His mum was a Wimbledon winner, but this week Elvis has another major on his mind
Elvis Smylie’s mum won a Wimbledon doubles title but the Australian golfer grew up dreaming of winning the British Open.
The 22-year-old will get his chance on debut at Scotlandās Royal Troon from Thursday, one of six Australians to take on the challenging links course.
Smylieās call to mother Liz went to voicemail when he qualified earlier this month, because the four-time grand slam champion was on commentary duties at the All England Club.
Her and husband Peter, also a former tennis pro, have dropped everything to walk the course as the Gold Coast talent lives out his childhood dream.
āGrowing up I always played tennis ā¦ but I didnāt have any aspirations or dreams of playing at Wimbledon like I did with golf in terms of winning The Open and Augusta (The Masters),ā the left-hander said.
āI still remember where I was when Scotty (Adam Scott) won the 2011 Masters ā¦ stuff like that gave me goosebumps.
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āFrom then on, thatās when golf became my thing.
āItās what Iād do every day before school and then come home and Iād have the flashlight on in pitch black on the chipping green.ā
Smylie shot onto the scene with a red-hot run as a 19-year-old amateur, only to then miss the cut in his first eight DP World Tour starts across 2021-22.
He said thatās when having former professional athletes as parents came in handy.
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āLooking back, itās been a blessing in disguise,ā he said of his rough professional start.
āThree years of hard work; Iāve got a better perspective on how I can manage everything.
āAnd you have the respect for Mum and Dad; knowing theyāve gone through what I have.ā
Liz won Wimbledonās womenās doubles title in 1985, three mixed doubles majors and a singles Australian Open quarter-final appearance to her name.
āThereās a lot of similar attributes with tennis and golf; work ethic, sacrifice, all the one per cent stuff,ā Elvis said.
āItās a lonely sport, golf, important to surround yourself with people who want the best for you as a golfer and person.
āEspecially when youāre in those moments that arenāt very nice, because thereās more to it than just that (your score).ā
Smylie has welcomed a dossier from nine-time Open starter Mike Clayton, his former caddie and mentor who played at Royal Troon in 1989.
āHe sent me a great e-mail with what to look out for,ā Smylie said.
āI do feel like I belong and I do feel like I can compete.ā
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