World No. 3 Cameron Smith wins the 2022 Fortinet Australian PGA Championship

World no. 3, Cameron Smith starred in his hometown Brisbane to win his third Fortinet Australian PGA Championship. The 29-year-old won with a lead of three strokes, posting a score of 3 under 68 in the final round to finish 14 under overall at Brisbane’s Royal Queensland Golf Club.

However, the Australian did not expect himself to win the title as he teed off in the event.

"I really didn't think I had it in me at the start of the week," he said. "I was a bit scratchy [but] the game has got better and better as the week went on, other than the front nine today."

He battled the weather conditions as play was suspended not once but twice because of lightning on Sunday with a total delay of almost two hours. Smith entered the final round with a three-shot lead.

Cameron Smith started slowly in the final round and was tied for the lead with Jason Scrivener and Ryo Hisatsune after he hit a bogey in the par -3 11th hole. However, he recovered from a slow start in the final round by hitting three birdies in the final seven holes to win his fourth DP World Tour title.

"It's awesome. I really didn't think I had it in me at the start of the week," said Smith, who won the tournament in 2017 and 2018 and was playing in his home country for the first time in three years."

Cameron Smith also thanked his grandmother, who walked it all to watch him as a spectator, despite undergoing chemotherapy.

"I can't believe she did it," he added. "Everyone at the start of the week was telling her to pace herself. It's pretty amazing and definitely inspiring."

Meanwhile, Australia's Jason Scrivener and Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune tied for second at 11 under after posting the final rounds of 67 and 65, respectively. Another Australian and home favorite, Min Woo Lee, was tied for fourth at 9 under with England’s John Parryat. They scored 69 and 65 in the final rounds.

Hisatsune and Parryat ended up posting the best score of the week, finishing 65 in the final round.

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Cameron Smith wins fourth DP World Tour title at the Australian PGA Championships

Smith previously won the Australian PGA Championship in 2017 and 2018 and returned after three years to win the event altogether. The top golfer also had a prolific 2022 season so far as he won the Sentry Tournament of Champions, The Players Championship, and his first major at the 150th Open Championship this year.

However, he joined the PGA Tour's rival, LIV Golf, in August after clinching his first major. In the first edition of LIV Golf, Smith made $7,378,500 over five events, including a win in the fifth event of the eight-event series held in Chicago. He was also a part of team 4Aces, which won the final Team Championship.

Cameron Smith, along with Scott and Leishman, will continue playing in Australia as they are all set to feature in the Australian Open scheduled for next week between December 1 and 4.