By Mathieu Wood
However his opening Rolex Series event had gone, Elvis Smylie knew he was making big strides in the game.
A first-time DP World Tour winner on home soil at the season-opening BMW Australian PGA Championship in November, the 22-year-old is riding high in the Race to Dubai Rankings and has no intention of slowing up after a life-changing few months.
Arriving at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic at a career-high 197th after two professional titles since October, Smylie recovered from an opening two-over-par 74 to safely make the cut as a birdie-birdie finish to his second-round 68 saw him head into the weekend at two under.
Despite this being just his 19th start on the DP World Tour, there are signs that the potential that saw him catch the eye as an up-and-coming junior is now being showcased on the elite professional stages.
"I just feel like this is an environment where I belong," Smylie tells the DP World Tour at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai.
"I believe my game is good enough to compete against some of the best players in the world.
"It was great to have that result in Brisbane {at the Australian PGA Championship} to be able to justify that, so I have the chance now to really compete against these guys on a week-to-week basis out here."
Confident, yes, but not cocky. There is a maturity in him that suggests focus is unlikely to be an issue.
That perhaps stems from his upbringing, with his parents Peter and Liz both being former professional tennis players.
Liz, who won four Grand Slam doubles titles, has remained involved in tennis and may be familiar to UK audiences through her work as a commentator on the BBC's coverage of Wimbledon.
Smylie knows just how valuable their support has been in him getting to this point in his career.
"My mum and dad have been there with me every step of the way," he says.
"They were both former professional athletes, playing tennis at a very high level, so they know what it takes to get to the top and ultimately win some of the biggest tournaments in the world.
"So, having their advice and knowledge along the way has been very important for me to keep continuing to improve and get better. I'm very grateful for that."
With his success, Smylie also generated media interest in his first name, which comes from his father's appreciation of music legend Elvis Presley.
"Before I was born, everyone that came to visit my mum in the hospital kept saying 'Elvis is in the building, Elvis is in the building,'" he recalled.
"It quickly turned from a joke to a reality. But I love the name."
After an eventful end to last year, left-hander Smylie came into the $9million opening event of the International Swing on the Race to Dubai schedule refreshed and eager to continue his emergence.
"I had a two week training block in Perth with my coach (Ritchie Smith) and that was a really good time to be able to use that efficiently to work on areas that I perhaps couldn't do when I was playing tournament after tournament," he explains.
"Having that opportunity to maybe address some technical changes and then have the freedom to just go and compete for when I am playing this four-week stretch in the Middle East."
Smylie, whose coach also works with countryman Min Woo Lee, is one of five Australians in the field this week, with all making the cut.
Of those, Jason Scrivener leads the way at eight under, one ahead of Min Woo Lee, with David Micheluzzi and Adam Scott also around for the weekend.
"It's great to be able to have the opportunity to travel with some of the Aussies," he says.
"Dave Micheluzzi is a really close mate of mine and I'm looking forward to travelling with him.
"There obviously is that friendly rivalry on the course. But, when we get away from the course, it'll be great just to spend a bit of time with them."
With Major champion Scott and Lee both plying their trade on both the DP World Tour and PGA TOURs, could that soon become his reality too? It is certainly in his sights.
"One of my goals for this year is to finish in the top ten on the Race to Dubai and earn a PGA TOUR card," he said.
"I've definitely given myself a really good platform from the events that I've played.
"I played really well to kickstart the season, so I'm just looking to continue the great form and see where we are at the end of the year."
The DP World Tour will catch up and chart the progress of Smylie's rookie season on the DP World Tour at each Rolex Series event in 2025.
