THE 150TH OPEN

July 14, 2022

Cameron Smith

Mixed Zone

Q. Obviously run us through your stat you're looking for, getting everything off and running?

CAMERON SMITH: Absolutely. I think it was nice to get out there this morning. It's a little bit fresh this morning, but there wasn't much wind around for the first three or four holes.

And just nice to get off to a good start. Couple of birdies in the first five there and really set the tone for the day.

Q. What happened before you clutched your knee? Did you jar it at all?

CAMERON SMITH: I think I just got like -- I'm fine now, but it felt like I got a little bit of almost a hyperextension in the back of my knee.

Yeah, it lasted a couple of holes. I'm a Queensland man, get over that pretty quick. But just a little niggly for ten minutes and it went away. Fine now.

Q. Are you aware of history like things where basically you've got to be in the top 10 here after day one to win it, if history is anything to go by. Did you feel a need to get off to a hot start given --

CAMERON SMITH: Yeah, I think it's nice to get off to a hot start any week, really. But these majors, I think the tougher the course gets, especially around here, how it's going to get really firm and really fast, it's almost going to be like holding on I think on the weekend.

Nice to get out there and shoot a number and get myself well under par.

Q. Some good putts there today. Which was the best of them?

CAMERON SMITH: Hit lots of good lag putts today. It was probably some of the best lag putting I think I've ever done. My putt on the 2nd managed to go in from a fair distance. That was pretty decent. But had so many -- seemed like I had so many 80, 90, 100-footers out there today and did a good job of getting them down in two.

Q. What was the crowd like and the experience of walking around there?

CAMERON SMITH: It was pretty cool. I think it's going to be -- I think it's going to get better as the week goes on. Obviously an afternoon tee time tomorrow. I think the crowd might get a little bit louder. But plenty of Aussies in the crowd, which is nice to hear.

And places like this just have a certain feel to them, and almost gives you goosebumps. Standing on the 1st tee at St Andrews in an Open is something that I've only dreamt of doing as a kid, and for it to all come real and to have the support I did out there today was pretty cool.

Q. Seems like you figured out things. Golf, it maybe used to frustrate you in the past, getting a good shot, not getting a perfect result. How have you figured it out?

CAMERON SMITH: I think just through playing it a few more times, to be honest. I think maybe at the start of my professional career I was trying to play too much of the right shot rather than just sticking to kind of what I know.

I feel like I'm hitting more similar shots to what I would in the U.S., whereas before I thought the need to try and hit it low because that's what everyone said you had to do. And I think with the humps and hollows, it comes quite unpredictable, and just something that I've learned over the years.

Yeah, it hasn't been too nice to me so far. So it would be good to get a good run in.

Q. What are you going to do -- a big break before tomorrow's afternoon tee time. What do you do to relax and get your mind off a big week?

CAMERON SMITH: Not much, to be honest. I'm watching "Peaky Blinders" at the moment. I'll probably watch five or six episodes of that this afternoon. I'll probably do a little bit of practise, go on the bike for 20 minutes and have a pretty cruisy night again.

Q. Not an Origin replay?

CAMERON SMITH: Maybe. It was a pretty good game, wasn't it?