Buttress Enjoying Visit to U.S. Thanks to Cam Smith Scholarship

More than a decade ago, two-time U.S. Women’s Open champion and World Golf Hall of Famer Karrie Webb started a special scholarship as a way to give back to the game and promote up-and-coming Australian female golfers. Each year, two girls would be rewarded a trip to the United States to watch Webb compete in the biggest events as well as being mentored on the ways of professional golf. One of the earliest recipients was Minjee Lee, who won the U.S. Girls’ Junior in 2012 and a decade later would claim the U.S. Women’s Open. Inspired by what he saw, Cam Smith, the winner of the 2022 Open Championship at St. Andrews and 2022 Players champion, is now doing something similar for young male Australian players. Joseph Buttress, a native of Western Australia who is competing in his first U.S. Junior Amateur this week at Daniel Island Club, earned a Cam Smith Scholarship for 2023. The 17-year-old was flown to the U.S. and treated to a week at the U.S. Open in Los Angeles by Smith. The top-rated junior in the country, Buttress has been the runner-up in the past two Australian Junior Amateurs. Prior to the U.S. Open, Buttress and Jeffrey Guan spent time in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., with Smith, practicing and playing. Buttress told Golf Western Australia that just being able to pick the brain of one of the world’s best players will be invaluable. Buttress won his Round-of-64 match on Wednesday over Kush Arora and faced Bo Carpenter, of Tipton, Ga., in the Round of 32.