Hailing from Shellharbour on the South Coast of New South Wales, Smyth already boasts two top-20 finishes in 2025 and is one of the favourites in his return to the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.

“I try to play as good as I can every single time, whether it’s at the start of the year, end of the year,” Smyth said Wednesday.

“I’m just really happy that the schedule allowed me to come back and play an Aussie Tour tournament.

“The schedule’s really hard to try and play both nowadays. I’m just super stoked. I can sleep in my own bed and play a familiar golf course. Although it has changed.

“I probably haven’t played here for, I don’t know, seven or eight years. It’s in great shape. I’m really excited.”

Like every player, a tournament week is also a chance to practise and work on his body, with Smyth having a big circle around next week’s co-sanctioned New Zealand Open. A dream scenario of two victories in two weeks has the potential to change his plans further for 2025.

Noting the limited pathways on offer in Asia and the current state of the men’s professional game, Smyth is fully aware of what’s on offer on his home Tour where he won as an amateur at the 2017 NT PGA.

“You always like to play two or three events before something big,” Smyth said of his appearance this week.

“It doesn’t always work out that way. I feel like you learn a lot from the week prior that you’re not as intense about. And obviously next week New Zealand Open being a big event, a co-sanctioned Asian Tour event.

“I feel like whatever I learn from this week, there’s just that little bit more sharpness and intense focus on what I need to do to be better.

“There isn’t really a pathway out of Asia.

“I’ve finished top 10 three years in a row now and normally I would be exempt to final stages of DP World (Tour) and Korn Ferry (Tour) and that sort of thing. And I feel like with three attempts at final stage, I would probably see myself on a bigger tour.”

Asked if the attraction of three DP World Tour cards via his home circuit Order of Merit was on his mind, Smyth was clear that the life of a professional golfer means changing plans at the drop of a hat. Especially having seen and heard of the success of the likes of David Micheluzzi and last year’s Webex Players Series Sydney champion, Kazuma Kobori.

“I guess if I were to win then I would probably purposely miss a bigger event in Asia just so I could get my four events and maybe have a run at it,” Smyth admitted.

“That’s probably on the cards. That’s probably a more reasonable pathway than what Asian Tour has to offer.”

Beyond the perfect result of winning this week and next, the familiar faces and home comforts have a smile permanently across the face of Smyth. It is sure to continue over the opening rounds in one of the marquee groups alongside Ladies European Tour rookie Kelsey Bennett and two-time Queensland PGA winner, Phoenix Campbell.

“It’s great,” he said of playing at home.

“I mean, there aren’t too many Aussies on the Asian Tour. It’s great seeing familiar faces and I look forward to competing alongside them coming down the stretch on the weekend.”

Webex Players Series Sydney is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.