'Going after it': Aussie young gun pumped for US major
Elvis Smylie will lean on superstar stablemate Min Woo Lee and Australia's other golf heavyweights in an audacious bid for PGA Championship glory in North Carolina.
Already believing he belongs and intent on becoming a "global player", Smylie is feeling anything but overawed ahead of his US major championship debut on Thursday.
"I feel like my game has gone to the next level after playing in Europe," said the young lefthander, who earned his DP World Tour card with victory at the Australian PGA Championship last November.
Victory at Royal Queensland relinquished Lee of the Joe Kirkwood Cup he won in 2023 before breaking through for his maiden PGA Tour win in March.
After following in Lee's footsteps at home, Smylie now hopes to nab some tips about how to play Quail Hollow from the world No.25 as well as major-winning compatriots Jason Day, Adam Scott and Cameron Smith, who are also in the field.
"Planning to have a practice round with a couple of the Aussies. Hopefully Min will be one of them and then Adam, Cam, Jason, yeah, whoever's available," Smylie told AAP.
The son of former Australian tennis star Liz Smylie made his major debut at last year's British Open and, while he missed the cut by two shots, the classy left-hander is also drawing confidence from matching Lee's 36-hole total and beating his buddy by five shots in round two at Royal Troon.
He knows he's got the game and grit to compete with golf's big boys - and is relishing the opportunity to prove it.
"When I look around and see the names I've played against, Rory McIlroy was in the field at the start of the year in Dubai," Smylie said.
"Jon Rahm and Adam Scott and world-class players that I've grown up watching on TV and then to be able to be competing against them, in the same tournament, I feel like I really do belong.
"I don't really get overwhelmed too much. I more think of this as an opportunity to see how good my game is against these guys.
"I played a practice round with Adam Scott last year at the Open and he was by far the most impressive ball striker.
"His ability to be able to shape shots left, right, high, low, he can do anything with the golf ball.
"So just visually seeing their games, I know know that I'm not too far away because I know that mentally I'm very gritty.
"When the going gets tough, the tough get going kind of thing, I quite embrace that. So this will be another great learning curve to see where my game's at again.
"I want to be playing against the best players in the world. I want to be playing in majors and I want to take my game globally."
Also excited to be reuniting with super-coach Ritchie Smith, the esteemed mentor who guides the likes of Min Woo and Minjee Lee and fellow major winner Hannah Green, Smylie is targeting more than just making the cut at Quail Hollow.
"I'd love to play all four rounds of the major. I think that's a realistic goal for me," he said.
"And then once we can get through those first two rounds well, then it's just about really embracing what you're feeling and just going after it."
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"Let's be clear, the Court of Arbitration for Sport is not a court," D'Souza said. "And the use of the term court, I have always felt, is an abuse of that term and certainly possibly unconstitutional in the United States. "That tribunal is an internal organisation of the International Olympic Committee, it hasn't been constituted by statute in any country nor has it been constituted by a treaty. "And so it's legal standing to be the ultimate arbitration body for sport is only on a contractual level between parties. "If they think that matters related to the Enhanced Games can somehow be decided in CAS, it's a farce because we're not a participant in that system nor do they have any legal authority." World Aquatics' ban on anyone involved in Enhanced Games is "downright disgusting behaviour" and likely illegal, the Australian founder of the drug-friendly games says. 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"And European courts, American courts, have routinely ruled that this is an abuse of monopoly power. "World Aquatics' move is designed to impoverish the greatest athletes in the world and that is such inappropriate and downright disgusting behaviour." The aquatics governing body stated in its fresh by-law that any appeal against a ban could only be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). "Let's be clear, the Court of Arbitration for Sport is not a court," D'Souza said. "And the use of the term court, I have always felt, is an abuse of that term and certainly possibly unconstitutional in the United States. "That tribunal is an internal organisation of the International Olympic Committee, it hasn't been constituted by statute in any country nor has it been constituted by a treaty. "And so it's legal standing to be the ultimate arbitration body for sport is only on a contractual level between parties. 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"World Aquatics' move is designed to impoverish the greatest athletes in the world and that is such inappropriate and downright disgusting behaviour." The aquatics governing body stated in its fresh by-law that any appeal against a ban could only be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). "Let's be clear, the Court of Arbitration for Sport is not a court," D'Souza said. "And the use of the term court, I have always felt, is an abuse of that term and certainly possibly unconstitutional in the United States. "That tribunal is an internal organisation of the International Olympic Committee, it hasn't been constituted by statute in any country nor has it been constituted by a treaty. "And so it's legal standing to be the ultimate arbitration body for sport is only on a contractual level between parties. 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The 22-year-old has surged from fourth to first in the series standings in one weekend, but won't be getting carried away with it. The Red Bull ace is putting off championship talk as he eyes a complete sweep at Perth's Wanneroo Raceway this weekend to back up his near-perfect performance in Tasmania. "I don't think that I've really done anything too special," Feeney told AAP. "I've won a few races and I'm leading the points. To me, that doesn't really mean much. I want to win a championship. "The big one for me is, no one's really backed up a good result from the weekend before, so I want to roll out in Perth and go one better - get three race wins. "All the other stats for me, I'm not really worried about it." What is Feeney worried about? Mistakes. The youngster wants to make as little of them as possible, given his slim 33-point lead over teammate and reigning champion Will Brown. Cam Waters is the only driver so far to have pulled off a weekend sweep, cleaning out Sydney after spectacularly winning the second race with a 0.0308-second margin over Feeney. But Tickford driver Waters, who re-committed to the Ford team amid interest from Chevrolet, has yet to recapture his dominance and dropped to fourth in the championship. Grove Racing's Matt Payne is third after denying Feeney in Tasmania, winning by 0.0550 seconds after starting the final sprint in 11th. "The championship could be even better for me without a couple of hiccups along the way," Feeney said. "It's just putting it together and not really having many mistakes - like at the Grand Prix, I qualified on pole four times and I won one race. "I'm in my fourth year now, so I expect to be at a level where I can drive well enough and execute." A 'no mistakes' approach is key at the 2.4km-long Western Australian track, where clinching pole position is as crucial as ever. 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