You want proof that golfers are athletes? Just watch one run to mark his golf ball as it sits on a perilous spot on the green. On second thought, maybe don’t watch. Golfers are not the most graceful runners.
But we’re not here to poke fun of Cam Smith’s running form. Just, maybe, his speed.
The Aussie star hit a tee shot on the fifth hole during the first round of LIV Golf Hong Kong that wound up near the edge of the green. And he took off from the tee to get a coin on it before it funnelled back down a hill. Unfortunately for Smith, though, he didn’t get there in time despite his efforts. Have a look at the amusing sequence:
https://twitter.com/livgolf_league/status/1897896769935016247
Oof, that’s a dagger. Hope he didn’t just eat.
“I wouldn’t be running at my age,” new LIV on-course reporter Pat Perez chimed in. “I know that.”
“Oh no, oh no, it isn’t,” David Feherty added. “It is! Oh, if he’d only run a little faster!”
If only. As you can see from the clip, Smith’s ball at least stayed up on the fringe instead of rolling back down the hill. Still, as Feherty notes, he was unable to mark it because it was off the green, and he wound up making bogey during a disappointing 71 that has the 2022 Open champ T-29 after Day 1.
Sounds like Smith might need to work on his short game—and his long-distance running—ahead of the second round.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com