Opinion & Analysis

From 783rd in the world, to LIV, to The Open – The unorthodox rise of Travis Smyth

Published

1 year ago

Apr 14, 2023

A year ago, Australian Travis Smyth was the 783rd ranked player in the world. Now, he’s preparing to play in the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.

Smyth grew up in the small beach town of Shell Harbor, which is about an hour and a half south of Sydney. He didn’t pick up a golf club until he was 12 years old, but he rose through the amateur ranks quickly. By August of 2017, Smyth was the 11th ranked amateur in the world.

Shortly thereafter, Travis found himself deep into contention at the 2017 U.S. Amateur at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles. His run was impressive, knocking off Will Gordon in the round of 64 and eventually beating now PGA Tour star Will Zalatoris to advance to the final eight. The Aussie’s run ended when he lost a heartbreaker 1 down to eventual champion Doc Redman, but he made his presence in the amateur golf world known.

After officially placing T5 amongst the best amateurs in the world, Smyth wasn’t done yet. Just two weeks later, he went on to win his first professional tournament as an amateur. He emerged victorious at the Northern Territory PGA Championship on the PGA Tour of Australasia.

“I just had one of those weeks where everything went right and I won by seven shots and blitzed the field. It was an amazing feeling. I was reassured that being a professional golfer was my thing to do.” Smyth said.

Fast forward to 2022, and a monumental event in the history of the sport began to take shape. There was a civil war brewing in the world of golf, and Greg Norman was at the forefront of a new tour called LIV Golf. Beginning in April of 2022, LIV began poaching some of the world’s best golfers, including Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson.

LIV reportedly spent upwards of a billion dollars on player acquisitions and the tour was criticized for its lack of qualifying process, rendering it insufficient for OWGR points. However, there was a qualifying event prior to the first LIV event at Centurion Club outside of London.

The Asian Tour had an event called The International Series England, and the top-6 players on the leaderboard would get a chance to play at LIV London.

Five years after his charge at the U.S. Amateur, the now 27-year-old Travis Smyth who was playing on the Asian Tour suddenly had the opportunity of a lifetime.

The gritty Aussie took advantage, finishing in second place at the event behind Scott Vincent. The biggest payday Smyth had received as a professional golfer to that point was just over $30,000. He now had a chance to play for $4 million at Centurion Club.

At the time, he knew he would also be playing at LIV Portland and most likely LIV Bedminster as well, so it was important for him to capitalize on the opportunity. He certainly knew the stakes, and said it “felt like a major” because of how important playing well on LIV was to his career.

“To me, they were the three biggest events I’ve ever played in.”

Although he felt he could have played better, Smyth finished T33, T29 and 22nd in the three events and walked away with $850,000.

Life as a professional golfer on most tours can be a grind. Flights, hotels and daily expenses can add up when you aren’t making a great deal of prize money. Especially coming from Australia, where it’s far away from where he plays, flights are especially expensive.

Now, the former 11th ranked amateur had some breathing room and could focus solely on improving as a player.

“It just took a huge financial pressure off of my back. With that money, I can fly business which definitely helps. I’m staying in nicer hotels, I’m paying my coach more money so I can have him around more often. Now I can spend the money on my team to try and get better each and every day, which I’m assuming that the best players in the world do as well. They pay the big money, they get a lot of support from their team, so I’ve used a fair chunk of money to put that that team environment around me.”

Smyth’s ability to invest money back into his game immediately paid dividends. He won the Yeander TPC on the Asian Tour less than two months after LIV Bedminster, and he believes playing on LIV played a large part in helping him get the victory.

“I just felt like playing on LIV, competing at that level, and then going back to the Asian Tour gave me a little bit of confidence.”

“Since my win, I’ve been playing pretty consistently, so I definitely feel like everything I’m doing is taking me in the right direction and feel like more wins are going to be coming soon.”

Smyth’s prediction of playing better golf after investing in his team couldn’t have been more accurate. The 28-year-old got off to a blazing start in 2023. He finished in a tie for 6th at the PIF Saudi International which featured a strong field that included winner Abraham Ancer, Cameron Young, Joaquin Niemann, Paul Casey, Mito Pereira, Patrick Reed, and more.

The strong play didn’t stop there. Smyth then finished 7th at the International Series Qatar and then found himself playing in the World City Championship in Hong Kong. The event was especially important because the top four finishers would qualify for the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.

To make things even more difficult leading into one of the biggest events in his life, Smyth had been, and still is, dealing with some off-and-on illness over the past 12 months.

“For the past six months to a year I’ve been getting sick every two-and-a-half to four weeks. I’m traveling a lot; I’m traveling from time zone to time zone. Getting access to decent food can be tough sometimes. This year I’ve been shocked that I’ve played well because I’ve felt really average in almost all of my events. I’m doing minimal practice in the practice rounds more than half the time. There’s definitely something going on.”

