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Stories · Tour Week, Beginner Lesson

Austin Smotherman Took 99 Tries to Win. Then He Won Twice in a Row.

By The First 9 Team ·

Stick-figure drawing: a golfer holds up two trophies beside a tally board with 100 circled, while wind blows a flag sideways
Illustration: The First 9 (our own drawing, not a photo of the moment).

Austin Smotherman won his first PGA Tour event in October in his 100th career start. Three weeks later, on Monday, October 26, he won again, in a Bermuda tournament where the wind was so strong the final round never happened. The beginner lesson: firsts take time, keep showing up, and on the wild days, the weather is allowed to win.

Tour week: 99 starts, then two wins

On October 4, Smotherman, 32, won the Bank of Utah Championship at Black Desert Resort. It was his 100th start on the PGA Tour, and his first win.

It wasn't perfect. Leading late, he hit an approach that plugged near the lip of a bunker and made a double bogey. His lead shrank to one. He answered with two good shots on the next holes and finished two shots clear.

"It didn't have to be pretty," he said. "I got some nice bounces. Made some poor swings, but this game doesn't have to be perfect."

The day nobody teed off

His next start was the Butterfield Bermuda Championship at Port Royal Golf Course, which runs along the Atlantic. On Sunday, October 25, gusts topped 40 mph. Not one of the 72 players who made the cut could start the final round. Officials waited for hours, then called it, and made it a 54-hole tournament.

Smotherman and Seamus Power were tied at 16 under par. So instead of a final round, they came back Monday morning for a sudden-death playoff on the par-3 16th, with the wind still gusting off the ocean.

They both made par twice. On the third trip, Smotherman found the green and made par to win. Two starts, two wins. Power, trying to become the event's first two-time winner, still had a big week: his runner-up finish locked up his card for 2027.

Your first-nine lesson: firsts take time, and the weather is allowed to win

Keep showing up. A Tour pro needed 99 starts before his first win. Your first good nine, first par or first round under a number you care about can take a while too. That's normal, not a sign you're bad at this. If it feels slow, our not getting better at golf guide is a calm place to start.

It doesn't have to be pretty. Smotherman made a double bogey in the round he won. One bad hole doesn't cancel a good day.

On windy days, you're allowed to make the officials' call:

  • Play nine instead of 18, or even three or four holes and some putts. A shorter round still counts. Our 9 holes vs 18 for beginners guide explains why nine is often the better round anyway.
  • Move your tee time. Call the course and ask about a calmer day. Our how to book a tee time guide shows how simple that call is.
  • If it's breezy but fine, keep it simple. Your putter and your 52° and 56° wedges are made for short, low shots that the wind bothers less. Aim for the middle of the green and let the score be whatever it is.
  • If it doesn't feel safe or fun, stop. Nobody hands out points for suffering.

The wind also did a college golfer a favor at St Andrews this month. Read the putt the wind blew back in.

The pros came back on Monday and finished the job. So can you.

Follow along: PGA Tour wrap-up of the playoff.

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Sources

Facts are taken from the official and news sources above. Players are named with respect; no player photos or video are used on this page.