The 2020 Masters runner-up made history last year by recording the worst start by a PGA TOUR winner since the advent of ShotLink in 2003 – 4-over after two holes – and returns to Honolulu confident in his game and comfortable in his surroundings.

Wantima Country Club in Brisbane’s northern suburbs is not heralded as one of Australian golf’s premier layouts yet its tight driving lines and exacting greens developed Smith into a player of the highest calibre.

Like Wantima, Waialae is a narrow, twisting, boa constrictor of a golf course, rewarding the precise over the powerful.

Its past winners are testament to that. Dating back to two-time champion Corey Pavin in 1986-87 through to Jim Furyk (1996), Jeff Sluman (1999), Brad Faxon (2001), David Toms (2006), Jimmy Walker (2014-15) and Matt Kuchar (2019), there is a pattern of precision that Smith fits into perfectly.

“I love the place. I love the golf course,” Smith said during his press conference Tuesday where his lengthening mullet stole much of the media spotlight.

“It just reminds me so much of home to be honest. The grasses are almost the same.

“Where I grew up is very flat kind of like this golf course. And it’s windy.

“It’s always windy. You always have to control your ball into the greens, which I love doing.

“I feel as though you can be very creative around the greens here.

“Yeah, I love it. Great golf course.”

Smith’s breakthrough individual triumph 12 months ago was followed soon after by a COVID-19-induced shutdown that was simultaneously timely and unfortunate.

Instilled with the belief that one win could become two or three, Smith was also in need of a release after an intense summer of golf back home in Australia.

He used the downtime to recharge the batteries and keep the golf clubs in the garage, his sluggish start upon the TOUR’s resumption to be expected in hindsight.

His first top-20 finish since Sony came six months later at The Northern Trust and he has been in the hunt virtually every week since.

He was 11th at the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek and tied for fourth at the ZOZO Championship prior to his record-setting run at Augusta National where he broke 70 in all four rounds.

Encouraged by his play in last week’s Sentry Tournament of Champions where he shot 66 in the third round in finishing tied for 24th, the 27-year-old is working with coach Grant Field on elevating his long game to the level of his world-class play around the green.

Ranked 25th in Strokes Gained: Putting and 18th in Approaches from 100-125 Yards, Smith’s focus presently is on improving his rating in both Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (131st) and Strokes Gained: Approach the Green (105th).

“I’ve putted really well,” said Smith, currently ranked No.29 in the world, of his recent run of form.

“I feel as though if I can get my longer stuff, and especially my irons into a good spot, I’ll be able to compete every week.

“Just working on that with the coach. I mean, not trying to overdo it. Just little steps. Hopefully it all falls into place very soon.

“We haven’t seen each other face-to-face for about 13 or 14 months now. So it’s been quite a while. We’ve kind of made our way around it with FaceTime and other technology that we’re able to use these days.

“We’ve been doing a really good job of staying on top of it.”

Despite the remote nature of their relationship this past year, Field was encouraged by a conversation with Smith on Tuesday morning ahead of his title defence.

When he confirmed that he had seen the swing video his star pupil had sent earlier, a simple, “How good is it!” from the other end of the phone was the confidence-booster every coach wants to hear.

“He knows what works, he knows his blueprint,” Field said.

“There are a couple of little swing things that pop up from time to time but our blueprint really doesn’t change too much.

“It’s more repeatability in what he’s doing (with the long game). A higher quality of control.

“His long game’s good enough, we just want it to be there more often.

“Things that we work on for him is how he moves the club away from the ball. When he’s swinging average his first move tends to get a little bit out and extended and away from him.

“From there he doesn’t get the hands and arms deep enough early enough. From there he drops it under and the arms travel a little too far and then he has to back out of it a little bit. That brings the blocks and hooks into play, mainly the blocks.

“When he’s more on-line and deeper earlier in the backswing and he keeps it short, that allows him to stay on top during transition and from there he can extend and rotate properly on the way through.

“There are timings when those things should happen and for him it has to happen early.”

With Smith leading the charge from 4.50am Friday morning there will be a strong Aussie presence at Waialae with Matt Jones, Aaron Baddeley, Cameron Davis and Rhein Gibson making their first starts for 2021 along with Kiwi pair Danny Lee and Tim Wilkinson.

Round 1 tee times (AEDT)

PGA TOUR
Sony Open
Waialae Country Club, Honolulu, Hawaii
4.50am*              Cameron Smith, Carlos Ortiz, Sungjae Im
5am*     Adam Scott, Matt Kuchar, Harris English
5.40am*              Danny Lee, Bronson Burgoon, Tyler McCumber
5.50am Rhein Gibson, Roger Sloan, Takumi Kanaya
8.50am*              Aaron Baddeley, Jerry Kelly, Emiliano Grillo
9am       Matt Jones, Kyoung-Hoon Lee, Will Gordon
9.30am Marc Leishman, Webb Simpson, Collin Morikawa
10.10am              Cameron Davis, Nick Watney, Mackenzie Hughes
10.10am*            Tim Wilkinson, Brian Harman, Tom Hoge

Defending champion: Cameron Smith
Past Aussie winners: Bruce Crampton (1969), Brett Ogle (1994), Cameron Smith (2020)
Top Aussie prediction: Cameron Smith
TV schedule: Live 11am-2.30pm Friday, Saturday on Fox Sports 503; Live 11am-2.30pm Sunday on Fox Sports 505; Live 10am-2pm on Fox Sports 503.