Smyth seals it with a putt to remember
Australian’s closing eagle delivers dramatic one-shot victory in Japan and caps a surging run of form
Augusta, GA - Travis Smyth produced a moment every golfer imagines, holing a 20-foot eagle putt on the final green to win the International Series Japan by one in a finish that bordered on the surreal.
The Australian signed for a closing 64 to reach 15 under par at Caledonian Golf Club near Tokyo, his final stroke denying both Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert and Japan’s Ryosuke Kinoshita, who had already set the clubhouse target at 14 under.
“That’s what dreams are made of right there,” Smyth said of the winning putt. “As a young kid, you know, you’re on the putting green having putting comps with your mates, you’re trying to chip in to win, you’re trying to hole 25 footers to win. And that was unbelievable.
“You know, I won a tournament two weeks ago, probably a pretty similar putt downhill, left to right – just drew upon that. But yeah, for it to go in like that, it’s the best feeling ever.”
It was a finish that elevated an already compelling final day into something unforgettable. Pavit and Kinoshita had charged from well off the pace with rounds of 62 and 63 respectively, each threatening to steal the tournament outright. Pavit’s effort, the lowest round of the week, featured 10 birdies and just one bogey, while Kinoshita surged from the sixth-to-last group to apply late pressure.
“Today I played pretty much like perfect golf,” Pavit said. “I drove the ball very well; I hit my irons very good and I was putting well. So, everything was like on momentum. I sunk putts and had like a streak on the first nine, so I gained confidence with my putting.”
Smyth, who began the day two shots off the lead, built his round with purpose rather than haste. Birdies at the first, second and sixth moved him into contention, but with scoring conditions yielding a flood of red numbers, more was required. He delivered with birdies at the 13th and 16th to move within one, setting the stage for his decisive strike at the last.
“I’ve had a hard time trying to win tournaments,” he said. “People don’t understand how hard it is to win, you know. Like it’s such a mind game with yourself out there. In the past, like you’re always trying to come up with excuses as to why you might not be leading, or why you might not be hitting the shots under pressure that you want to, but I don’t know, I’ve been able to turn a corner.”
Behind him, the leaderboard told its own story. Korea’s Hongtaek Kim and Japan’s Shugo Imahira, who shared the overnight lead, were unable to match the pace, closing with rounds of 69 and 70. American Austen Truslow finished alone in fourth after a 65 that included a remarkable eagle on the par-four 16th, where a tee shot that struck overhead cables earned him a second chance he converted from 36 feet.
“On 16, I mean, that was a crazy situation,” Truslow said. “It hit the telephone pole line, got to re tee, and then I drove it to 36 feet and made the putt. And the first ball was going probably 20 yards right of the green. So that was insane. That’s the craziest eagle in my life. So that happened.”
For Smyth, the victory marked his first on The International Series and his second on the Asian Tour, continuing a sequence that has quickly gathered momentum. Having already won the ISPS Handa Japan-Australasia Championship last month and posted finishes of third and fifth in the opening events of the season, he now leads both the Asian Tour Order of Merit and The International Series Rankings.
All of it, though, came down to one putt on one green. A familiar dream, realised under the heaviest of pressure, and delivered when it mattered most.