Golf: Two consecutive wins ignite Smail's career

SYDNEY - A couple of days before David Smail won the New Zealand Open in Auckland he shared a drink with some friends and fellow professionals, reflecting on the career path he had chosen.

"We were thinking you can go along and make some nice cheques and plenty of money. These days you don't need to win," Smail says.

"I had almost resigned myself to the fact that was something I may end up doing for the next few years. And I was quite happy to feel that way."

How quickly things have changed.

Tomorrow he lines up in the $A1.75 million ($2.18 million) Heineken Classic in Perth, chasing his third consecutive title.

It was not totally surprising that Smail won his country's premier tournament at The Grange.

He had spent most of the 1990s plying his trade on the Japanese Tour and had compiled a solid record. Despite his relaxed attitude towards winning, it was only a matter of time before the 30-year-old Hamiltonian made the breakthrough.

But he stunned himself by winning the Canon Challenge in Sydney, defying a sore back and a field of low scores.

After eight years of gunning to reach the cut at tournaments to earn that steady wage, he suddenly had two cheques which added up to $A171,000. They have lifted him to fifth on the Australasian Tour Order of Merit and leave him a marked man in Perth this week.

But it's not the money that brings the smile to his face - he won more cash by finishing 50th on the Japanese Tour last season. It was the realisation at last that he can go all the way.

When asked how good he thought he was after the win in Sydney, Smail opened up more than he had for the past fortnight.

"I feel better about myself now," he said. "I've always considered myself a nice steady sort of player. Top 10 and top 20 each week, pretty consistent.

"But I never considered myself a winner, especially not back-to-back.

"I never thought I could have one win, but now that there's two, I would like a third."

The humble Smail does not want to be mentioned in the same breath as compatriot Michael Campbell, who won four tournaments on the Australasian Tour last year and has since soared to a world ranking of 16.

Campbell was the last player to win back-to-back tournaments on the Tour, which also included the New Zealand Open last January. They are the only non-Australians to win the Canon Challenge.

Campbell has always had the higher profile on the course, but off it the comparisons are striking.

They both have two children of a similar age who now are a major part of their lives. Smail's wife, Sheree Higgens, gave birth to daughter Emily 10 weeks ago, shortly before the Campbell family celebrated their second child.

Higgens was a former professional in Japan herself and, after retirement, caddied for her husband for several years.

He still gets homesick while in Japan. Having his family and friends on hand to see him win in Auckland was immensely satisfying, just as it was that Sydney-based sister Anneli was there to see him a week later.

"She was the only family member who didn't see me the previous week, so it was great to do it again for her."

Those in the golf fraternity know him as "The Judge" after the character Judge Smails in the golf movie Caddyshack.

He has his quirks. Superstition decrees he start every round with two markers and five tees.

To close friends, Smail is an articulate, intelligent man. His caddie, John Bennett, was the best man at his wedding and the two could be seen discussing anything and everything together during even the most pressure-filled moments in Sydney.

- NZPA