[Golf Topic] '5th Major Champ' Smith "I'm Number 6"... Lahiri "233-Step Jump"

Cameron Smith is cheering while holding the trophy immediately after winning THE PLAYERS Championship, known as the "fifth major." Ponte Vedra Beach, USA = Getty Images / Multi-Vits

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] ○..."I'm number 6."

Cameron Smith (Australia) has jumped to 6th place in the world rankings. In the weekly official golf world rankings announced on the afternoon of the 15th (Korean time), he received 6.94 points, climbing four spots from 10th place last week. He earned points by winning the PGA Tour's "fifth major," The Players Championship (total prize money $20 million), which concluded that morning at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida (par 72). This is his second win of the season following the Sentry Tournament in January, his fifth career victory, and the winner's prize money is a whopping $3.6 million (44.6 billion KRW).

Smith said, "I'm even happier to win in front of my family," adding tearfully, "Golf is second, family is always first." It is interesting that he was separated from his family for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Smith, who resides in Jacksonville, Florida, has been unable to visit Australia since March 2020 due to the Australian government's border closures. Smith's mother Sharon and younger sister Mel also had teary eyes.

There is no change in the 'Top 5' including Jon Rahm (Spain), Collin Morikawa (USA), Viktor Hovland (Norway), Patrick Cantlay, and Scottie Scheffler (both USA). Anirban Lahiri (India) soared 233 spots from 322nd to 89th, fueled by his runner-up finish at The Players Championship. In Korea, four players are ranked in the 'Top 100': Im Sung-jae (24) at 25th, Kim Si-woo (27) at 54th, Lee Kyoung-hoon (31) at 78th, and Kim Joo-hyung (20), the Asian Tour money leader, at 85th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.