For the second time since 2018 Smith returns to TPC Louisiana as the defending champion of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, this time trying to replicate the playoff victory he shared with great mate Marc Leishman 12 months ago.

They are one of two all-Aussie pairings in the PGA TOUR teams event this week with DP World Tour regular Jason Scrivener teaming up with Jason Day while Cameron Percy (Brandon Hagy), Brett Drewitt (Dawie van der Walt) and Lucas Herbert (Arjun Atwal) are also out to unseat their fellow countrymen.

With matching mullets on the first tee – albeit a temporary wig in Leishman’s case – the Smith-Leishman combination set a relaxed tone as they walked out to ‘The Mullet Song’ in Round 1 last year.

Yet as Smith’s hair continued to party at the back it was all business up front, Leishman crediting their friendship with forming the ideal environment for the fourball/foursomes format.

“Being such good friends helps,” said Leishman.

“We don’t put pressure on each other to hit good shots. Obviously, we want to hit good shots, but I think the pressure thing is big.

“If we hit a bad shot, obviously we’re still frustrated, but we get on with it and just concentrate on the next shot.

“I think it’s easier to do that when you’re mates.”

Smith showed again in his recent victory at THE PLAYERS Championship that he is largely impervious to the effects of pressure.

He hit a crucial tee shot on the first playoff hole last year after South African Louis Oosthuizen found the water with his drive but said it was the way Leishman stepped up over the final 36 holes that helped to propel them to a memorable win.

“I enjoy the pressure as well, but I think ‘Leish’ really turned it on on the weekend,” said Smith, coming off a missed cut at last week’s RBC Heritage at Harbor Town.

“Probably wasn’t playing his best golf maybe the Pro-Am day and the first day out here but as soon as the pressure got on and we got to the top of that leaderboard, Leish flicked it on like a switch.

“It was pretty impressive to see.”

As Leishman and Smith set out on their title defence in New Orleans Minjee Lee leads the Australian contingent at the LPGA Tour’s DIO Implant LA Open hoping to repeat her success from three years ago.

Currently ranked No.5 in the world, Lee’s best finish in 2022 is a share of second at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Thailand and she was 12th in her most recent start at the Chevron Championship.

Two new events both sponsored by ISPS HANDA on the DP World Tour and Japan Golf Tour have attracted a strong band of Aussies to each and there are six Australians looking to make an impression at the Epson Tour’s Copper Rock Championship in Utah.

Round 1 tee times AEST

PGA TOUR
Zurich Classic of New Orleans
TPC Louisiana, Avondale, Louisiana
10.26pm             Danny Lee/Sangmoon Bae, Seung-Yul Noh/Michael Kim
10.39pm*           Cameron Smith/Marc Leishman, Viktor Hovland/Collin Morikawa
11.31pm*           Cameron Percy/Brandon Hagy, Doc Redman/Sam Ryder
11.57pm             Brett Drewitt/Dawie van der Walt, Michael Gligic/Ryan Armour
3.18am*             Jason Day/Jason Scrivener, Joel Dahmen/Stephan Jaeger
3.44am*             Lucas Herbert/Arjun Atwal, Jim Herman/Vaughn Taylor

Defending champions: Marc Leishman/Cameron Smith
Past Aussie winners: Marc Leishman/Cameron Smith (2021), Cameron Smith/Jonas Blixt (2017)
Top Aussie prediction: Marc Leishman/Cameron Smith
TV schedule: Live 5.30am-8.30am Friday, Saturday; Live 3am-8am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503

DP World Tour
ISPS HANDA Championship in Spain
Lakes Course, Infinitum, Tarragona, Spain
3.45pm*             Zach Murray, Kento Nakai, Zander Lombard
8.45pm*             Jake McLeod, Emilio Cuartero Blanco, Craig Howie
9.20pm Scott Hend, Jeff Winther, Sami Valimaki
9.50pm Ryan Fox, Adri Arnaus, Ewen Ferguson
10.20pm             Maverick Antcliff, Alvaro Quiros, Carlos Pigem
9.45pm*             Wade Ormsby, Daniel Van Tonder, Matthieu Pavon

Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Top Aussie prediction: Wade Ormsby
TV schedule: Live 10pm-3am Thursday, Friday; Live 10.30pm-3am Saturday; Live 10pm-2.30am Sunday on Fox Sports 503

LPGA Tour
DIO Implant LA Open
Wilshire Country Club, Los Angeles, California
12.48am             Katherine Kirk, Sanna Nuutinen, Emily Kristine Pedersen
5.26am Su Oh, Gerina Mendoza, Bianca Pagdanganan
5.37am*             Stephanie Kyriacou, Cheyenne Knight, Emma Talley
6.21am Minjee Lee, Danielle Kang, Patty Tavatanakit
6.21am*             Hannah Green, Ayaka Furue, Cristie Kerr

Defending champion: Brooke Henderson
Past Aussie winners: Minjee Lee (2019)
Top Aussie prediction: Minjee Lee
TV schedule: Live 8.30am-11.30am Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503

Japan Golf Tour
ISPS HANDA Championship
PGM Ishioka Golf Club, Omitama
8.10am David Bransdon, Tomohiro Kondo, Liang Wenchong
8.50am*             Matthew Griffin, Kunihiro Uei, Daihei Sato
9.10am*             Anthony Quayle, Kantaro Naito, Hiroki Abe
12.50pm             Brad Kennedy, Hiroyo Ikemura, Kodai Ichihara
1pm*    Andrew Evans, Ryuko Tokimatsu, Yuta Ikeda
1.30pm*             Brendan Jones, Jay Choi, Daijiro Izumida
1.40pm Adam Bland, Yoshitaka Takeya, Gunn Charoenkul
1.40pm*             Michael Hendry, Tatsunori Nukaga, Lee Sang-hee

Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Top Aussie prediction: Brad Kennedy

PGA TOUR Latinoamerica\
JHSF Aberto do Brasil
Fazenda Boa Vista, Porto Feliz, Brazil
1am      Tim Stewart, Michael Perras, Jose Narro
1am*    Charlie Hillier, Toni Hakula, Graysen Huff

Defending champion: Shad Tuten (2019)
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Top Aussie prediction: Tim Stewart

PGA TOUR Canada
Q-School USA West 3
The Home Course, Dupont, Washington
Aussies in the field: Cameron John, Brody Harbinson-Graham, Zachary Maxwell, Matias Sanchez

Epson Tour
Copper Rock Championship
Copper Rock Golf Course, Hurricane, Utah
11.30pm             Robyn Choi, Soo Jin Lee, Min A Yoon
12.47am             Amelia Garvey, Roberta Liti, Selena Costabile
1.31am Sarah Jane Smith, Yan Liu, Sofia Garcia
2.26am Grace Kim, Alisa Rodriguez, Kendra Dalton
4.27am Gabriela Ruffels, Nannette Hill, Jaclyn Lee
5am      Hira Naveed, Sophie Hausmann, Fernanda Lira
5.55am Julienne Soo, Teresa Toscano, Karen Chung

Defending champion: Bailey Tardy
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Top Aussie prediction: Hira Naveed

Champions Tour
ClubCorp Classic
Las Colinas Country Club, Irving, Texas
10.15pm*           Rod Pampling, Tom Lehman
10.22pm             John Senden, John Daly
11.27pm*           Steven Alker, Darren Clarke
2.50am*             Mark Hensby, Ken Duke, Brett Quigley
2.57am Robert Allenby, Scott Verplank
4.02am*             Stephen Leaney, Tom Pernice Jr, David Branshaw

Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Top Aussie prediction: Mark Hensby
TV schedule: Live 3am-5am Saturday on Fox Sports 503; Live 5am-9am on Fox Sports 505; Live 5am Monday on Fox Sports More+

* Starting from 10th tee