The Australian has not competed since the end of October, when he broke a bone in his left ankle, and was still limping as he took to the Alexandra Palace stage.
However, he hit seven 180s and dropped only one leg in defeating Swindon's experienced Smith, who could only applaud Whitlock's brilliant performance as he was knocked out of the £1 million tournament.
Whitlock, the 2010 runner-up, will now take on Steve Beaton in the second round after Christmas - with the English star also having undergone minor knee surgery this week - after firing a warning shot to the rest of the field in the World Championship.
"I'm shocked to be honest because my preparation for this has been awful," said Whitlock. "A week ago I couldn't hit three 20s in a row and I've only really had one week's practice in the last seven.
"Just walking has been hard so it's an achievement for me to make the stage, and to play like that is amazing. I feel like I did when I first started playing when I was 16.
Whitlock hit double eight to win the first leg of the game before hitting back-to-back 180s at the start of the second.
The fifth seed missed the seventh treble 20 to end hopes of a nine-darter, but the leg was won double five as he moved 2-0 up.
Whitlock hit a 14-dart finish to win the first set before taking out a superb 11-darter to make a positive start to the second.
Smith was guilty of missing seven darts at doubles to take the next leg, allowing Whitlock to break throw, before converting a 15-dart finish to win the set without reply.
The 2010 World Championship runner-up hit a 125 checkout to win the first leg of the third set, and then produced a fantastic 11-dart finish, which included two maximums, to move a leg away from the match.
He then sealed victory with a 13-darter, completing a superb display which saw him produce the tournament's highest average so far.
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