'One Of The Most Difficult Phone Calls I've Ever Had to Make' - Cameron Smith Opens Up On Coach Change After PGA Near-Miss

Cameron Smith made a Sunday charge at the PGA Championship to push the leaders close, but he just fell short at the final hurdle.

The Australian golfer shot 68 on Sunday at Aronimink to finish on four-under for the tournament. He was as low as five-under for much of the back nine, though, before a bogey on 17 cost him dearly.

It looked as though birdies on the second, the fourth, and the ninth would set Smith up for a real shot at the championship. But, it wasn't to be in the end.

Still, it's a vast improvement from the 32-year-old, who has found the Majors a little more difficult over the last three years.

Having won The Open in 2022, Smith shocked the golfing world by leaving the PGA Tour and joining the LIV Golf league.

He arrived in Philadelphia this week off the back of six consecutive missed cuts in Majors, which makes his performance this week even more impressive.

Speaking to the media after his final round at Aronimink on Sunday, Smith discussed how his confidence levels have fluctuated, and referenced a coaching change as a potential catalyst for success.

He said: "It feels great to play nice. You don't work hard to play crap. The last couple of years have been frustrating. I feel like I've been putting in the work and not really getting anything out of it.

"I made a swing coach switch a couple of weeks ago to Claude [Harmon III], and we've managed to clean up a few things that were perhaps a little bit off. I feel like I've got a lot more confidence in my swing.

"Even out there today, under the pressure I felt like I was able to trust it already. So lots of positive signs."

Smith went into more detail on that difficult decision to part with his former coach, Grant Field, and outlined just how tough it was to go in separate ways.

"It was a hard call to make to my coach. I had been seeing Grant since I was 9 years old. So I'd been with him for 23 years," Smith said. "It was probably one of the most difficult phone calls I've ever had to make."

He added: "It's still kind of lingering, but I feel like I've made the right call. I can see it in my golf and my strike of the ball and seeing some different shots. It's been nice."

Claude Harmon III, the son of the legendary Butch Harmon, previously worked with Brooks Koepka and currently also works with Dustin Johnson.