The 2022 Champion Golfer of the Year, Cameron Smith, has come into form and become one of the world’s best golfers in what seems like a blink of an eye.
The newest Aussie to become a face of golf, Smith joined his countrymen Adam Scott and Greg Norman a major champions after winning the 2022 Open Championship at St. Andrews.
It hasn’t been all mullets and trophies for Smith. Turning pro in 2013 following an amateur career that included victories at the Australian Amateur and Australian Boys’ Amateur, Smith battled his way through the PGA Australasia before hopping over to the Asian Tour in 2014.
Earning his first PGA Tour start through the Asian Tour, Smith never looked back.
Through a few sponsor exemptions and good finishes in a handful of majors, Smith earned his PGA Tour card in 2015 and regained status both in 2016 and ’17.
As an Australian, Smith has represented his country on golf’s biggest stages. At the 2019 Presidents Cup, Smith went 1-1-1 in his debut and at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he finished 10th.
In his most dominant year to date, the Brisbane native won the 2022 Players Championship and the 150th Open Championship. The pair of wins launched Smith to No. 2 in the world.
According to countryman Cam Percy, Smith’s next jump appears to be to LIV Golf.
Here’s a look at Smith’s career in photos.
SINGAPORE - SEPTEMBER 30: Cameron Smith of Australia plays his second shot on the 17th hole…
SINGAPORE - SEPTEMBER 30: Cameron Smith of Australia plays his second shot on the 17th hole during day two of the 2011 Asian Amateur Championship at the Singapore Island Country Club on September 30, 2011 in Singapore.
SINGAPORE - OCTOBER 02: Cameron Smith of Australia plays from the 12th tee during day four…
SINGAPORE - OCTOBER 02: Cameron Smith of Australia plays from the 12th tee during day four of the 2011 Asian Amateur Championship at the Singapore Island Country Club on October 2, 2011 in Singapore.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 09: Cameron Smith of Australia plays a fairway shot during round four…
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 09: Cameron Smith of Australia plays a fairway shot during round four of the 2012 Australian Open at The Lakes Golf Club on December 9, 2012 in Sydney, Australia.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 29: Cameron Smith of Australia tees off on the 16th hole during…
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 29: Cameron Smith of Australia tees off on the 16th hole during the Open International Final Qualifying Australasia day one at Kingston Heath Golf Club on January 29, 2013 in Melbourne, Australia.
UNIVERSITY PLACE, WA - JUNE 20: Cameron Smith of Australia hits his tee shot on the…
UNIVERSITY PLACE, WA - JUNE 20: Cameron Smith of Australia hits his tee shot on the 14th hole during the third round of the 115th U.S. Open Championship at Chambers Bay on June 20, 2015 in University Place, Washington.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 20: Cameron Smith of Australia poses for a photo with his flag…
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 20: Cameron Smith of Australia poses for a photo with his flag after qualifying for the 2017 British Open during day four of the 2016 Australian Open at Royal Sydney Golf Club on November 20, 2016 in Sydney, Australia.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 20: Cameron Smith of Australia reacts after missing a putt on the…
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 20: Cameron Smith of Australia reacts after missing a putt on the 16th green during day four of the 2016 Australian Open at Royal Sydney Golf Club on November 20, 2016 in Sydney, Australia.
GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 03: Cameron Smith celebrates winning on day four of the 2017…
GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 03: Cameron Smith celebrates winning on day four of the 2017 Australian PGA Championship at Royal Pines Resort on December 3, 2017 in Gold Coast, Australia.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 23: Cameron Smith of Australia inspects the run of the green on…
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 23: Cameron Smith of Australia inspects the run of the green on the 3rd hole during day one of the 2017 Australia Golf Open at The Australia Golf Club on November 23, 2017 in Sydney, Australia.
ST LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 08: (L-R) Marc Leishman, Jason Day and Cameron Smith of Australia…
ST LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 08: (L-R) Marc Leishman, Jason Day and Cameron Smith of Australia pose for a picture during a practice round prior to the 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club on August 8, 2018 in St Louis, Missouri.
GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 02: Cameron Smith celebrates winning on day four of the 2018…
GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 02: Cameron Smith celebrates winning on day four of the 2018 Australian PGA Championship at Royal Pines Resort on December 2, 2018 in Gold Coast, Australia.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 25: Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith of Australia talk during day four…
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 25: Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith of Australia talk during day four of the 2018 World Cup of Golf at The Metropolitan on November 25, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia.
GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 20: Cameron Smith drives the ball during day two of the…
GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 20: Cameron Smith drives the ball during day two of the PGA Championships at RACV Royal Pines on December 20, 2019 in Gold Coast, Australia.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 15: Cameron Smith of the International Team plays his second shot on…
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 15: Cameron Smith of the International Team plays his second shot on the second hole in his match against Justin Thomas during the final day singles matches in the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club on December 15, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 07: Cameron Smith of Australia reacts to a putt on the…
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 07: Cameron Smith of Australia reacts to a putt on the ninth green during the second round of the 2020 PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park on August 07, 2020 in San Francisco, California.
KAWAGOE, JAPAN - JULY 30: Cameron Smith of Team Australia reacts on the first green during…
KAWAGOE, JAPAN - JULY 30: Cameron Smith of Team Australia reacts on the first green during the second round of the Men's Individual Stroke Play on day seven of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Kasumigaseki Country Club on July 30, 2021 in Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan.
KIAWAH ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA - MAY 21: Cameron Smith of Australia stretches on the tenth tee…
KIAWAH ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA - MAY 21: Cameron Smith of Australia stretches on the tenth tee during the second round of the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island Resort Ocean Course on May 21, 2021 in Kiawah Island, South Carolina.
KIAWAH ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA - MAY 20: Cameron Smith of Australia looks on during the first…
KIAWAH ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA - MAY 20: Cameron Smith of Australia looks on during the first round of the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island Resort Ocean Course on May 20, 2021 in Kiawah Island, South Carolina.
ST ANDREWS, SCOTLAND - JULY 17: Australia's Cameron Smith lifts the Claret Jug after winning the…
ST ANDREWS, SCOTLAND - JULY 17: Australia's Cameron Smith lifts the Claret Jug after winning the 150th Open Championship during the Final Day of The 150th Open at St Andrews Old Course on July 17, 2022 in St Andrews, Scotland.
BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 16: (L-R) Brooks Koepka of the United States and Cameron Smith of…
BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 16: (L-R) Brooks Koepka of the United States and Cameron Smith of Australia walk off the eighth tee during round one of the 122nd U.S. Open Championship at The Country Club on June 16, 2022 in Brookline, Massachusetts.
TULSA, OKLAHOMA - MAY 19: Cameron Smith of Australia lines up a putt on the fourth…
TULSA, OKLAHOMA - MAY 19: Cameron Smith of Australia lines up a putt on the fourth green during the first round of the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club on May 19, 2022 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE - AUGUST 07: Cam Smith acknowledges the crowd on the 17th hole during the…
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE - AUGUST 07: Cam Smith acknowledges the crowd on the 17th hole during the third round of the World Golf Championship-FedEx St Jude Invitational at TPC Southwind on August 07, 2021 in Memphis, Tennessee.
