Smith’s injury reveal after another Aussie win

Cameron Smith has revealed he has needed extra work on a hip issue that has troubled him off and on for two years ahead of the year’s second major next week.

But a Sunday surge in Singapore and back-to-back to team wins for Ripper GC have given him the confidence boost he needs for the PGA Championship.

Having celebrated their LIV win in Adelaide for the best part of two days, the all-Aussie quartet got a “kick up the bum” in Singapore on Wednesday, but it took all three rounds and a sizzling seven-under from Smith on the final day to deliver a second-straight team win.

A trip home for some much-needed rest before the PGA is now on the cards for Smith, who said he was working “overtime” to deal with the hip issue.

Smith, who finished tied for sixth at the Masters, needs another good PGA showing to earn the rankings points he needs to keep his Paris Olympics dream alive.

“It just flares up from time to time. I’ve had it probably come off and on for the last probably two years,” Smith said of his hip issue.

“I think given the heat and how soft the ground was, it was just working a little bit overtime and got a little bit sore that first day and struggled to get into the left side.

“It was nice to get the hip work done on Friday afternoon. I was struggling on Friday, to be honest, and Nick, my physio, did a great job, and the last couple of days it’s felt awesome. It felt similar to Adelaide and couldn’t have wanted a better finish heading into a major.”

Smith said the trip to Australia, where he captained his team through the inaugural LIV playoff victory, was “very energy consuming”, not helped by the extended celebrations and the Singapore heat they headed into.

But he said the next week, with some home comforts, would be used to recharge his batteries for the PGA.

“I think we’ve had a long couple of weeks. Adelaide was very energy consuming, as I said before, and this week was just so hot,” he said.

“I think it’s taken a lot out of everyone. It’s probably a good thing to have a couple of weeks off.

“I think we’ve had a long couple of weeks and probably looking forward to getting back to our families and getting some rest and getting some sleep.”