Cameron Smith says his time spent playing golf in tropical south-east Asia has prepared him for a stinking hot and humid US PGA Championship.
Playing a Wednesday practice round with countrymen Jason Day and Marc Leishman, Smith lost balance on soggy turf while hitting his tee shot on the 17th hole at Bellerive Country Club in Missouri.
Following heavy rain on Tuesday, competitors at the year's final major are now bracing for temperatures in the mid 30s and humidity above 60 per cent forecast for the week.
But having played on the Asian Tour in 2014, world No.49 Smith knows exactly how to prepare for swampy conditions.
The 25-year-old says playing in muggy St Louis reminds him of his US PGA Tour debut in 2014 at the co-sanctioned CIMB Classic in Malaysia, where he braved severe Kuala Lumpur humidity to share fifth place.
"Yeah, it's pretty similar," Smith told AAP.
"It's meant to be brutally hot all week and the amount of moisture in the ground is pretty crazy."
But having played junior and amateur golf all over Queensland, and now based in Florida, Smith feels comfortable in the heat.
"Staying hydrated and knocking the waters down is going to be important," Smith said.
"I typically love playing in the hot and humid conditions; it's something I grew up with."
Smith is among a five-player Australian contingent, the smallest representation since the 1992 PGA Championship which, ironically, was held at Bellerive.
Leishman has also welcomed sticky conditions, having won the 2015 Nedbank Challenge in scorching hot Sun City, South Africa, as well as the US Tour's Travelers Championship in a humid Connecticut in June, 2012.
"Most of my good performances have been in super hot conditions; at the Nedbank it was roasting and the Travellers, when I won, when was over 100 Fahrenheit (38C) every day and humid.
"I love playing in the heat because it makes the body loose.
"You just have to prepare for it; hydrate the night before and the morning of each round."
This is the last year the PGA Championship will be held at the peak of American summer, with the PGA of America moving the event to May from next year.
Australian former world No.1 Adam Scott says he won't miss playing a major championship in August in the US.
"Yep, it's going to be a long week; you'll have to pace yourself with long rounds Thursday and Friday, but we've done it before, so I'm hopefully fit enough to get around," Scott said.
Rounding out the Australian contingent at Bellerive is Arizona-based Craig Hocknull, who was one of 20 club pros to qualify through the recent PGA Professionals Championship.
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