Smith makes name for himself in Australia

MELBOURNE : The name Cameron Smith has long resonated in sports-mad Australia but more for the achievements of a retired rugby league star than the prodigious golfing talent that tore up the back nine on the way to British Open glory.

That may be set to change after Smith's stunning one-stroke triumph at St Andrews, where the 28-year-old became the first Australian to hoist the Claret Jug since Greg Norman in 1993.

His namesake, the former Melbourne Storm, Queensland and Australia champion, may now have to become used to seeing his name bracketed with rugby league in media reports, a fate that often befell "Cameron Smith, the golfer".

Australian golf fans have long known Smith's quality and followed him closely since he finished joint fourth at the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay, won by another then-21-year-old by the name of Jordan Speith.

Smith's blistering second shot from 283 yards at the closing hole at that tournament nearly fell in for an albatross and marked the emergence of a talent worthy of the company of compatriots Adam Scott and Jason Day.

It certainly opened doors, with the top-five finish securing U.S. Tour membership for the rest of the year and an invitation to the next Masters.

With vast space for courses and a track record of producing major champions, Australia has rarely wanted for golfing talent.

But until Sunday, the biggest names had endured only frustration at the majors since Day's PGA Championship win in 2015.

Smith suffered his own heartbreak this year at the Masters where his final-day chase of eventual winner Scottie Scheffler ended abruptly when his tee-shot at the 12th splashed into Rae's Creek and led to a triple-bogey.

A collective groan rang out from the nation's newspapers the following day