\u201cIt feels great to play nice,\u201d Smith said after a final-round 68. \u201cYou don\u2019t work hard to play crap, and it\u2019s frustrating, and the last couple of years have been frustrating. I feel like I\u2019ve been putting in the work and not really getting anything out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201c[Harmon III and I], we\u2019ve just managed to clean up a few things that were perhaps a little bit off, and I feel like I\u2019ve got a lot more confidence in my swing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith rose to No. 2 in the world after winning the 2022 British Open, but left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf a few weeks after. Since then, he recorded four LIV victories, with the last coming in 2023. And after opening the 2024 major season with a T6 at the Masters, the 32-year-old placed T63 and T32 at the ensuing PGA Championship and U.S. Open, before the six missed cuts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cam Smith moves into a tie for second with his second birdie in four holes at the 4th. \ud83d\udc4f#PGAChamp<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/YegbyEQiZV<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n What went wrong?<\/p>\n \u201cJust think you lose a little bit of confidence in your swing and maybe in your brain,\u201d he said, \u201cand it can all happen so quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n Harmon III elaborated on the technicalities to Sky Sports.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cReally trying to get the backswing not being so deep and inside,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s been getting quick and inside, and then as [Smith\u2019s] shoulders turn, the club\u2019s been getting across the line. And he\u2019s been fighting Peter Pan, the hook. So, widened out the stance a little bit, just trying to get the backswing in a little bit better position, so he doesn\u2019t have to think so much on the downswing.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith began the final round at Aronimink four strokes back. Then, he was within striking distance of the lead after a 3-under front nine. But the driver and putter, his strength, failed to cooperate after making the turn, in which he shot 1 over.\u00a0<\/p>\n How Cam Smith’s key clubs let him down late at Aronimink<\/p>\n He was close to last in the field in driving accuracy on Sunday, hitting just 21.43% of his fairways (he hit 41% of them all week). In strokes-gained putting, Smith was 14th in the field, gaining 4.5 strokes on the greens through all four rounds. In the final round, though, he gained only 0.272 strokes with the flatstick.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHit a few wayward drives there on the back nine, but still had a few looks at birdie and just wasn’t able to capitalize on the back nine,\u201d Smith said. \u201cYeah, a little bit frustrating with the putter today, but that\u2019s golf.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, he felt something at Aronimink that he hadn\u2019t in a long time. That itself is a win.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why we compete,\u201d he said. \u201cWe compete to win, and it was nice to get the heart rate up and, you know, feel your hands and your legs get a little bit jelly. It was cool. And I\u2019m happy with how I played with all that going on as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Sometimes, finding success forces tough conversations. But if it helps Smith achieve glory again, it\u2019ll be worth it.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI needed a fresh voice in the head and kind of almost a restart,\u201d Smith said, \u201cand like I said, it felt good so far.\u201d<\/p>\n More golf on Sports Illustrated![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
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