The head cold and severe body aches returned with a vengeance in Hong Kong, but once again the Aussie showed his resolve.

During the tournament, Hong Kong Golf Club showed its teeth. The conditions were brutal. The winds were strong, and the course was rainy, wet and miserable.

Just like Travis Smyth likes it.

“It was raining, it was playing tough, and I raced up the leaderboard. I was really committing to my swings, and everything fell into place. I shot a nice score and everyone around me seemed to go backwards.”

This July, Smyth will be competing in his first major championship.

“Getting into my first major, I’m thrilled, stoked, all the emotions. It’s a great feeling, I cannot wait to play in my first British Open.”

The Australian is going to head over to the UK early to try to get a better feel for links style golf, but understandably, he’s hoping the conditions are tough the week of the Open.

“I kind of hope it’s a really hard, windy rainy British Open”.

Smyth feels like his game will be in a place where he can surprise some people at The Open. He’d be happy to make the cut but is certainly capable of more.

“I’d like to make the cut, but a successful week would be top-15. I’m definitely good enough, my good golf is good enough. Yeah, top-15, top-20 I’d be pretty stoked with.”

When I pressed the affable Aussie on whether or not he could win, he laughed but wouldn’t rule himself out.

“Do I think I could do better? Yeah, sure. But baby steps for my first Open.”

Smyth’s talent and his determination can’t be questioned. He was a highly ranked amateur player and has shown remarkable improvements since he’s been able to strengthen the team around him.

I’m not ruling him out either.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s LIV Golf Singapore betting preview: Course specialist ready to thrive once again

Published

2 days ago

Apr 30, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

After another strong showing in Australia, LIV Golf will head to Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore looking to build off of what was undoubtedly their best event to date.

Sentosa Golf Club sits on the southern tip of Singapore and is one of the most beautiful courses in the world. The course is more than just incredible scenically; it was also rated 55th in Golf Digest’s top-100 courses in 2022-2023 and has been consistently regarded as one of the best courses in Asia. Prior to being part of the LIV rotation, the course hosted the Singapore Open every year since 2005.

Sentosa Golf Club is a par 71 measuring 7,406 yards. The course will require precise ball striking and some length off the tee. It’s possible to go low due to the pristine conditions, but there are also plenty of hazards and difficult spots on the course that can bring double bogey into play in a hurry. The Bermudagrass greens are perfectly manicured, and the course has spent millions on the sub-air system to keep the greens rolling fast. I spoke to Asian Tour player, Travis Smyth, who described the greens as “the best [he’s] ever played.”

Davis Love III, who competed in a Singapore Open in 2019, also gushed over the condition of the golf course.

“I love the greens. They are fabulous,” the 21-time PGA Tour winner said.

Love III also spoke about other aspects of the golf course.

“The greens are great; the fairways are perfect. It is a wonderful course, and it’s tricky off the tee.”

“It’s a long golf course, and you get some long iron shots. It takes somebody hitting it great to hit every green even though they are big.”

As Love III said, the course can be difficult off the tee due to the length of the course and the trouble looming around every corner. It will take a terrific ball striking week to win at Sentosa Golf Club.

In his pre-tournament press conference last season, Phil Mickelson echoed many of the same sentiments.

“To play Sentosa effectively, you’re going to have a lot of shots from 160 to 210, a lot of full 6-, 7-, 8-iron shots, and you need to hit those really well and you need to drive the ball well.”

Golfers who excel from tee to green and can dial in their longer irons will have a massive advantage this week.

Stat Leaders at LIV Golf Adelaide:

Fairways Hit

1.) Louis Oosthuizen

2.) Anirban Lahiri

3.) Jon Rahm

4.) Brendan Steele

5.) Cameron Tringale

Greens in Regulation

1.) Brooks Koepka

2.) Brendan Steele

3.) Dean Burmester

4.) Cameron Tringale

5.) Anirban Lahiri

Birdies Made

1.) Brendan Steele

2.) Dean Burmester

3.) Thomas Pieters

4.) Patrick Reed

5.) Carlos Ortiz

LIV Golf Individual Standings:

1.) Joaquin Niemann

2.) Jon Rahm

3.) Dean Burmester

4.) Louis Oosthuizen

5.) Abraham Ancer

LIV Golf Team Standings:

1.) Crushers

2.) Legion XIII

3.) Torque

4.) Stinger GC

5.) Ripper GC

LIV Golf Singapore Picks

Sergio Garcia +3000 (DraftKings)

Sergio Garcia is no stranger to Sentosa Golf Club. The Spaniard won the Singapore Open in 2018 by five strokes and lost in a playoff at LIV Singapore last year to scorching hot Talor Gooch. Looking at the course setup, it’s no surprise that a player like Sergio has played incredible golf here. He’s long off the tee and is one of the better long iron players in the world when he’s in form. Garcia is also statistically a much better putter on Bermudagrass than he is on other putting surfaces. He’s putt extremely well on Sentosa’s incredibly pure green complexes.

