Crikey
PGA Championship 2024: Watch Cam Smith make an incredible barefoot par save from the middle of a stream
Cam Smith is widely regarded as one of the best short-game players on the planet. He’s a wizard with a wedge in his hands and even better with the putter. With Smith playing on the LIV circuit the last two seasons, many golf fans have forgotten how good Smith is in bad situations, but on Thursday at Valhalla he provided a reminder, saving from par from the middle of a stream to keep his solid opening round going. Roll up those pants and check it out.
Smith was (literally) up a creek without a paddle, but the 2022 Open champ didn’t blink, playing a perfect, partially submerged flop shot back onto the 7th fairway before going on to save par. It’s early yet, but you’ll be hard pressed to see a better recovery shot all week.
Whether or not Smith—whose form fell off rapidly after his LIV move—regrets his high-profile switch is unknown, but one thing appears certain:
Picking up tips from Phil Mickelson on a weekly basis has made his already elite short game even better.
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