Jeffrey Guan says a five-hour chipping lesson with major winner Cameron Smith could be the key to winning this week’s Asia Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Melbourne.
Guan and Joseph Buttress were two winners of the 2023 Cam Smith Scholarship, which paid for the the duo to travel to the US in June and spend several days at Smith’s Florida house. The pair watched how he trains and practices in off weeks.
Guan and Buttress also flew with Smith in a private plane to the US Open at Los Angeles Country Club and watched the Australian LIV Golf star prepare for a major, where he finished solo fourth.
During his time at Smith’s Ponte Vedra home, Sydney native Guan spent five hours chipping on the manicured turf around the 2022 Open Champion’s front lawn. Smith is regarded as having arguably the best short game and putting in world golf.
With the steep runoffs and closely-mown areas around the greens at Royal Melbourne’s Composite course, and forecasted windy conditions for the Asia Pacific Amateur starting Thursday, Guan said the lesson could save him strokes.
“He gave me a five-hour chipping lesson that should definitely help me at Royal Melbourne,” Guan said Wednesday at Royal Melbourne. “His lawn is cut so perfect you wouldn’t believe it. He looked through my chipping style and tweaked it a little bit. He got my shoulder plane more level with the ground and less wrist hinge as I take the club back. It helped me create more spin.
“That whole trip was amazing. I learned a lot from that week. Both golf and managing my way through a week’s tournament. It was a cool experience going to the US Open and seeing how he prepares for a major; he doesn’t mentally drain himself and conserves his energy. Only works on what he needs to.”
Guan and Smith at the LIV Golf star’s Florida house in June. Picture: Tony Meyer/Golf Australia
Guan is one of 13 Australians in the field at the Asia Pacific Amateur, an event run jointly by the R&A and Augusta National. The winner receives a start in the 2024 Masters and Open Championship. “There’s definitely a carrot there,” Guan, ranked No.55 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings and the top Australian in the field, said.
Winning would mean Guan would have to remain an amateur through to April to claim his Masters start, and through July for the 2024 Open Championship.
But if Guan, who finished third at last year’s Asia Pacific, doesn’t grab the win at Royal Melbourne he will likely turn pro and make his debut in the paid ranks at next week’s Queensland PGA.
“If I fall short, the Queensland PGA will be my first event as a pro,” he said. “It’s not confirmed yet but it’s looking that way.”
Guan, 18, said knowing Royal Melbourne better than the majority of the 120-player field would help. “It’s definitely an advantage but I don’t think there should be any pressure [being Australian],” he said. “I’ll go out there and try shoot lowest score possible.”
