Cameron Smith seized Rory McIlroy’s claret jug. He carded six birdies on the last nine to beat a stuck-in neutral McIlroy on Sunday at St. Andrews. This capped a 64-64 weekend that saw him win the 150th Open Championship by one shot. This is everything you need to know.
Leaderboard: Cameron Smith (20), Cameron Young (19), Rory McIlroy (18), Viktor Hovland -14, Tommy Fleetwood -14
It happened as follows: Tiger Woods sent John Wood, NBC’s on-course reporter, a text prior to Sunday’s final round. He asked John Wood to put himself in the shoes of McIlroy, Hovland and Smith and was four shots ahead of Smith.
The text read: “If my score was 19 under par, it would be tied for the lowest in relation to par in all four majors. I would win.”
How can I do that? No bunkers, no three putts. Take care of the drivable Par 4s and the Par 5s. You might sneak in a few more [birdies]. You’re right, you got 68 points without doing anything extraordinary.”
McIlroy
McIlroy tried following that game plan. McIlroy didn’t find any bunkers, nor did he play three-putt. He didn’t miss any green in regulation, which is a good thing.
McIlroy couldn’t also buy a birdie. He managed two and was 2-under 70. The young Aussie won him over, however, which is a shame because he did something very special.
McIlroy seemed to be winning despite only two birdies in his 10 first holes. Hovland was a bit slow to catch up, but McIlroy looked to be on track to win.
Cameron Smith
Cameron Smith had already started a streak with five consecutive birdies, starting at Nos. 5, 16, 11, 18, 18 and 5 feet. McIlroy was eventually beaten by Smith at 14 holes.
He lagged a 30-yarder off the green to make it 19 under. Smith made a birdie at last, with an 8-under 64. However, he won the championship at the par-4 Road Hole where he drove down the fairway but was unable to hit one left, leaving him just short of the green.
Cameron Smith decided to put around the trap, despite the Road Hole Bunker separating him and the hole. Smith then hit the 10-footer for par. McIlroy needed to chip in for an eagle at last, but Smith ran it past him and finished third. Young was the winner, however, and Smith was second. 18 to finish as runner-up.
McIlroy stated that he felt like he didn’t do anything wrong, but he didn’t do any right. It was just one of those days when I played a controlled round of golf. Apart from the nine and 12 holes at the turn, I did exactly what I felt was necessary. It would have been different if I had made birdies from better positions.
Cameron Smith added, “I feel like my air is able to breathe.” The last four to five holes here are difficult, especially when you consider the wind blowing off to the left. Yes, I just kept doing what I was doing. Yes, I’m just so proud of how hard I worked today to accomplish my goal.
What it means: McIlroy talked about the importance of winning a claret trophy at St. Andrews’ Old Course. McIlroy called it the “holy grail” in professional golf.
- He already had one Open title at Royal Liverpool but he wanted another one. It had been eight years since McIlroy won any major. Smith was the winner, having only one top-20 in four Open starts.
- McIlroy was now the second 54-hole leader/co-leader in the last 30 major championships to not lose the final round (Jason Day, also at St. Andrews, was the other).
- McIlroy said, “At the final of the day it’s not death or life.” He now has 17 top-10s at majors since his 2014 PGA win, four of which were this year. McIlroy said, “I’ll have more chances to win Open Championship and other opportunities to win majors.” This is a chance that I felt I had lost, but there will be more.
- Cameron Smith back-nine 30, which was 30 yards short of the finish line, marked the lowest Open final nine ever won by a winner. His 20-under winning total matched the major par record (Day at the 2015 PGA and Henrik Stenson at 2016 Open, and Dustin Johnson 2020 Masters).
- Smith, 28, became the first Australian to win The Open in 29 years. Greg Norman won it in 1993 at Royal St. George’s. Nick Faldo beat him in 64. Smith is currently the world’s No. With three wins this season, Smith is the clear No. 1 challenger. His Open win following titles at Kapalua, TPC Sawgrass, was his third.
Round of the Day
Round of the Day: McIlroy hit 36 putts Sunday, but Smith only had 29. Smith’s performance with the flat stick helped him score the low final round, a shot ahead of Young and several other players.
Shot of the Day: Smith was firing on all cylinders when he put, but his save on No. 1 was the most crucial. 17. Smith credits this unconventional up-and-down as the claret jug clincher. It will be remembered for a long time.
Smith said, “That second shot on 17 it’s just really awkward shot. Especially where I was.” Smith said, “I had to draw a 9 iron in there. It’s only a goal to make it reach 40-50 feet.
I just couldn’t commit to the shape that I wanted and it got a bit too toey and turned more than I would like. I put the putt right next to the green.
I was trying to get it within 15 feet. The putter felt great all day. It was clear to me that if I could get it in there, it would be possible for it to have a good run. I managed to score a 4 here.
The biggest disappointment: Hovland lost 11 holes to McIlroy in what was supposed to be an actual match-play contest. He never made it down the stretch and finished with a final 74.
Hovland stated that it was somewhat anticlimactic following yesterday’s day. “I expected I would hang on there for a bit longer. It was just that I didn’t have it today.
FAQ
Cameron smith’s golf net worth ?
Cameron Smith’s net worth: Cameron Smith, an Australian professional golfer, has a net worth of $ 50,000,000
Cameron smith’s wife in 2022?
Cameron Smith is currently dating Shanel. He was photographed with him after winning the 2022 Players Championship.
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