This season, Garcia has two runner-up finishes, both of them being playoff losses. Both El Camaleon and Doral are courses he’s had success at in his career. The Spaniard is a player who plays well at his tracks, and Sentosa is one of them. I believe Sergio will get himself in the mix this week. Hopefully the third time is a charm in Singapore.

Paul Casey +3300 (FanDuel)

Paul Casey is in the midst of one of his best seasons in the five years or so. The results recently have been up and down, but he’s shown that when he’s on a golf course that suits his game, he’s amongst the contenders.

This season, Casey has finishes of T5 (LIV Las Vegas), T2 (LIV Hong Kong), and a 6th at the Singapore Classic on the DP World Tour. At his best, the Englishman is one of the best long iron players in the world, which makes him a strong fit for Sentosa. Despite being in poor form last season, he was able to fire a Sunday 63, which shows he can low here at the course.

It’s been three years since Casey has won a tournament (Omega Dubai Desert Classic in 2021), but he’s been one of the top players on LIV this season and I think he can get it done at some point this season.

Mito Pereira +5000 (Bet365)

Since Mito Pereira’s unfortunate demise at the 2022 PGA Championship, he’s been extremely inconsistent. However, over the past few months, the Chilean has played well on the International Series as well as his most recent LIV start. Mito finished 8th at LIV Adelaide, which was his best LIV finish this season.

Last year, Pereira finished 5th at LIV Singapore, shooting fantastic rounds of 67-66-66. It makes sense why Mito would like Sentosa, as preeminent ball strikers tend to rise to the challenge of the golf course. He’s a great long iron player who is long and straight off the tee.

Mito has some experience playing in Asia and is one of the most talented players on LIV who’s yet to get in the winner’s circle. I have questions about whether or not he can come through once in contention, but if he gets there, I’m happy to roll the dice.

Andy Ogletree +15000 (DraftKings)

Andy Ogletree is a player I expected to have a strong 2024 but struggled early in his first full season on LIV. After failing to crack the top-25 in any LIV event this year, the former U.S. Amateur champion finally figured things out, finished in a tie for 3rd at LIV Adelaide.

Ogletree should be incredible comfortable playing in Singapore. He won the International Series Qatar last year and finished T3 at the International Series Singapore. The 26-year-old was arguably the best player on the Asian Tour in 2023 and has been fantastic in the continent over the past 18 months.

If Ogletree has indeed found form, he looks to be an amazing value at triple-digit odds.

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Opinion & Analysis

Ryan: Lessons from the worst golf instructor in America

Published

2 days ago

Apr 30, 2024

Brendan Ryan

In Tampa, there is a golf course that boasts carts that do not work, a water range, and a group of players none of which have any chance to break 80. The course is overseen by a staff of crusty men who have succeeded at nothing in life but ending up at the worst-run course in America. However, this place is no failure. With several other local courses going out of business — and boasting outstanding greens — the place is booked full.

While I came for the great greens, I stayed to watch our resident instructor; a poor-tempered, method teacher who caters to the hopeless. At first, it was simply hilarious. However, after months of listening and watching, something clicked. I realized I had a front-row seat to the worst golf instructor in America.

Here are some of my key takeaways.

Method Teacher

It is widely accepted that there are three types of golf instructors: system teachers, non-system teachers, and method teachers. Method teachers prescribe the same antidote for each student based on a preamble which teachers can learn in a couple day certification.

Method teaching allows anyone to be certified. This process caters to the lowest caliber instructor, creating the illusion of competency. This empowers these underqualified instructors with the moniker of “certified” to prey on the innocent and uninformed.

The Cult of Stack and Jilt

The Stack and Tilt website proudly boasts, “A golfer swings his hands inward in the backswing as opposed to straight back to 1) create power, similar to a field goal kicker moving his leg in an arc and 2) to promote a swing that is in-to-out, which produces a draw (and eliminates a slice).”

Now, let me tell you something, there is this law of the universe which says “energy can either be created or destroyed,” so either these guys are defying physics or they have no idea what they are taking about. Further, the idea that the first move of the backswing determines impact is conjecture with a splash of utter fantasy.

These are the pontifications of a method — a set of prescriptions applied to everyone with the hope of some success through the placebo effect. It is one thing for a naive student to believe, for a golf instructor to drink and then dispel this Kool-Aid is malpractice.

