Saturday, 1 December 2018:
 | | CAMERON SMITH of Australia plays a shot during the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii. | |
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Cameron Smith says he's playing the best golf of his life as he prepares for a final-day Australian PGA Championship shoot-out with Marc Leishman.
Australia's World Cup teammates last week in Melbourne, the pair will partner each other in Sunday's final round at Royal Pines after defending champion Smith shot a five-under 67 to again master the Gold Coast course on moving day.
Smith (14-under) has a three-shot lead over Leishman, with Australasian Tour player of the year Matthew Millar and 2016 champion Harold Varner III equal third at seven-under.
Smith's bogey-free round grew legs with a birdie on nine, having just settled for par when an eagle beckoned on the short par-four eighth.
Leishman birdied the 10th but found a fairway bunker in bogeyed the 11th before both men nailed their approaches to the 12th and left with birdies.
But when Smith made a long birdie putt on the 13th, he had a three-shot lead.
That extended to four with a birdie on the par-3 16th party hole but was erased when world No.21 Leishman returned serve on the 17th.
Smith (70, 65, 67) said earlier in the week he had taken a leaf out of Leishman's book by playing within himself and he agreed on Saturday it had helped him avoid any sticky situations so far.
Happy to see he's taken that mentally on board, Leishman is banking on a hot day with the putter to earn his first Australian title and stop Smith going back-to-back for the first time since Robert Allenby in 2000-01.
"I'm not annoyed at that, I'm happy to help him out," he said.
"I would love to beat him when he's playing very well and he'd love to beat me when I'm playing well."
Greg Norman (1984-85) and Ken Nagle (1958-59) are among the select few others to win back-to-back Kirkwood Cups but, despite a pause when asked, Smith said that history wasn't weighing on his mind.
"I'm just going to go out here tomorrow and do what I have been doing the last couple of days," he said.
"It's been some of the best golf I've ever played; I'm feeling really confident."
Sunday's gallery could be in for a treat if the pair stay clear of a chasing pack that couldn't keep up on Saturday afternoon.
"If I was a few back with nine to go and I'm four or five in front of third, then I can afford to be a bit more aggressive," Leishman said.
"Where I'm at in my career, I can do that anyway. I play to win ... I've never been one to lay up.
"Hopefully I'll get a hot putter and take it up to him."
