He can’t sing and is still trying to put on weight, but Australia’s golfing Elvis has found the spotlight. “Someone actually asked me on the 18th tee at the PGA last week at Royal Queensland, can I sing?,” Elvis Smylie says. “I just smiled, and I said, nowhere near as well as Elvis.”
Presley he may not be, but Elvis Smylie’s star is on the rise. The Queenslander held off his mentor Cam Smith in a memorable final round at the Australian PGA on Sunday to secure one of the sport’s most coveted local titles barely a year after his game was stagnating and his promise looked like it may go unfulfilled.
Instead, after a change in coach and a refreshed approach, Smylie has reason for optimism. The breakthrough was a major milestone for the 22-year-old, long considered one of the best prospects in Australian golf, and one watched across the world.
Related: Viva Elvis Smylie! Young gun outshoots Cameron Smith to win Australian PGA
Even tennis legend Ivan Lendl sent a congratulatory message from his home in the United States. “I’ve known Ivan for quite some time now, he loves his golf, and he was watching all the way from the States,” Presley says.
Smylie’s victory has made him one of the stories of this week’s Australian Open in Melbourne, despite the attention demanded by a field which includes LIV golfers Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman, PGA Tour breakout Min Woo Lee and Australia’s female luminaries Minjee Lee and Hannah Green.
But it’s not often an athlete – and certainly one within the largely conservative confines of golf – shares a moniker with rock ‘n’ roll royalty. Smylie was named after Presley by his parents Peter and Liz, themselves nobility in Australian tennis.
Elizabeth Smylie (née Sayers) won 28 WTA doubles titles including four grand slams. Peter played three slams as a doubles player before becoming coach and husband to the non-Elvis love of his life. “My dad was a massive fan,” Smylie junior says. “And I actually don’t mind his music, from time to time.”
Off the court, his mother’s fame in Australia was enhanced by a famous chewing gum advertisement in the early 1990s. “People that know my mum, she has a bit of a lisp, so whenever she says ‘long, lasting taste’ you can really hear the lisp coming out, so I give her heaps of rubbish about that,” says the doting son.
But eating has also become a focus for the left-hander, who has worked hard to try to put on weight despite a fast metabolism and the stress of tour life keeping him down at not much more than 71kg.
“In order to have made the changes technically with my coach, Ritchie Smith, I’ve had to get stronger in the gym, and I’ve had to put a bit more weight on, so for me it’s the chicken, rice and veggies diet and just trying to eat as much as I can,” he says.
Smylie turned pro at 18 after showing early promise, but under long-time mentor Ian Triggs found his improvement stall. His team approached Smith, the West Australian whose 10-golfer stable included the Lee siblings and Green.
Smith says the hook-up was no sure thing. “I said, ‘no, I don’t want to do that, because I just don’t have the time’, and then I thought, I really should do my due diligence,” Smith says. “Everyone was so highly impressed by him that I thought I should give this kid a chance.”
Then Smylie sent over tape. “It didn’t impress me,” says Smith, who maintains the view the youngster turned professional too soon. But his ball striking and approach to the game did, and in their 12 months together Smylie has refined a technique – and physical makeup – his coach believes was flawed. “He was all arms,” Smith says. “And I think, well, why isn’t his body doing something to support his arms?”
Smylie broke through last month for his first PGA Tour of Australasia win at the WA Open. His title at the Australian PGA last Sunday confirms his progress, but he doesn’t see reason to celebrate yet. “It’s been quick, and no alcohol. For me, I’ve been on my best behaviour. There’ll be a time to celebrate, but for now, I’m really looking forward to doing my best here.”
It’s a very un-Elvis response but one that could be expected from someone Smith describes as an “old soul”. “He’s also got great belief in himself, but it’s not outward belief, it’s not Min Woo [Lee confidence], it’s just quiet, unassuming.”
Smylie sees where his coach is coming from, to a point. “I’d like to think of myself as someone that keeps their emotions intact a bit more, but – if you go back to Perth a couple weeks ago where I won for the first time – I let out quite a big roar when I won.”
