Cameron Smith, the Man of the People, is continuing his erratic performance at the Masters.

The only man in Augusta National history to shoot all four rounds in the 60s was at it again Thursday with a 68 — and he had a front-row seat for the day's main attraction, the Masters.

Cam Smith came to a complete stop on the ninth fairway during Thursday's first round of the PGA Championship.

He noticed the striking man dressed in a bright pink shirt, black pants, and a black hat just 50 paces to his right, out of the corner of his eye, only 50 paces to his right. Thus, as most people do when they are in the presence of Tiger Woods, Smith stopped what he was doing — which was, ahem, playing a great round of golf at, ahem, the Masters — to pay tribute to the 46-year old, 15-time major champion. "It was a great experience," Smith said.

"It's impossible not to pay attention to him," Smith said. "He's out of this world."

Is it also unreal? Smith shot a 68 in his first round, which included eight birdies, eight pars, and two double bogeys at the end of the round. The mullet-sporting Australian, play tic tac toe who is 28 years old, carded a 6 on each of the par-4 first and 18th holes, bringing his total to six. There were a lot of happy moments in between, including pinpoint accurate iron shots (he reached 14 of 16 greens in regulation), incredible drives (10 of 12 in the fairway), and even a chip-in on the par-4 fifth, which was his first birdie of the day and set off a lengthy run.

During the next 12 holes, he birdied eight of them, including all three of the remaining par 3s on the course: the sixth, 12th, and 16th.

Smith accomplished all of this while leading a group of people in front of the main attraction. He couldn't help but watch as Woods, who had reconstructive leg surgery 14 months ago, shot a 1-under 71 on the course. He wasn't the only one who couldn't stop watching. That entailed disengaging himself from his own round of play. That's how it works. Smith was a teenager during Woods' most dominant period, and he is a huge fan of the golfer.

Mullet Man, on the other hand, defeated Big Cat on this particular day. Smith has had a hot start to his 2022 season, and he plans to continue that trend. He's taken home two victories, including the Sentry Tournament of Champions and the Players Championship, which he won most recently. He has two more top-10 finishes under his belt, and he has only missed one of his last seven cuts.

It took him 38 holes and 19 birdies to climb from No. 6 in the world to No. 1 (with a chance to move up to No. 1 this week), and he's made more birdies (19) than pars (12) in that time.

What's going on? A new exercise regimen has been devised. In fact, Smith planned to return home after Thursday's round, despite having walked more than 11,000 steps around Augusta National. He would then ride a stationary bike for 30 minutes, he said. His training regimen consists of a combination of cardio and weight lifting, as evidenced by his thin and wiry build.

If I don't have a lot of weight around my stomach, my body moves a little more quickly." He laughs. "I'm able to walk off the golf course without feeling like I've been wrecked. It's one of the reasons why my game has become more consistent."

Smith has developed a strong rapport with the golfing public in the United States over the last year or so. He's unassuming, quiet, and uncomplicated.