No. 17 was not particularly kind to West Aurora junior Cameron Smith on Wednesday afternoon at St. Andrews.

Approaching the tee box, 403 yards from the pin, Smith reminded himself not to go right, where a dense patch of trees lined the fairway. Instead, Smith rocketed his drive straight to the right, and the ball nestled itself in the small forest of greenery. The next shot, a punch-out attempt, smacked into a nearby tree.

Competing at what can be an incredibly inconsistent game, Smith relied on mental toughness and a next-shot mentality to finish the hole, and fifth individually.

“I think having faith in yourself and putting your faith in God is also important,” Smith said. “You’re going to face challenges, so you’ve got to overcome them.”

Adversity is far from new for this year’s We

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