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How Austin Smotherman won BMW Charity Pro-Am golf tournament on Korn Ferry Tour
GREER − The champagne went everywhere but Austin Smotherman's mouth.
The 31-year-old pro golfer had just won his second Korn Ferry Tour title after making a birdie on the par-4 18th hole on June 18 in the BMW Charity Pro-Am. He couldn't contain his excitement, nor could his team, which drenched him with bubbly dripping from his hat to his game-winning golf club.
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"My voice is probably slowly on its way out right now," Smotherman said. "I let out a couple of screams on that last putt. That'll definitely be a moment I never forget."
Three of his five bridies in the fourth round at Thornblade Club came on the final four holes.
Smotherman shot 4-under 71 to finish at 25-under 260 and a three-shot victory over Sebastian Cappelen, Pierceson Coody, and Carl Yaun.
He won his first Korn Ferry Tour title in 2021 at the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation in Nashville, paving his way to the PGA Tour for the first time. And although his first win was important, this one resonated a tad bit more.
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"This one's pretty special," Smotherland said. "I've never really made a putt like that to win on the last hole. It's so cool, and I wish I could recreate that moment every week. You don't always expect long putts like that to go in. But, I couldn't have drawn it up any better."
Smotherland has a newfound appreciation for Greenville. The California native said Greenville is the place he'd visit "whenever we want him to."
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"I did a lot of walking downtown, got to be by the water," he said. "Greenville's been a great host, and it's incredible to win a championship like this in such a vibrant city."
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Kamryn Jackson covers high school and college sports for the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, Greenville News, Anderson Independent Mail, and the USA TODAY Network. Please email her at KEJackson@ for story ideas and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @KamxJack
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: How Austin Smotherman won BMW Charity Pro-Am on Korn Ferry Tour
