Star amateur Cameron Smith.. Picture: Sam Ruttyn Source: The Daily Telegraph
EMERGING Queensland golfer Cameron Smith pulled off a stunning comeback today to win the Australian Amateur Championship in Melbourne.
Smith, 19, was as far as five down through 25 holes in the 36-hole final against Victoria's Geoff Drakeford, who was playing on his home course at Commonwealth.
But some innovative shotmaking and a solid nerve under pressure was enough to get Smith home 3-and-2.
In the women's final, West Australian prodigy Minjee Lee was too solid for South Australian Jenny Lee, winning 6-and-5.
But it was Smith's remarkable surge that caught the eye.
As the Wantima Country Club member birdied four of his last nine holes, Drakeford felt the heat and suffered several telling bogeys in losing eight of those holes.
"I'm gobsmacked, I can't even believe I came back from that," Smith said.
"I played some good shots and put him under pressure and holed some putts.
"I thought if I could him get down the last hole I was in with a shot, but it turns out I got it done before that which was quite nice.
"Mum was pretty stoked when I told her, she was just yelling and couldn't get a word out," Smith said.
Lee, 16, cruised to victory over her Korean namesake, the Royal Fremantle member going one better than her narrow loss in the 2011 final.
"It feels amazing. It's such an honour to win this tournament. It has been a long week so it's a great reward," said Lee, the winner of the US Girls' Junior Championship last year. Her mother and grandmother were on hand to watch.
"Mum said she was going to have a heart attack a couple of times, but she's proud of me," Lee said.
Lee earned an exemption into next month's Women's Australian Open at Royal Canberra, while Smith earns an exemption into the men's equivalent in December.
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