Can Smyth upstage Smith? And lead the Aussie charge at the Open Championship
WITH his recent return to something like the form which saw him claim the Open Championship in 2022, Cameron Smith will arrive at Royal Birkdale with a level of confidence, with a number of golfing experts predicting a bold showing.
Smith recorded his first top 10 in a major since the 2024 Masters when seventh at the PGA Championship, his second placing at the Australian Open in December was encouraging, while performances of late on the LIV Tour will see the Queenslander arrive at the 2026 Open aiming to continue his reemergence and to again challenge the world’s best.
On the other hand, Travis Smyth will slip into the Southport unheralded and unfavoured by those outside of family, friends and his support crew, with few expecting too much from the talented New South Welshman.
But in going by recent performances, Smyth is turning up to contest his third major championship ready to more than just make up the numbers.
Travis Smyth aims to continue his successful 2026 season with a strong showing at Royal Birkdale.
Smyth’s swing and performance coach Dean Kinney is one who is definitely on board and confident Smyth can bring his strong recent form to Birkdale this July.
“He’s going to be there for a couple of weeks before, to get used to links golf,” Kinney began. “He’s staying on the course, his caddy has a mate who virtually lives on Birkdale, so he’s got a really good place to stay.
“And he played at Royal Liverpool a couple of years ago, that was his first major and he handled it really well. He had a hole-in-one, missed the cut by a few, but he played quite nicely,” Kinney added in referencing the 2023 Open.
“But he was a bit of a deer in the headlights then. He’s a totally different player and a totally different human now.
“In preparation for Royal Liverpool we played Royal Birkdale, not knowing we were going to get in this year. We played a lot of links courses, so he knows Birkdale, he loves it, he’s staying on the course, he’s feeling good about his game, there are so many good things,” Kinney said.
And Smyth’s results of late, which has included two wins in 2026 and a team’s title on LIV as a member of Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers, backs up Kinney’s enthusiasm.
While ‘journeyman’ would be an unfair tag for a player of his quality, Smyth has been plying his trade in virtual anonymity in Asia, where he managed to place consistently in the top 10, without collecting trophies.
There was a win in 2017 at the Northern Territory PGA Championship while still amateur, Smyth’s first victory as a professional came in 2022 at the Yeangder TPC event in Taiwan, before he enjoyed a breakthrough of sorts at the ISPS Handa Japan-Australasia Championship in New Zealand. The win in the joint venture event enabled Smyth to claim the Australasian Tour Order of Merit.
The Japan-Australasia Championship victory also came with exempt status on the Japanese Tour, while finishing as the number one on the order of merit, achieved in just four tournaments played, gives Smyth the option of playing a full schedule of events on the DP World Tour in 2027.
Can Cam Smith return to the form that saw him win the Open Championship in 2022.
Then following his triumph in Auckland in March, Smyth backed it up a month later with an International Series win in Japan, and with that tour a feeder to LIV, it puts him in a strong position to earn full status should the LIV tour still be operating next year.
But before he wrestles with the issue of putting together a schedule for 2027 and beyond, Smyth’s focus will shift to Birkdale and to taking his outstanding play of late into one of golf’s big four championships.
However Kinney believes with lessons learned and in considering his improvement and obvious ability, Smyth will be ready to go when the Open Championship tees off later this month.
“A major is a totally different animal, it’s going to be pretty similar to Royal Liverpool I presume, the rough was so thick and so long. But the PGA was a brutal set up as well.
“He’s got the skill set to do it. He can play the wind shots, he can shape it both ways and he’s confident at flighting it.”
Which means while plenty of attention will rightly be on Cam Smith, it might just be Travis Smyth leading the Aussie charge at this year’s Open Championship.
Smyth mixing in elite company
SHELLHARBOUR native and St Michaels member Travis Smyth will contest his third major championship when he tees it up at Royal Birkdale, with the No. 1 on the Australasian Order of Merit enjoying a successful 2026 campaign.
And as Smyth climbs the proverbial golfing ladder, the 31-year-old has started mixing in some elite company.
As the current leader of the International Series moneylist (as of June 20), Smyth has enjoyed a couple of opportunities on LIV and courtesy of his Order of Merit triumph was granted a place in the field for the PGA Championship, where his playing partner for the opening two days was eventual winner Aaron Rai.
Dean Kinney, Golf Australia’s Head of Coach Development and National Team Coach, also Smyth’s performance and technical swing coach, has seen Smyth become increasingly comfortable alongside the best players in the game.
With two wins in 2026, an in-form Travis Smyth will play his third career major championship when he tees it up at Royal Birkdale.
“He has been playing with more successful players,” Kinney began. “When he’s played LIV events, he’s played practice rounds with Bryson (DeChambeau), in the PGA he played the first two rounds with Aaron Rai, and he goes on and wins a major.
“He also played a practice round with Jordan Speith at the PGA, another one with Cam Smith the next day.”
But for Kinney, Smyth’s evolution and improvement has been about more than just who he’s been rubbing shoulders with.
“From a development perspective his technique is getting a little bit better, he’s a more focused in the gym than he’s ever been, to improve his technical side he’s had to get stronger and more disciplined with that.
“But the two big things, recently he’s employed a really good professional caddy. Richard Hallum is his name, very experienced, he’s been caddying for 40 years, mainly European Tour. He’s been unreal.
“And the other thing that has helped, he’s seeing a really good psychologist, the VIS head psychologist Dan Diamond.
“So, the combination of doing a bit better job physically, being exposed to really good information in the psych space and having a good caddy has helped everything come together,” Kinney said.
“Going from all the top 10’s he was having, to winning, has been a combination of
things.”
Let’s hope Smyth’s improvement and winning ways continue, and where better than on golf’s biggest stage.
Lucas Herbert, with a win on the LIV Tour to his credit in 2026, is one of seven Australians exempt into the Open Championship.
Aussies at the Open
Kel Nagle, Peter Thomson on five occasions, Greg Norman, twice, Ian Baker Finch, then Cameron Smith at St Andrews, have all claimed the Claret Jug, with seven Australians exempt into the field and aiming to add their names to the Open Championship honour roll.
In addition to Smith, the winner in 2022, the Aussie contenders will include Travis Smyth, Jason Day, Adam Scott, in his 101st consecutive major appearance, with Lucas Herbert, Min Woo Lee and Elvis Smylie also exempt into the field for the championship to be played for an 11th time at Royal Birkdale.
Local qualifying events will also take place in the lead up to the tournament in potentially adding to that number.
The 154th Open Championship tees of on July 16.
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