Travis Smyth (born 29 December 1994) is an Australian professional golfer who plays on the Asian Tour. He won the 2017 Northern Territory PGA Championship and the 2022 Yeangder TPC, as well as recording a runner-up finish at the 2022 International Series England. He played in the first three LIV Golf events in 2022, having gained access through the Asian Tour qualification process.[1]
| Travis Smyth | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | 29 December 1994 Shellharbour, New South Wales, Australia |
| Sporting nationality |  Australia |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 2017 |
| Current tour(s) | Asian Tour PGA Tour of Australasia |
| Former tour(s) | LIV Golf |
| Professional wins | 2 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| Asian Tour | 1 |
| PGA Tour of Australasia | 1 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP |
| The Open Championship | CUT: 2023 |
Early life and amateur career edit
Smyth grew up in Shellharbour, New South Wales, a small beach town about an hour and a half south of Sydney. He didn’t start to play golf until the age of 12, but he enjoyed a strong amateur career representing Australia on several occasions, and quickly rose through the amateur ranks.[2] He won the 2015 Riversdale Cup and was runner-up at the 2016 Australian Amateur, and rose to 11th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking in 2017.[3]
Still an amateur, Smyth was runner-up at the 2016 Western Australian Open two strokes behind Curtis Luck, and won his first professional event during the 2017 PGA Tour of Australasia season, the Northern Territory PGA Championship.[4]
Smyth was in contention at the 2017 U.S. Amateur at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles. He beat Will Zalatoris in the round of 16 to advance to the final eight, but lost 1 down in the quarterfinal to eventual champion Doc Redman.[2]
Professional career edit
Smyth turned professional in late 2017 and joined the Asian Tour after tying for 3rd at the 2018 Asian Tour Qualifying School. He finished in the top-50 on the Order of Merit in 2018 and 2019.[5]
On the PGA Tour of Australasia, Smyth lost a playoff at the 2019 New South Wales Open and tied for 3rd at the 2020 ISPS Handa Vic Open, a European Tour co-sanctioned event.[6]
LIV Golf edit
Smyth recorded his best Asian Tour finish at the time, at the inaugural International Series England in June 2022. He finished in second place, one stroke behind Scott Vincent to collect US$220,000.[7] The tournament also served as a qualifier for the first LIV Golf event, and the top-6 finishers were invited to play at the LIV Golf Invitational London. He finished runner-up in the team event at LIV London the following week together with Peter Uihlein, Richard Bland and Phachara Khongwatmai to collect US$525,000.[8] In total, Smyth appeared in three 2022 LIV Golf Invitational Series events, finishing T33, T29 and 22nd, to collect a combined US$850,000.[2]
Smyth invested the prize money back into his career and his team. He started 2023 with a tie for 6th at the PIF Saudi International and a solo 3rd at the World City Championship at the Hong Kong Golf Club. A qualifying event for the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, he secured a start in his first major championship through his Hong Kong finish.[2]
Amateur wins edit
- 2014 Queensland Stroke Play & Amateur Championship
- 2015 Riversdale Cup
- 2017 NSW Amateur
Source:[3]
Professional wins (2) edit
Asian Tour wins (1) edit
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 Sep 2022 | Yeangder TPC | −19 (68-69-66-66=269) | 2 strokes |  Lee Chieh-po
|
PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1) edit
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 Sep 2017 | Northern Territory PGA Championship (as an amateur) |
−19 (64-68-66-67=265) | 6 strokes | Deyen Lawson
|
PGA Tour of Australasia playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019 | AVJennings NSW Open | Josh Younger
|
Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
Results in major championships edit
| Tournament | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |
| PGA Championship | |
| U.S. Open | |
| The Open Championship | CUT |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
Team appearances edit
Amateur
- Australian Men's Interstate Teams Matches (representing New South Wales): 2014, 2015, 2016 (winners), 2017
Source:[3]
References edit
- ^ "Travis Smyth Bio". European Tour. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- ^ a b c d Vincenzi, Matt (14 April 2023). "From 783rd in the world, to LIV, to The Open – The unorthodox rise of Travis Smyth". Golf WRX. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- ^ a b c "Travis Smyth". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- ^ Blake, Martin (30 October 2017). "Travis Smyth, Australia's highest-ranked amateur, turns professional". Golf Digest Australia. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- ^ "Travis Smyth Bio". Asian Tour. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- ^ "Home hero Lee wins first title Down Under". European Tour. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- ^ Webeck, Tony (6 June 2022). "Aussies on Tour: Smyth falls just short on Asian Tour". PGA of Australia. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- ^ "LIV Golf Invitational Final Purse, Prize Money, Payouts for Entire Field in London: Schwartzel Bags $4 Million for Victory". Sports Illustrated. 11 June 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
External links edit
- Travis Smyth at the PGA Tour of Australasia official site
- Travis Smyth at the Asian Tour official site
- Travis Smyth at the Official World Golf Ranking official site