Cameron Smith has thrilled his home crowd in Brisbane with a three-stroke victory at the Australian PGA Championship.
The heavy favourite at Royal Queensland Golf Club, Smith won the tournament for the third time in his career after producing a 3-under-par 68 in the final round.
The reigning British Open champion finished the four rounds on 14-under, with Japan's Ryo Hisatsune and Western Australian Jason Scrivener sharing second place.
The final-day field had to contend with electrical storms, which saw play suspended twice for a total of two hours.
But the storms cleared in time for the tournament to finish in fading light, avoiding a return on Monday to crown the champion.
Resuming for the second time, Smith immediately bogeyed the 11th hole to fall back level with Scrivener and Hisatsune.
But the world number three dug deep into his bag of tricks, flopping a wedge from the rough over a tree and onto the 12th green to make birdie.
He then nailed a six-metre birdie putt on the 13th hole and sealed the result with another on the 16th to add to his 2017 and 2018 titles, both won at the Gold Coast's Royal Pines.
Scrivener, playing ahead of Smith, birdied to stay within one shot but then watched his putt on the 17th hole roll off the green and into the back corner of a raked bunker.
He took a double bogey before a birdie on the last hole pulled him level with the in-form Hisatsune.
Smith was the only player to shoot more than two rounds under 70 for the tournament, and is the youngest three-time winner of the Joe Kirkwood Cup.
ABC/AAP
