Australian Cameron Smith claimed the Sony Open on the PGA Tour and said he hoped his play-off win would allow his country’s people to “smile for a moment or two” during the bushfire crisis.
Smith, 26, won the first play-off hole to beat American Brendan Steele at the Waialae Country Club in Hawaii.
Smith’s uncle Warren has lost his home in Australia’s bushfires.
“Australia is doing it tough right now and the focus is probably not on my golf, for good reason,” stated Smith.
“But hopefully it gave a few people reason to smile for a moment or two.
“Uncle Warren drove back to his place the other day and what he found was quite devastating. I saw the photos and the only thing he had left was a little shed that him and his son built a few months back.
“We’re a tight-knit family and it hit everyone pretty hard. It’s good to do something good, and hopefully puts a smile on their face.”
Smith shot a two-under-par 68 to share the 11-under mark for the tournament with Steele, including a critical birdie putt on the final hole.
Steele, who had led the whole day, was wayward from the tee on the first play-off hole, allowing Smith a two-putt par and victory.
The Australian had never won a PGA Tour event on his own before, having previously only shared a win in 2017 at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans with Sweden’s Jonas Blixt in team stroke-play format.
Smith and a number of other golfers contributed a part of their prize money to the Australian fires relief effort.
The fires killed at least 28 people, and destroyed 15.6 million acres of bush, woodland and parks throughout Australia.
Elsewhere on Sunday, Branden Grace of South Africa shot a final day 62 to deny back-to-back victories to compatriot Louis Oosthuizen at the Johannesburg South African Open.
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