The Queenslander enjoyed a bogey-free seven-under 63 on Friday (AEST) to be joint second with RT Lee, one behind leader Laurie Canter after the opening round of the final tournament of the season.
Smith has endured a difficult year by his standards, a tie for seventh at the PGA Championship in May his most prominent finish.
The 2022 British Open winner missed the cut in all three other majors with tied eighth finishes in Adelaide and Singapore his most notable placings in LIV Golf.
So he's happy to be back in contention at The Club at Chatham Hills, where he's hoping to end with a win.
"It's been a while. I'm definitely trying my hardest," he said. "I would love to do it. But I know there's a lot of great players out here that want the same thing.
"I'm going to put the head down and the bum up for the next few days, and hopefully we can get it done."
Smith began his round with a birdie and never looked back. He made two more on the seventh and ninth before starting the back nine with another. With three more birdies on the 12th, 14th and 15th, he is poised to challenge.
"The driver is starting to feel really nice. I feel like I've got some work to do into the greens, but the putter was alive today and holed some kind of nice 10 to 20-footers."
Marc Leishman and in-form Lucas Herbert both shot four-under 67s. They are tied 13th and helped Australia's Ripper to second position in the team standings, two shots adrift of Canter's Majesticks.
A massive knot at six-under 64 features Dustin Johnson, Brendan Steele, Caleb Surratt, Bubba Watson, Sergio Garcia of Spain, Lee Westwood of England, Joaquin Niemann of Chile and Dean Burmester of South Africa.
Bryson DeChambeau, who sits alone at five-under 65, also addressed LIV Golf's uncertain financial future.
"Look, it's tough. It's not easy. We definitely have a lot against us," DeChambeau said.
"But I think behind the scenes we've got a lot of people that are working hard to make this possible for not only all the players that are out here but all the fans that have come out to these events and the economic impact that we've made in all these places, whether it's South Africa, here in Indy or Australia, numerous places across the world.
"If it works, it works; awesome. If it doesn't, we'll figure things out. Time will move on, and I would say that time heals things.
"My wish is that people give us one more shot and be open-minded."
with Reuters
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