Four years ago, it was to be his professional launch pad yet this week’s BMW International Open represents simply the next step in the development of Elvis Smylie.

The 2021 BMW International Open in Germany was Smylie’s first international start as a professional.

It was the first of eight sponsor exemptions across two years extended to a talent barely out of his teens that had good judges drooling.

With eight missed cuts in his first eight DP World Tour appearances on foreign soil, Smylie’s introduction to the elite level largely fell flat but potential is now evolving into professional respect.

Still just 23 years of age, Smylie stared down Cameron Smith to win the co-sanctioned BMW Australian PGA Championship last November and last month played all four rounds of a major championship for the first time at the US PGA Championship.

As the member of the Golf Australia Rookie Squad looks ahead to a three-week stretch that includes the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open Championship at Royal Portrush, Smylie took a moment to look back on the four years it has taken to get here.

“It’s very hard to be able to plan what the next four years are going to look like,” Smylie reflected.

“You want it to be this smooth increment of progression, but, in hindsight, it’s actually been very up and down.

“A lot of things have changed. I’ve changed my team within the last year-and-a-half and I feel like I’m on a really good plateau to be able to achieve what I want to.

“I definitely feel like I’ve got the right people around me now to be able to guide me in the right direction.

“It’s my first full year out here where I can pick and choose what events I want to play in. Just having that comfortable feeling, knowing that you don’t have to get your card in five starts.

“You can just slowly keep building, going to all these new courses and learning as much as you can.

“Professional golf can throw a lot of things at you left, right and centre, being able to juggle all those things and trying to put your best foot forward and working hard and doing the right stuff.

“That’s something that I’ve continued to feel like I’m doing a really good job at.”

Confirming that he will return to Royal Queensland in November to defend his BMW Australian PGA Championship title, the reigning Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner also has one eye on a second consecutive appearance at The Open.

Having come through Final Qualifying 12 months ago, Smylie is excited at the prospect of preparing for Portrush with some links golf next week in Scotland.

“You want to feel confident by having good results going into big events,” said Smylie.

“That’s definitely on my mind, to be able to put a good week here and a good week in Scotland to build that confidence, knowing that the results are there as well as the good feelings that I can produce.

“Portrush will be great. I’m looking forward to getting there and doing the work and seeing how we go.”

Another with an eye on Portrush is New Zealand Open champion Ryan Peake.

Forced to play last week’s Asian Development Tour event in Morocco with borrowed clubs – he finished tied 21st – Peake has been reunited with his sticks as he joins 13 other Australasian players for International Series Morocco.

“Game’s good. Feel like I’m starting to swing it pretty well, found more of a groove,” Peake told Asian Tour Media.

“I’ve been in Morocco for a week, playing last week, lost my clubs for seven days.

“I picked them up yesterday from the airport so feeling pretty good about this week and being able to use my old stuff again.

“Obviously excitement (about playing The Open) is starting to set in a little bit more now.

“Still not 100 per cent yet, still got this week here in Morocco but after this week’s finished, I’ll be pretty switched on and the excitement will start to hit a little bit harder.”

Photo: Maddie Meyer/PGA of America via Getty Images

Round 1 tee times AEST

PGA TOUR John Deere Classic TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Illinois 3:38am Karl Vilips 3:49am Jason Day 5:17am Harrison Endycott

Past champion: Davis Thompson Past Aussie winners: Mark Hensby (2004), John Senden (2006) Prize money: $US8.4m TV times: 9:30pm-9am Thursday, Friday; Live 11pm-9am Saturday; Live 1am-8am Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.

DP World Tour BMW International Open Golfclub München Eichenried, Munich, Germany 4:10pm David Micheluzzi 4:20pm* Daniel Hillier (NZ) 4:40pm* Elvis Smylie 5pm* Jason Scrivener 10:30pm Daniel Gale, Kazuma Kobori (NZ)

Past champion: Ewen Ferguson Past Aussie winners: Peter Fowler (1993) Prize money: $US2.75m TV times: Live 8:30pm-2am Thursday, Friday; Live 8:45pm-1:30am Saturday; Live 8:30pm-1:30am Sunday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.

Asian Tour International Series Morocco Royal Golf Dar Es Salam (Red Course), Morocco 4:30pm Kevin Yuan 5:10pm* Jack Thompson 5:50pm* Brett Coletta 6:20pm* Brett Rankin 9:50pm Ben Campbell (NZ) 9:50pm* John Lyras 10pm Ryan Peake 10:10pm Travis Smyth 10:20pm* Nick Voke (NZ) 10:40pm Maverick Antcliff 10:50pm* Lawry Flynn 11pm Jack Buchanan 11pm* Denzel Ieremia (NZ) 11:10pm Todd Sinnott

Past champion: Ben Campbell Past Aussie winners: Nil Prize money: $US2m TV times: Live 11pm-3am Thursday; Live 1am-3am Saturday on Fox Sports 508; Live 10:30pm-1am Saturday; Live 9pm-1am Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.

Ladies European Tour KPMG Women’s Irish Open Carton House, Ireland 5:12pm Sarah Kemp 5:48pm Amelia Garvey (NZ), Wenyung Keh (NZ) 6:12pm Amy Walsh 6:12pm* Kelsey Bennett 6:36pm* Maddison Hinson-Tolchard 10:24pm Kirsten Rudgeley 11:12pm Momoka Kobori (NZ)

Past champion: Annabel Dimmock Past Aussie winners: Nil Prize money: €450,000 TV times: Live 3am-4:30am Friday on Fox Sports 508; Live 2:40am-4:30am Saturday on Fox Sports 506; 11:30am-1pm Sunday on Fox Sports 503; Live 10:30pm-2:30pm Sunday on Fox Sports 508 and Kayo.

PGA TOUR Americas Explore NB Open Mactaquac Golf Course, New Brunswick, Canada 9:30pm* Grant Booth 2am Charlie Hillier (NZ)

Past champion: Ian Holt Past Aussie winners: Nil Prize money: $US225,000

HotelPlanner Tour Interwetten Open Schladming-Dachstein Golf Club, Oberhaus, Austria Australasians in the field: Hayden Hopewell, Sam Jones (NZ), Tom Power Horan

Past champion: Inaugural event Past Aussie winners: Nil Prize money: €300,000

LET Access Series Swedish Strokeplay Championship Golf Uppsala Soderby, Sweden 4:22pm* Stephanie Bunque 9:33pm* Abbie Teasdale 9:45pm Justice Bosio 9:55pm* Kristalle Blum 10:29pm Belinda Ji

Past champion: Inaugural event Past Aussie winners: Nil Prize money: €45,000

Legends Tour Reignwood Legends Championship Reignwood Pine Valley, Beijing Australasians in the field: Michael Campbell (NZ), Scott Hend, Michael Long (NZ), Stephen Leaney

Past champion: Inaugural event Past Aussie winners: Nil