Cam Smith sees silver lining after being upstaged by teenage protege

LIV Golf star Cam Smith admitted that he felt a sense of "pride" at the Queensland PGA Championship.

The one-time major winner made an impression on his return to his on Thursday, ending the opening round five-under-par 67. That showing left the 31-year-old third on the leaderboard, with only Phoenix Campbell and Billy Dowling ahead of him at Nudgee Club.

Smith missed the cut at the Australian PGA in last year, with this return to his hometown proving a more productive exercise so far. However, it was not lost on the 2022 victor that his protege Dowling had outperformed him in the opening round in Queensland.

The teenager was a recipient of the Scholarship previously, with Smith confessing that he was delighted to see the youngster excelling at the tournament. He said: "He’s good kid – I love Billy. It does make me a little bit proud. You just hope that he’s taken a little bit and then he can figure out what he wants and go on his own way."

The former No. 2 also was showing current scholars Wesley Hinton and Kayun Mudadana the ropes in Brisbane on Thursday. As for Dowling himself, he felt his performance in the first round demonstrated why he received the scholarship, as he asserted: "It confirms why I was there."

Opening up on his approach when it comes to helping younger players, Smith said: "I just let them do their own thing. First and foremost, I’ve got to worry about what I’m doing, but I might speak to them tonight about a couple of things that I saw. They actually played not too bad. That wind was tricky, and they just seemed a little bit nervy, which is understandable."

As for his own performance on home soil, the six-time event winner said: "There’s just a couple of really awkward tee shots for myself out there, particularly on that back nine with that wind getting up. The rest, from 16 onwards, really felt comfortable with the driver, and I really just kind of let it go. It was all good stuff."

"Familiar faces are always nice to see. I had a few mates out there today, as well as Mum and Dad," he continued, as he reflected on the joys of playing in front of a home crowd and family members. "Mum hasn’t probably watched me since his time last year so it’s been a while for her."

Meanwhile, event frontrunner Campbell kept a level head when it came to his opening round showing, adding: "I was a little nervous but settled down quick, and got going, which is really good. I really like that nervous energy. I definitely play really well in front of crowds. I’m just going to keep using that into the weekend."