Golf: Q & A with David Smail

David Smail is a fan of Ben Hogan. Photo / Simon Baker

David Smail is the New Zealand sportsman who keeps on keeping on. Smail bobs above the surface every now and then to remind us what a good golfer he is, before slipping back to the obscurity of life on the Japanese tour.

Smail might get mini-putt publicity compared to Cambo's major headlines, but with a world ranking of 85 the quiet bloke from Hamilton is our top-rated golfer.

And he's back in the news this week, having blitzed a field over 36 holes in Japan to qualify for the US Open in New York next month.

The 39-year-old Smail, who has played in five British Opens, will be lining up in his second US Open when it tees off at Bethpage State Park.

Smail answers a few Herald questions from Japan.

Were you confident of making the top five cutoff mark in this week's US Open qualifier?

The Japanese tour players were allowed on the course only the week before. It wasn't worth being away from home that long so I didn't even have a practice round or a yardage book. So I wasn't overly confident. I arrived on the Saturday evening, went to the practice range on Sunday, then played the 36 holes on Monday. I started really well - I was four under after four holes and hung on to find the trouble spots and couldn't believe how well I played in the second round. Usually only the tournament winners can qualify and I only found out this year that they changed it to the top 25 from the Order of Merit.

Have you played at Bethpage before?

No ... Craig Parry said it was the hardest course he had ever played. It is really long and tight. The year Tiger Woods won there, a lot of the guys couldn't even reach the fairways. I think there was one hole in which 90 per cent of the field couldn't reach the fairway.

Will it suit you then?

Nooooo ... I'm not known for my power game.

Memories of your previous US Open?

It was in Chicago, what was the name of the course (Olympia Fields Country Club) ... It was a fair sort of course. The rough wasn't as severe as most US Opens. I missed the cut by one or two - Jim Furyk won it. It was certainly nice being part of it.

Do you feel like the forgotten man of New Zealand sport?

I've been playing in Japan for 11 years and you don't get any coverage at all from there. Even the golf magazines don't carry results from Japan. The only time New Zealanders get to see me is when I play the NZ Open and a bit on the Aussie tour. I've finished inside the Japan top 10 three times in the last eight years ... I've been solid over the years. I suppose people don't realise how well I've done but I don't mind that at all. I'm quite happy to stay under the radar and do what I do.

You're a steady sort of character ...

That's probably a good description of me golf-wise. I'm certainly not flashy. I try to keep the ball straight, my strengths are tee to green - I've won the Japan greens-in-regulation three times. If my putting is on I tend to do all right.

What's your best moment in golf?

Winning the New Zealand Open (Grange 2001). I had a bit of a back injury before the final round and had to take it easy, tee to green and nudge it around then rely on my putting. I was seeing the line so well on those greens and rolling them in. It was my first win on any tour, and it was fairly close to home so quite a few friends from Hamilton were there.

I'm guessing your worst moment was blowing a four shot lead in the final stage of the Australian Open last year?

It sure was. I just hit all my bad shots on the last few holes. These things happen. It's pretty much behind me now.

What's the best thing about your job?

I've made a lot of good friends. From the outside, it probably looks as though we should be enemies competing against each other but you meet so many good guys on the tour. There are about 10 blokes from Aussie on the Japan tour and we all stick together. There is a real camaraderie.

What's the worst thing?

Being away from my family (wife Sheree - who as Sheree Higgins was a well-known professional golfer - and their kids aged 10 and 8).

What is the best advice you ever received?

My first coach Brian Boys taught me to keep things simple. I tended to get very technical - I've been keeping it simple for the past 12 to 15 years.

Major career ambition?

A good finish in a major, a top 10 or top five would just about complete things for me.

If you weren't a golfer ...

It was always tennis before I found golf. I wanted to be a tennis pro. Golf came along when I was 12. It suited my personality straight away and that is all I have wanted to do. I didn't mind spending time by myself. I remember playing at St Andrews, hole after hole, on my own.

What inspired you to embark on a golf career?

I was surrounded by a lot of good golfers at St Andrews in Hamilton - Brian Boys had been a pro for six or seven years and had quite a bit of success in Australia and around the world. I'd spent a lot of time in the golf shop and met a lot of his friends, and there were other players like Stuart Reese who were good New Zealand players. It inspired me, watching those guys hit balls on the range. It really got me going - I wanted to have a go no matter what, to turn professional and see how long I could last.

Favourite venue?

There are so many good courses ... the Grange in Auckland is pretty special to me. It's probably not the best course I've played but it turned my career around early on. In 1994, I was struggling all year and it looked as though I'd lose my Aussie tour card. I had no money, I'd shot 74 in the first round of the NZ Open and it looked as though I'd miss yet another cut. I shot 63 in the second round and finished third, and from then on I suddenly had the belief that I could do it. That round changed my life.

Childhood hero?

As soon as I started playing golf it was Ben Hogan. I loved his swing. He was renowned as the best ball striker ever in golf and I wanted to be that. I used to hunt down his videos from around the world. It was hard work finding them in those days.

You had the Ben Hogan clubs then?

Oh yes.

What is your favourite club?

I've been a fan of short irons. Probably the eight. I tend to do a lot of my practice with short irons, probably because the ranges I've been on have not been that long. St Andrews has a good range where you could hit up into a corner and I liked doing that, getting the distance and flight right. That was pretty cool.

Who do you most admire?

Tiger Woods ... he's a good guy. I met him a few times, played with him a few times, and he's so down to earth which is amazing considering the amount of pressure on him. I remember a practice round with him before the British Open. He played that day without a yardage book which none of the players does these days. It's always pinpoint - 173 yards and knowing exactly what to hit. But he was doing it by sight and getting it pretty right.

Hobbies?

I like cars ... I've got a few old cars. I won't say I tinker on them but I've got other people doing them up for me. When I get time I'd like to get a few skills and work on them. I've got four old BMWs and a 1976 Aston Martin, the V8 model, plus a couple of family cars. The Aston Martin is at about the point I could put it in competitions. Actually, I think I've got five BMWs. I just enjoy driving them around. I've got a nine-car garage and I'm trying to fill it up.

You're not the starry type ... but who would play you in a movie?

I can't think of any tall and thin actors.