Man of Many Sports Tries to Master One : Golf: Neale Smith, who once high-jumped 7-3 in Australia’s Olympic trials, is now working to climb the PGA Tour ladder.

Are pro golfers really athletes?

Exhibit No. 1 for those who say yea is Neale Smith, a 27-year-old PGA Tour rookie from Placentia.

Neale is nimble.

Neale is quick.

Neale can jump over the dang flagstick.

Athletic endeavors have always come fast and easy for Smith, who grew up on Australia’s Gold Coast playing, well, just about everything.

Fast? He once shot a 68 in the morning at a club tournament, scored 100 runs (akin to hitting for the cycle in baseball) in a grade-A cricket match in the afternoon, scored 48 points that evening in a club basketball semifinal, and high jumped seven feet the next morning.

Easy? He didn’t start playing golf until he was 20, after an Achilles’ tendon injury ended his hopes of making the Australian Olympic team as a high jumper. He had his handicap down to three within two years. After becoming a professional and playing one season on the Golden State Tour last year, he earned his PGA card--on his first attempt--during December’s Tour Qualifying tournament by finishing in a five-way tie for first.

At the moment, however, Smith finds himself on a rare detour from the fast track.

Sioux City, S.D., is not exactly Sandwich, England, when it comes to golf tradition, and the Dakota Dunes Country Club ain’t Royal St. George’s, but Smith was spending this British Open week on a Nike Tour stop, trying to maintain the modicum of momentum he picked up last week when he made the cut at the Anheuser-Busch Classic in Williamsburg, Va.

He wasn’t able to, however. His 73-66 left him one shot shy of making the cut at Dakota Dunes, where flood waters shortened the course to a 17-hole, par-69 layout.

Smith may have soared onto the PGA Tour, but he has had serious problems ascending the leader board. The Williamsburg tournament was only the third time he has made the cut in 14 PGA events.

A back injury this spring, the resulting time off for rehabilitation, a swing change and new clubs have added up to a pretty dismal first half of his first PGA season.

“Right before the L.A. Open, he found out he had stress fractures in a vertebra, and that really took some of the wind out of his sails,” said Tom Sargent, the head professional at Yorba Linda Country Club who has been Smith’s swing coach for two years. “He won’t ever make excuses, but I think that really hurt him.

“He changed to longer clubs and made a swing change to relieve the pressure on his back. He used to be more comfortable cutting the ball and now he’s letting it draw. And that is a major change for a player. It really proves the kind of athlete he is, though, being able to change midstream.”

Smith shot a 67 in his second round at the Anheuser-Busch Classic, guaranteeing a rare paycheck. He came back with a 78 on Saturday to make sure it was a small payday and finished second to last, earning $1,958, one third of his total winnings this year.

Still, Smith sees it as progress. His back feels as strong as ever thanks to an extensive rehabilitation program and he believes he’s ready to make a move.

“I had some pretty high expectations coming out of tour school,” he said. “I expected to play better than I have, but it’s still only halfway through the season and I missed quite a bit of time early on.

“I wasn’t supposed to get through the tour school, and I’m not supposed to keep my card this year, but I like being the underdog. And if I take care of the things I need to and get a few breaks, there’s no reason I shouldn’t finish strong because I feel great.”

Now that he’s healthy, Smith says it’s all a matter of attitude. And, while he might be the most inexperienced golfer on the tour, he also might be the only one who’s a practicing sports psychologist. He has a degree in physical education from an Australian university and a master’s degree from Cal State Fullerton, where he studied under noted sports psychologist Ken Ravizza.

“I think the sports psychology has really helped, especially during the first stages and the finals of the qualifying school, which is an especially grueling process,” Smith said. “I’ve been doing consulting work for four years now, working with the Fullerton men’s gymnastics teams and others, and I think it’s a definite advantage.

“I think it has accelerated the learning process. I’ve got a wide competitive background and I work with other athletes on their mental games, so I’ve learned by both playing and watching others perform.”

He’s still watching, more closely than ever. Every practice round is a learning experience in course management, psyche management and star-struck stress reduction.

“This year, I’ve tried to play as many practice rounds with as many good players as I possibly can,” Smith said. “I ask questions. I watch. I just try to be a sponge.

“The other day another rookie and I were waiting on the first tee for a practice round when Dan Forsman and John Cook turned up, asking if they could play with us. Those are great opportunities. You learn subtle things. You learn why good players are good.”

Possibly more important, you learn that even good players can be bad.

“There are a lot of good players out there, but there’s no real super talent,” Smith said. “You play with these guys, and you see that they make bad shots and miss putts.

“I had been to one L.A. Open before I started playing on the tour, and my perception of the PGA was what I had seen on TV. But you only see the leaders on TV, the guys who are playing really well that week, so it’s really a false view.”

Seeing Nick Faldo hit a hook. Chatting with Nick Price on the practice tee. Plane reservations. Hotel accommodations. It’s all new to Smith.

“The first time Nick Faldo walked by, you just go, ‘Wow.’ I had never played when I had to travel before this year. And I’ve played more four-round tournaments this year than I had in my whole life.

“I came out of tour school on my first try with guys who had been there 10, 11, 12 times. It’s all been a little overwhelming.”

Sargent doesn’t think Smith will be overwhelmed for long, however.

“He’s got length, I mean he takes it deep, and he’s a good putter,” Sargent said. “If he has a weakness now it’s his pitching and chipping, but that will only get better with time.

“He needs to get acclimated. But the main thing is that you have to believe you belong out there and he’s pretty confident because he knows he’s a great athlete.”

Smith prefers to say only that he believes he has plenty of room to improve. “I’ve got talent,” he admits, “but I’m just kind of raw.”

He’s also quick to point out that having high-jumped 7-3 in your country’s Olympic trials is worth maybe a drink in the hotel bar.

“To keep my card, I need to finish in the top 125 and make another $110,000 or so,” he figures. “It’ll be quite a challenge, but I don’t have to manipulate things to favor my back now. I’m able to play the course the way it should be played and I’ve got a lot of things going in the right direction.

“Things can turn around quickly out here. All it takes is maybe one third-place finish. That’s the great thing about the PGA. You go out and tee it up and if you play well, you get rewarded. You can make a lot of money. Or you can make none.

“Golf is a great game. The physical challenge is high enough, technically, it’s a difficult sport to learn, and then you add the mental part. Just when you think you’re going in the right direction, it jumps up and bites you on the butt. It’s the most humbling sport I know of.”

And Neale knows a few.