Smith's hair is flappable, his game is not at Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Cameron Smith's signature mullet is flappable. Very flappable. His game? Not so much.

The 28-year-old Australian's opening round at the Masters on Thursday started and ended with double bogeys. In between came eight birdies and ultimately a 4-under 68 that vaulted him to the upper reaches of the leaderboard, a surge fueled by the kind of creative and calmly fearless play that guided Smith to a steely one-shot victory at the Players Championship last month.

He's well aware he could have gone even lower save for a pair of wayward approach shots at the first and the last. Yes, the mistakes will eat at him. Well, maybe. Minutes after calling his day “a little bit disappointing," Smith insisted he's already moved on.

“The less you guys bring it up, the less, the quicker I’ll forget about it,” he said with a laugh.

Smith's game is an anachronism of sorts, one brought into stark contrast while playing alongside Bryson DeChambeau, who never met a driver he didn't like to mash. That's not Smith. He doesn't hit it particularly far — he was 60th in driving distance in the 90-man field during the opening round — or particularly straight.

He doesn't have to excel at either thanks to a world-class short game, the kind that lends itself to getting a green jacket draped over your shoulders on Sunday afternoon. The world's sixth-ranked player didn't panic after a tee shot into a bunker, a splash-out, a pitch that went long, a blah chip and two putts had him 2-over 20 minutes into his workday.

There was plenty of time to stew if Smith wanted. Paul Casey's withdrawal due to back issues left Smith and DeChambeau a twosome stuck between a pair of threesomes, including one featuring Tiger Woods.

Yet during the long lags in