Cameron Smith makes his fifth PGA TOUR start on US soil at Hilton Head this week after receiving a sponsor’s invitation to the RBC Heritage event in South Carolina.

The traditional wind down event from The Masters features a
mixed field with many who played the year’s first major, including all four
Australians who were at Augusta last week, opting to sit out the tournament.

That leaves room for some of the PGA TOUR’s lesser lights to
shine as well as opening the door for fringe players like Smith to make an
impact.

While he has no official status in the US Smith’s T5 finish
at last year’s PGA TOUR co-sanctioned CIMB Classic earned him a start at the
following week’s Sanderson Farms event in Missouri.
While he failed to make the cut he obviously impressed sponsors and judges
alike as he has had four tournament invitations since and gets another run this
week on a course that should suit his game.

The Pete Dye designed Harbour Town course is known on Tour
as demanding precision play both off the tee and into the small greens, a style
of golf that plays to Smith’s strengths.

While not in the bomber category he isn’t short off the tee
but he makes his scores by hitting a lot of greens and backing it up with good putting,
exactly the sort of golf required to do well this week.

Smith is joined in the field by 2006 winner Aaron Baddeley,
Steven Bowditch and Robert Allenby.

Baddeley’s history with the event is mixed though positive
overall with a T2 and T10 to go with his 2006 victory.

However, he has missed the cut three times in his 10
appearances here, including last year, and his best finish in the last five
seasons is T14.

Baddeley has been in erratic form this year mixing some
brilliant golf with high numbers. He comes to Hilton Head off a missed cut in
Houston two weeks ago though posted his second best result of the season the
week prior to that at the Texas Open.

With good memories to draw on from previous play he may find
the consistency required to post a good result this week and climb the FedEx
Cup standings.

There will be no such good vibes for either Bowditch or Allenby
whose performance at Harbour Town have been less than impressive.

In 12 starts Allenby’s best finish is T14 in 2008 and he has
missed the cut six times as well as withdrawing twice.

Bowditch has teed up three times but struggled with the
intricacies of the course missing the weekend on all three occasions.