BRISBANE, Australia – Australian Elvis Smylie shot a 4-under 67 to win the 54-hole PGA of Australia on Sunday by two shots after a final-round shootout with teammate and former mentor Cameron Smith.
Smylie finished at 14-under 199, two ahead of Smith who had a 2-under final round 69. Smith’s LIV teammate Mark Leishman and Australian Athony Quayle shared third place at 11 under par-71 Royal Queensland.
Heavy rain and an unplayable course on Friday forced the second round to be abandoned and turned the joint Australasian PGA and European Tour event into a 54-hole tournament.
Five years ago Smylie, the son of former Australian tennis champion Liz Smylie. he won the Cameron Smith Scholarship which allowed him to spend a week at Smith’s Florida home where he was able to learn how to live and train like a PGA Tour professional.
Now 22, Smylie began Sunday’s final round tied for the top of the leaderboard with Smith at 10 under.
Smith had won the 2022 British Open in St. Andrews also previously won the Australian PGA in 2017, 2018 and 2022.
The two traded birdies until the sixth hole when a double bogey occurred when Smylie birdied and Smith bogeyed. Smylie, who led after a first-round 65, had four birdies in his first seven holes and shot nine of his nine-under par 32, 14 under.
He had a nice and good climb under pressure on the par-4 holes 10 and 12, using his three wood to curl the ball into the green from close range.
With a bogey on the ninth hole, Smith turned 35, moving back into second place at 11-under with Quayle, Mark Leishman and Australian David Micheluzzi.
Smith had another bogey on the par-4 14th that dropped him back to 10 under while Quayle finished with an 8-under 63 to lead the clubhouse at 11-under.
Smylie was under pressure on the par-5 15th when he hit his second hole left of the green. He also tried to save par while Smith raced back to 11-under, cutting the lead to three shots.
Smith cut Smylie’s lead to two when he teed off the green for birdie on the par-3 17th, winning huge cheers from the crowd at the tournament’s party hole. Smylie’s birdie putt from six feet slid wide.
Smylie held his nerve as he holed his shot on the 18th in a difficult layup with a wide tree trunk between him and the green 186 feet away. He wrapped his around the tree, but put it in the basement before it was green.
Smylie played a nerveless ball from the sand to three feet and chipped out for par, finishing with 11 straight pars. He was able to go up and down in critical areas 9 times back.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Smylie. “I will never forget this day playing with Cam once [Leishman].
“My short game was good; I definitely saved myself.”
The Australian PGA is the first event of the 2025 European Tour season.
Next week, many of the same players will go to Melbourne for the Australian Open, and the European Tour. It is played in conjunction with the Women’s Australian Open at the famous sand belt courses of Kingston Heath and Victoria.
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