Cameron Smith not only made his first cut in America at the RBC Heritage but came within a whisker of earning an automatic start in New Orleans this week.

The 22-year-old Asian Tour star finished T15 at Harbour Town
Golf Links just two shots out of the top-10 who automatically gain a start in
the following week’s event.

An indifferent second round of 2-over 73 was the only
blemish in an otherwise outstanding week for the former Australian Amateur
champion whose opening 68 had him in a share of fourth place after 18 holes.

Weekend rounds of 67-67 were among the top-10 best scores in
the field both Saturday and Sunday on a course that always looked likely to
suit Smith’s game.

The RBC Heritage was Smith’s fourth invite to a PGA TOUR
event with his first three outing proving a challenging test with him missing
the cut at each.

The confidence gained from not only making the cut this week
but being on the edge of contention will be invaluable as Smith works toward
his goal of a full time career on the PGA TOUR.

While it was a great week for Smith it was a mixed bag of
fortunes for the other three Australians who teed up at Harbour Town.

Fellow Queenslander Steven Bowditch looked to be on his way
to his ninth missed cut in 14 events after an opening round of 3-over 74 but
rallied late on day two with four birdies in his final nine holes to make the
cut on the number.

An eventual T44 finish would not have been what he was
hoping for but having missed seven cuts in his previous eight starts it is a
step in the right direction.

2006 champion Aaron Baddeley got off to a good start to be
in the mix at 5-under through 36 holes but a disastrous third round 76 dropped
him back to even par and the tail end of the leaderboard.

A lacklustre final round of 1-over saw him finish T66, a
disappointing result given his play in the first two days.

Robert Allenby was the final Australian in the field and
finished T55 on a course where he has missed more cuts than he has made over
the years.

Like Bowditch, Allenby is struggling for form in 2015 with
nine missed cuts in 14 starts and while finishing so far down the leaderboard
is hardly a positive, it is a step in the right direction, particularly at a
course which has yielded so few good results in the past.