Fooled by Randomness

In flipping a coin, or even a March Madness bet, there is a 50-50 chance of success. In golf, especially for new players, results are asymmetric. Simply put: Anything can happen. The problem is that when bad instructors work with high handicappers, each and every shot gets its own diagnosis and prescription. Soon the student is overwhelmed.

Now here’s the sinister thing: The overwhelming information is by design. In this case, the coach is not trying to make you better, they are trying to make you reliant on them for information. A quasi Stockholm syndrome of codependency.

Practice

One of the most important scientists of the 20th century was Ivan Pavlov. As you might recall, he found that animals, including humans, could be conditioned into biological responses. In golf, the idea of practice has made millions of hackers salivate that they are one lesson or practice session from “the secret.”

Sunk Cost

The idea for the worst golf instructor is to create control and dependency so that clients ignore the sunk cost of not getting better. Instead, they are held hostage by the idea that they are one lesson or tip away from unlocking their potential.

Cliches

Cliches have the effect of terminating thoughts. However, they are the weapon of choice for this instructor. Add some hyperbole and students actually get no information. As a result, these players couldn’t play golf. When they did, they had no real scheme. With no idea what they are doing, they would descend into a spiral of no idea what to do, bad results, lower confidence, and running back to the lesson tee from more cliches.

The fact is that poor instruction is about conditioning players to become reliant members of your cult. To take away autonomy. To use practice as a form of control. To sell more golf lessons not by making people better but through the guise that without the teacher, the student can never reach their full potential. All under the umbrella of being “certified” (in a 2-day course!) and a melee of cliches.

This of course is not just happening at my muni but is a systemic problem around the country and around the world, the consequences of which are giving people a great reason to stop playing golf. But hey, at least it’s selling a lot of golf balls…

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans betting preview

Published

1 week ago

Apr 22, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

The PGA TOUR heads to New Orleans to play the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. In a welcome change from the usual stroke play, the Zurich Classic is a team event. On Thursday and Saturday, the teams play best ball, and on Friday and Sunday the teams play alternate shot.

TPC Louisiana is a par 72 that measures 7,425 yards. The course features some short par 4s and plenty of water and bunkers, which makes for a lot of exciting risk/reward scenarios for competitors. Pete Dye designed the course in 2004 specifically for the Zurich Classic, although the event didn’t make its debut until 2007 because of Hurricane Katrina.

Coming off of the Masters and a signature event in consecutive weeks, the field this week is a step down, and understandably so. Many of the world’s top players will be using this time to rest after a busy stretch.

However, there are some interesting teams this season with some stars making surprise appearances in the team event. Some notable teams include Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala as well as a few Canadian teams, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin and Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners.

Past Winners at TPC Louisiana

2023: Riley/Hardy (-30)
2022: Cantlay/Schauffele (-29)
2021: Leishman/Smith (-20)
2019: Palmer/Rahm (-26)
2018: Horschel/Piercy (-22)
2017: Blixt/Smith (-27)

2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Picks

Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy +2500 (DraftKings)

Tom Hoge is coming off of a solid T18 finish at the RBC Heritage and finished T13 at last year’s Zurich Classic alongside Harris English.

This season, Hoge is having one of his best years on Tour in terms of Strokes Gained: Approach. In his last 24 rounds, the only player to top him on the category is Scottie Scheffler. Hoge has been solid on Pete Dye designs, ranking 28th in the field over his past 36 rounds.

McNealy is also having a solid season. He’s finished T6 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and T9 at the PLAYERS Championship. He recently started working with world renowned swing coach, Butch Harmon, and its seemingly paid dividends in 2024.

Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen +4000 (DraftKings)

Keith Mitchell is having a fantastic season, finishing in the top-20 of five of his past seven starts on Tour. Most recently, Mitchell finished T14 at the Valero Texas Open and gained a whopping 6.0 strokes off the tee. He finished 6th at last year’s Zurich Classic.

Joel Dahmen is having a resurgent year and has been dialed in with his irons. He also has a T11 finish at the PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass which is another Pete Dye track. With Mitchell’s length and Dahmen’s ability to put it close with his short irons, the Mitchell/Dahmen combination will be dangerous this week.

Taylor Moore/Matt NeSmith +6500 (DraftKings)

Taylor Moore has quickly developed into one of the more consistent players on Tour. He’s finished in the top-20 in three of his past four starts, including a very impressive showing at The Masters, finishing T20. He’s also finished T4 at this event in consecutive seasons alongside Matt NeSmith.

NeSmith isn’t having a great 2024, but has seemed to elevate his game in this format. He finished T26 at Pete Dye’s TPC Sawgrass, which gives the 30-year-old something to build off of. NeSmith is also a great putter on Bermudagrass, which could help elevate Moore’s ball striking prowess.

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