The 2021 BMW International Open in Germany was Smylie’s first international start as a professional.

It was the first of eight sponsor exemptions across two years extended to a talent barely out of his teens that had good judges drooling.

With eight missed cuts in his first eight DP World Tour appearances on foreign soil, Smylie’s introduction to the elite level largely fell flat but potential is now evolving into professional respect.

Still just 23 years of age, Smylie stared down Cameron Smith to win the co-sanctioned BMW Australian PGA Championship last November and last month played all four rounds of a major championship for the first time at the US PGA Championship.

As he looks ahead to a three-week stretch that includes the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open Championship at Royal Portrush, Smylie took a moment to look back on the four years it has taken to get here.

“It’s very hard to be able to plan what the next four years are going to look like,” Smylie reflected.

“You want it to be this smooth increment of progression, but, in hindsight, it’s actually been very up and down.

“A lot of things have changed. I’ve changed my team within the last year-and-a-half and I feel like I’m on a really good plateau to be able to achieve what I want to.

“I definitely feel like I’ve got the right people around me now to be able to guide me in the right direction.

“It’s my first full year out here where I can pick and choose what events I want to play in. Just having that comfortable feeling, knowing that you don’t have to get your card in five starts.

“You can just slowly keep building, going to all these new courses and learning as much as you can.

“Professional golf can throw a lot of things at you left, right and centre, being able to juggle all those things and trying to put your best foot forward and working hard and doing the right stuff.

“That’s something that I’ve continued to feel like I’m doing a really good job at.”

Confirming that he will return to Royal Queensland in November to defend his BMW Australian PGA Championship title, the reigning Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner also has one eye on a second consecutive appearance at The Open.

Having come through Final Qualifying 12 months ago, Smylie is excited at the prospect of preparing for Portrush with some links golf next week in Scotland.

“You want to feel confident by having good results going into big events,” said Smylie.

“That’s definitely on my mind, to be able to put a good week here and a good week in Scotland to build that confidence, knowing that the results are there as well as the good feelings that I can produce.

“Portrush will be great. I’m looking forward to getting there and doing the work and seeing how we go.”

Another with an eye on Portrush is New Zealand Open champion Ryan Peake (pictured below).

Forced to play last week’s Asian Development Tour event in Morocco with borrowed clubs – he finished tied 21st – Peake has been reunited with his sticks as he joins 13 other Australasian players for International Series Morocco.

“Game’s good. Feel like I’m starting to swing it pretty well, found more of a groove,” Peake told Asian Tour Media.

“I’ve been in Morocco for a week, playing last week, lost my clubs for seven days.

“I picked them up yesterday from the airport so feeling pretty good about this week and being able to use my old stuff again.

“Obviously excitement (about playing The Open) is starting to set in a little bit more now.

“Still not 100 per cent yet, still got this week here in Morocco but after this week’s finished, I’ll be pretty switched on and the excitement will start to hit a little bit harder.”

Photo: Maddie Meyer/PGA of America via Getty Images

Round 1 tee times AEST

PGA TOUR
John Deere Classic
TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Illinois
3:38am            Karl Vilips
3:49am            Jason Day
5:17am            Harrison Endycott

Past champion: Davis Thompson
Past Aussie winners: Mark Hensby (2004), John Senden (2006)
Prize money: $US8.4m
TV times: 9:30pm-9am Thursday, Friday; Live 11pm-9am Saturday; Live 1am-8am Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.

DP World Tour
BMW International Open
Golfclub München Eichenried, Munich, Germany
4:10pm            David Micheluzzi
4:20pm*          Daniel Hillier (NZ)
4:40pm*          Elvis Smylie
5pm*               Jason Scrivener
10:30pm          Daniel Gale, Kazuma Kobori (NZ)

Past champion: Ewen Ferguson
Past Aussie winners: Peter Fowler (1993)
Prize money: $US2.75m
TV times: Live 8:30pm-2am Thursday, Friday; Live 8:45pm-1:30am Saturday; Live 8:30pm-1:30am Sunday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.

Asian Tour
International Series Morocco
Royal Golf Dar Es Salam (Red Course), Morocco
4:30pm            Kevin Yuan
5:10pm*          Jack Thompson
5:50pm*          Brett Coletta
6:20pm*          Brett Rankin
9:50pm            Ben Campbell (NZ)
9:50pm*          John Lyras
10pm               Ryan Peake
10:10pm          Travis Smyth
10:20pm*         Nick Voke (NZ)
10:40pm          Maverick Antcliff
10:50pm*         Lawry Flynn
11pm               Jack Buchanan
11pm*             Denzel Ieremia (NZ)
11:10pm          Todd Sinnott

Past champion: Ben Campbell
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US2m
TV times: Live 11pm-3am Thursday; Live 1am-3am Saturday on Fox Sports 508; Live 10:30pm-1am Saturday; Live 9pm-1am Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.

Ladies European Tour
KPMG Women’s Irish Open
Carton House, Ireland
5:12pm            Sarah Kemp
5:48pm            Amelia Garvey (NZ), Wenyung Keh (NZ)
6:12pm            Amy Walsh
6:12pm*          Kelsey Bennett
6:36pm*          Maddison Hinson-Tolchard
10:24pm          Kirsten Rudgeley
11:12pm          Momoka Kobori (NZ)

Past champion: Annabel Dimmock
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €450,000
TV times: Live 3am-4:30am Friday on Fox Sports 508; Live 2:40am-4:30am Saturday on Fox Sports 506; 11:30am-1pm Sunday on Fox Sports 503; Live 10:30pm-2:30pm Sunday on Fox Sports 508 and Kayo.

PGA TOUR Americas
Explore NB Open
Mactaquac Golf Course, New Brunswick, Canada
9:30pm*          Grant Booth
2am                 Charlie Hillier (NZ)

Past champion: Ian Holt
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US225,000

HotelPlanner Tour
Interwetten Open
Schladming-Dachstein Golf Club, Oberhaus, Austria
Australasians in the field: Hayden Hopewell, Sam Jones (NZ), Tom Power Horan

Past champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €300,000

LET Access Series
Swedish Strokeplay Championship
Golf Uppsala Soderby, Sweden
4:22pm*          Stephanie Bunque
9:33pm*          Abbie Teasdale
9:45pm            Justice Bosio
9:55pm*          Kristalle Blum
10:29pm          Belinda Ji

Past champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €45,000

Legends Tour
Reignwood Legends Championship
Reignwood Pine Valley, Beijing
Australasians in the field: Michael Campbell (NZ), Scott Hend, Michael Long (NZ), Stephen Leaney

Past champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil