this Gold Coast where he comes from is anything but an accident. The son of two former professional tennis players – his father and his mother, Liz, a four-time Grand Slam winner in women's and mixed doubles, played together at Roland Garros and 1983 – thus never left first place in the tournament.
Alone in the lead after eighteen holes on Thursday evening thanks to a very solid 65 (-6), he shared the lead at -10 on Saturday evening with the formidable Cameron Smiththree times winner in this event, before winning in the final game this Sunday in Brisbane with a total score of -14 (199) and a final card of 67 (-4) without the slightest error on the horizon.
A hell of a performance when we know that in this last group he rubbed shoulders with the winner of The Open 2022 has St AndrewsCameron Smith, et Marc Leishman13 victories among the pros, including 6 on the PGA Tour before his departure, like Smith, on the LIFE Golf in August 2022.
Smylie did not tremble in this last round, completing a round of fire after four birdies between holes 1 and 7. Starting from tee n°10, he then had a three stroke lead over Cameron Smith, the ultra favorite of the day, who could not do better than a 35 (-1) with four birdies for three bogeys conceded.
However, he had to tighten his game on the return nine holes, seeing his main opponent come back to just two strokes at the start of the 18th after two birdies at the 15th and 17th. A final exploit from Smith at the 18th and an error at the same place of Smylie and we would then have been entitled to an improbable play-off. But the leader since day one knew how to stay strong in his game and in his head, signing a final saving grace.
Second victory in a month…
A month after his first professional victory – on the PGA Tour of Australasiaau Bowra & O’Dea Nexus Advisernet WA Open – here is the young left-hander with now two years of exemption on the European Tour. This is undoubtedly the great story of this end of the year, or of this start of the 2024-25 season. Your choice.
Author of a 69, this same Marc Leishman climbs to the third step of the podium with another Australian, Anthony Quayleunleashed with his sparkling 63 (-8), quite simply the card of the week.
The French are broken down…
Still in the game since five lengths behind the leaders at the start of this last round (tournament reduced to 54 holes after the torrential rains on Friday), Victor Perez et Jeong Weon Ko got stuck. The Tarbais could not do better than a 72 (+1) while the golfer from Bussy (77) played in par (71). They rank 34th (-4) and 24th (-5) respectively. Adrien Saddieralso in par, joins Tarbais in the top 35…
These three will be in Melbourne next week for theISPS Handa Australian Open where three spots for The Open at Portrush will be put into play. Pierre Pineauwho did not make the cut in Brisbane, as well as Very Bastienone of the two French people to have won a category 18 (with Clement Sordet) at PQ3 of the European Cards, will also make the trip.
Le leaderboard
The French leaderboard
Photo : Getty Images
