The green jacket he proudly paraded prior to claiming the Joe Kirkwood Cup in 2013 made Adam Scott the pied piper of Australian golf while Smith has won over the Gold Coast crowds with successive wins that puts him within reach of a rare piece of Australian golf history.

The pair are coming off a deflating defeat as part of the International team that lost to the USA 16-14 at Royal Melbourne last Sunday but with an opportunity to head into 2020 with a healthy injection of confidence that only comes from winning.

Scott made it known immediately following the Presidents Cup that Smith’s reign at Royal Pines was his next target and will be leading the charge to ensure his fellow Queenslander’s attempt at a threepeat falls flat.

“Obviously Cam’s had a good run here, but that’s got to come to an end at some point,” Scott said following Wednesday’s pro-am in which he played with Greg Norman Medal winner Hannah Green and rugby league legend Johnathan Thurston.

“I’m sure it’s not just me who wants to take the Aussie PGA, there’s probably a hundred plus other guys who would like to do it this week.

“But I’m certainly feeling good after last week. And the fact that I haven’t won a trophy for too long, I definitely would like to change that right here.

“I feel like I’ve been in a similar spot in my career to this before. If I remember, maybe 2012 I was playing at a very high level and I didn’t win all year. I ended up winning the Australian Masters at the end of the year.

“I’m at that point where I just need to keep pushing myself along, keep the intensity at the right level because I’m doing the right things, it’s going the right way.

“A breakthrough win here this week can carry me a long way into next year with Augusta only a few months away now.

“It’s important that I kind of get that win, and the confidence that those wins give you can take you a long way.”

Smith was engaged in a 36-hole shootout with World Cup teammate Marc Leishman as he chased back-to-back titles 12 months ago and doesn’t expect any friendly banter should he and Scott face off down the stretch over the weekend.

“I don’t think the atmosphere would be any different. ‘Leish’ and I, as good of mates as we are, we both still want to win, we’re still competitors,” Smith said as he attempts to become the first player in 112 years to win three successive Australian PGA titles.

“The talk on the last nine holes last year was pretty minimal. We’re all here to do the same thing, and it got… it didn’t get intense, but it definitely got a little bit different on that back nine on Sunday, for sure.”

Nominated for the Greg Norman Medal for a season on the PGA TOUR in which he had nine top-10 finishes including two runner-ups and was the best performed Australian player in each of the four men’s majors, Scott will end 2019 with his highest end-of-year ranking since 2016.

But the world No.18 says it is trophies – not ranking points – that he is chasing as he nears his 40th birthday.

“I’m not necessarily motivated to be the No.1 player in the world as much as I’m motivated to win a major championship,” said Scott, the 2013 Masters champion who has been drawn to play with 2009 Open champion Stewart Cink and exciting Aussie youngster Min Woo Lee the first two rounds.

“If you start getting up there, then maybe that motivation will come again, but to win some trophies and win some tournaments, certainly the majors, there are a few other specific tournaments around the world I would like to win that I haven’t won. 

“I felt like whatever years were my best golf, a couple of these slipped away, one in a playoff here (in 2014) to win the PGA again and there was an Australian Open or two that I was close at.

“It would be nice while I’ve got a few decent years left in me to kind of wrap up a few more wins down here and leave as strong a legacy in the Australian game as well.”