Cam Smith Interview - Original Penguin Golf Day

Team Golfposer were invited to play in the Original Penguin golf day at The Belfry alongside special guest & Open Champion, Cameron Smith. Read our full on-course interview with Cam below where we talk all things LIV Golf, The Open Championship, golf shorts & booze-themed polo shirts.

GP: We're excited to tee it up alongside you today, Cam! You've been wearing Original Penguin since the beginning of 2018 - so how much do you enjoy being the “face of the brand” and do you have any input when it comes to the clothing you wear?

CS: I really enjoy being with the brand – they’re very fun people to be around. As you know – the designs they come up with are very light-hearted and fun so it’s a really nice brand to wear & be associated with. I don’t have much input when it comes to designing - but I definitely tell them what I like and what I don’t like!

GP: Were you aware that you went low-key viral at this year's US Open because of the booze-themed shirt you were wearing?

CS: Yeah I saw something on Instagram that night; I got a few messages from people saying that they loved the shirt. It was a cool shirt, but I wouldn’t even say it’s the coolest that we’ve got there. A lot of the designs – particularly this year & this Summer – have all been about martinis and cocktails and stuff so there’s a lot of other cool shirts to choose from aside from that one!

GP: We know that you typically wear a dark shade of red on Sundays; can you tell us the story behind that?

CS: My home state in Australia is Queensland and our rugby league team is the Queensland Maroons – so I’ve always enjoyed wearing maroon and I’ve just kind of made it a tradition to wear it on the last day of a tournament.

GP: It was the final major of the season last week; how difficult did you find the course at Royal Troon? Was that one of the toughest Open Championship courses you’ve played?

CS: It was tough, but I’d probably say Carnoustie 2018 was the toughest. It was really dry and burnt out that week - so that course played really tough. That being said, I didn’t envy the guys playing on Saturday at Troon – the weather was awful! It’s safe to say that you’ll never see an Aussie at the top of an Open leaderboard if it’s cold & windy!

GP: One of the simple, yet effective, differences of the LIV Tour is the option to wear shorts on the course. Would you consider that to be one of the perks of playing on the LIV tour?

CS: Well, we play a lot of our golf in hot & humid places so - while I wouldn’t say it’s “necessary” - it definitely helps us to cool down a little bit. It’s 100% what LIV is about. It’s about bringing us a side of the game that’s not really been there before & just embracing that.

GP: Would you have liked to have worn shorts at Troon?

CS: No. Next question please!

GP: Didn't think so! What about joggers? Would you wear the OPG Tech Jogger during tournament play?

CS: Absolutely, I like joggers! I practice in them a fair bit – especially in winter – so I’d definitely wear them.

GP: You've previously called St. Andrews a "golfing heaven" and the "best golfing spot in the world" - so how special was winning the 150th Open at The Old Course? Did you realise the magnitude of the victory at the time?

CS: Um. I still don’t think it's truly sunk in. It’s definitely an event I was looking forward to and it was a great event. The week was nuts. The support that I had was great; there were a lot of Aussies in the crowd which was nice. Just to win an Open Championship is pretty cool & it’s probably what juniors grow up dreaming about – but to win it at St. Andrews is even better. A real dream come true.

GP: Was winning the Open & gaining major exemption for 5 years (+ much longer for The Open) a contributing factor when considering the move to LIV?

CS: It was definitely nice to know that I had that as a potential reward – but at the time there was a little bit of uncertainty about what they were going to do – so yes and no.

GP: Another major tournament that you've got a great track record in is The Masters - so what’s your secret to playing so well at Augusta National?

CS: Augusta just suits my game. I feel comfortable around there and I’ve played enough rounds to know where to miss. That’s the key. For example, there are some holes that you would be better missing 60 metres left, rather than 2 metres right. I know my way around the course and I guess that’s why I tend to play well.

GP: You've won the Zurich Classic (a team golf event) on two occasions - once with Jonas Blixt & then with Marc Leishman. How fun do you find it playing team golf on the regular now?

CS: We have a really tight knit group at Ripper GC; we have a really good bond between us all which makes it even better. It’s good – it gives you something extra to think about particularly on a Sunday with all four scores counting. It can get pretty intense out there so it’s nice – it adds another element. I’ve always loved team sport and played well in other team events, so it’s definitely fun for me.

GP: You won the LIV London event last year & this time LIV UK is taking place at the JCB Golf & Country Club. Have you ever played JCB and how is the game feeling right now?

CS: I played yesterday – played all 18. The course is completely different to Centurion, it’s a little bit funky – so my prediction is probably a bit higher scoring. The game feels good. I didn’t have my best week in Troon but it was really just one bad day of golf on the Thursday. The game is definitely still there and it feels good - it just all needs to come together at the right time.

GP: Well, we all wish you good luck for this weekend & the rest of the season, Cam!