WILTSHIRE golfer Jordan Smith has a good feeling about his chances at this week’s British Masters following a top-20 finish at the recent US Open.
Chippenham’s Smith secured his second-best Major result at the Los Angeles Country Club 10 days ago and – following a week off to recharge – is looking forward to taking on the Brabazon Course at The Belfry in Birmingham from Thursday.
The upcoming DP World Tour event has largely been a happy hunting ground for the 30-year-old since his first crack in 2017.
A missed cut six years ago preceded a tie for third in 2018 and a share of sixth 12 months later.
With his last regular DP World Tour start seeing Smith in contention on Sunday – prior to his tied-sixth finish at the Porsche European Open – the Wiltshire golfer is in high spirits ahead of a rare home tournament.
He said: “I’m feeling good about this week. I’ve played pretty well there previously, and it will be nice to play in front of a home crowd. It’s always a good week there, and they always get good crowds.
“I’m feeling good, I’m feeling confident after my last two events. I’ll just try to keep things going and see what the week brings.
“I’m feeling pretty confident in myself, so I’m looking forward to the week.”
Smith’s 2023 season – by the 30-year-old’s own admission – has been “bang average,” but the past two results prove he is on the right track once again after a sparkling 2022.
Having finished 12th in the Race to Dubai last term, Smith has work to do if he is to better that due to being 44th currently.
Assessing his season so far, Smith said: “The last two events have been good. The events before that have been pretty average for what I wanted.
“I obviously had such a great year last year, and I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself at the beginning of this year to get off to the same sort of start. To have that sort of start again is quite hard to do.
“Until the past couple of events, my season has been bang average. But I’d say it’s trending towards above average at the moment. We’ll see what the rest of the year holds, but the game feels like it’s in a good place.
“On the whole, my putting has improved. There are good weeks and bad weeks that I’ve had, but it’s about making the bad weeks slightly better and maintaining those good weeks.
“It’s been on the forefront of what I’ve been trying to improve, but if I keep on top of things then hopefully it will turn around.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here