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Local qualifier produces storybook moment during PGA Tour debut on hole where he grew up
Camiko Smith making his long-awaited PGA Tour debut on the golf course he grew up on already had the makings of a Hollywood script. On Thursday, though, he produced the perfect climactic scene if there’s ever a movie made about his story.
Smith’s childhood home abuts the fourth hole at Port Royal GC, site of this week’s Bermuda Championship. It’s a par 4 with which the 35-year-old is well familiar—even if he wasn’t always welcomed there.
“I actually hop over a fence, and I’m right on it,” Smith told PGATour.com before the tournament. “I used to get kicked off for doing that.”
But after winning a local qualifier by five shots, Smith is welcomed inside the ropes this week. And when he had a chance to play the hole during Thursday’s opening round, the eight-year pro who has been working at a Bermuda-based glass company the past four months summoned this storybook moment—with his grandma watching. Check it out:
How cool is that? Absolutely heartwarming.
Well done, Camiko. And who knows? Perhaps, he’s just starting to author this special story after starting the week with a solid even-par round of 71. No matter how it ends, though, he’ll always have this feel-good take.