‘Meat pies and flat whites’: Smith’s plan to lure Scottie Scheffler to play in Australia

Southport: The world’s best golfer Scottie Scheffler has declared he would love to play in Australia one day. The last Australian to win the Open Championship, Cam Smith, says he has a left-field idea to lure the 2025 Claret Jug winner to the Australian Open after Rory McIlroy accepted the invitation last year.

“Unreal meat pies and flat whites,” Smith said after a practice round at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Liverpool ahead of Thursday’s opening round of The Open.

“He’s a coffee snob, is Scottie. I think we really need to sell him on the flat whites and I reckon he’d get down there.”

Jokes aside, Smith wants the world’s best golfers returning to Australia in greater numbers. He could do worse than a quiet word on the immaculate putting greens and cavernous bunkers at Royal Birkdale, where the game’s elite, including seven Australians, have been sharpening their short games before the year’s fourth and final major.

McIlroy will return for the Australian Open at Kingston Heath Golf Club in December, while Smith’s LIV Golf colleague and world No.11 Jon Rahm also name-dropped Australia when asked whether golf’s four majors should expand beyond the United States and Britain.

“I think it would be good for golf, yeah,” Rahm said. “From what I’ve seen the last few years, having a major in Australia could be very successful.”

Smith added: “We need to look at a tonne of guys. You look at what the Aussie Open was 20 or 30 years ago … they’ve got a long way to get back to that. But I feel like we’re trending in the right direction. I feel like we need a few more [big names].”

Scheffler was in surprisingly good spirits on Tuesday despite missing the cut at last week’s Scottish Open, ending a streak of 78 consecutive tournaments where he has featured on the weekend.

One player who had no shortage of things to do last weekend was Australia’s Min Woo Lee, who closed with a final-round 67 to finish runner-up at 15-under. The 27-year-old has one top-five finish in a major, tying for fifth at the 2023 US Open, and is confident he can replicate his form on fairways that will be fast and firm.

“It’s a week where everything’s heightened, emotions are heightened, and you feel like you want to practise more,” he said. “You just get so excited.”

Equally exciting, he says, would be getting Scheffler to Australia.

“He’s one of the best golfers of his generation,” Lee said of the four-time major champion. “What he’s doing on the course is spectacular and if Australia gets a player like him … it’s going to be pretty hectic.”

As another major begins and thousands prepare to follow their every move, Scheffler was asked about his legacy.

“I don’t really play for a place in history. I’m not playing for anything like that because – this is going to sound a little morbid – at the end of the day, I’m going to live my life, and it’s going to end. When it ends, I’m going somewhere else, and I’m not going to be here any more,” he said.

McIlroy’s response was equally matter-of-fact.

“I don’t think I’ll be seeing what people say about me,” McIlroy added. “I’ll be six feet under.”

The Australians have an opportunity to shape their own legacies this week. Only four Australians have won a men’s major this century — Geoff Ogilvy (2006 US Open), Adam Scott (2013 Masters), Jason Day (2015 PGA Championship) and Smith in 2022 at St Andrews – while Greg Norman was the last Australian before them to win in 1993.

Three of those four are in the field this week, with Scott lining up in his 101st consecutive major. He said Royal Birkdale will offer everyone a chance in pursuit of the $4.6 million prizemoney for the winner.

“There won’t be guys with a huge advantage. The shortest and straightest hitters have the biggest advantage. A good opening round or two in a major and the confidence can get up.”

Smith knows how difficult those opportunities have been to seize by Australians.

“There hasn’t been a tonne of majors won by Australians, so it’s definitely difficult to do,” Smith said. “It’s hard because you need to get your game right on the right week.

“I like our chances this week.”