Smith posted a two-under 68 in the final round of the PGA Championship to finish tied with Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele for seventh.
Analysis:
Smith found himself one stroke back of Alex Smalley after the former went three-under on the front nine in the final round. However, the 32-year-old Australian was unable to gain ground on the back nine, in large part due to his dreadful performance off the tee, as he connected on just three of 14 fairways on the day. His only bogey of the day was on the par-3 17th, a testament to Smith's strong iron play and proficiency around and on the green. For the tournament, Smith ranked fifth in SG: Approach and top-15 in both SG: Around-the-Green and Putting, but he lost three strokes off the tee (78th) and connected on just 41.1 percent of fairways (T77). Importantly for Smith, it ended his streak of missed cuts at majors at six, and it was his first top-5 finish at a major since the 2023 US Open (solo fourth). Smith will take part in two LIV Golf tournaments (Korea and Andalucia) before teeing off at the U.S. Open Championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on June 18.
