Cameron Smith stands proudly in front of the R&A’s headquarters – photo R&A via Getty
Cameron Smith has become the fifth Australian to win the Open Championship’s Claret Jug with a stunning final round of 64 to edge out American PGA Tour rookie, Cameron Young, by one shot and Rory McIlroy by two.
He joins Peter Thomson (5), Greg Norman (2), Kel Nagle and Ian Baker Finch as Open Championship winners from Australia but joins Thomson and Nagle as champions at the Home of Golf, St Andrews.
His 72-hole total of 268 is the equal lowest ever scored in relation to par (20 under) at an Open Championship, tying the record (264) set by Henrik Stenson when he won at Royal Troon in 2016, and betters Tiger Woods’ record total at St Andrews of 269 in 2000.
For Smith the win is the culmination of his career to date but continues a remarkable year in 2022 when he has won the Tournament of Champions, the Players Championship and now a breakthrough major victory.
He will move to number two in the world ranking, his highest ever standing in the game and given he was in 21st position in the world at the end of 2021, it has been a remarkable ride with even more to come. Another US$2,500,000 won’t go astray either taking his season earnings to US$9.89 million and career earnings on the PGA Tour alone to just under US$27 million.
The Fed Ex Cup playoffs are only a few weeks away now and this win takes him to 2nd in those standings and in line for further riches at the Tour Championship in six weeks’ time.
Beginning the final round four behind McIlroy and Norway’s Viktor Hovland, Smith put together a solid front nine of 2 under 34 but he was still three behind McIlroy at that point.
It would be when turning for home that the fireworks began, however, a putter that had been only lukewarm for 27 holes all of a sudden became his friend once again.
Birdies at the 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th and 14th from various ranges swept him into a one-shot lead over McIlroy and he was the chased instead of the chaser.
One of his many highlights however must surely be his great par save at the 17th. He took an aggressive line from the tee and was left with only a 9 iron for his second. He pulled and mishit it a little and finished in a seemingly impossible position behind the notorious road hole bunker but with both great imagination and skill, he putted up the slope to 12 feet and holed for par to maintain his one shot lead over McIlroy and two over Cameron Young.
Then at the last, after taking an iron from the tee on Saturday and Sunday he drove it just short of the green and proceeded to hit his approach to 3 feet. Despite Young finding the green with his drive and holing a remarkable putt from 18 feet for eagle to draw level, Smith was up to the task and converted his own birdie opportunity and was one ahead.
Back on the 17th McIlroy had hit a fine approach and, desperately needing a 3 to get within one and the driveable last still ahead, he missed his 15-footer and was left having to eagle to last to force a playoff. He was unable to do so and in fact could only make par and finished 3rd.
Smith was understandably lost for words when interviewed immediately after his round and during the prize-giving and why wouldn’t he be, given the magnitude of his achievement, but by the time he had gathered himself for the official media conference he had more to say.
“I feel like I can breathe,” said Smith referring to the tension that had built over the closing holes and the surreal nature of the immediate aftermath of the victory. “These last four or five holes aren’t easy around here, especially with the wind up off the left. Yeah, just stuck to what I was doing. Yeah, just really proud of how I kind of knuckled down today and managed to get it done.
“It was pretty tense. I think maybe after my second or third birdie there on the back nine, I was starting to think that I could really win this thing. I think I was three back with nine holes to go, and I really needed to make something happen.
“But, yeah, I would say those first three holes on that back nine really came to me, and then from there I was starting to get different emotions and really had to keep an eye on what I was thinking and just different shots into greens.
“I think, to win an Open Championship in itself is probably going to be a golfer’s highlight in their career. To do it around St Andrews, I think is just unbelievable.”
“This place is so cool. I love the golf course. I love the town. Yeah, hopefully we can keep that trend going with the every 50 years. That would be nice, wouldn’t it? (Laughter),” added Smith referring to the fact that his fellow countryman Kel Nagle had won the 100th staging of the event in 1960.
“I don’t think I hit the ball any differently all four days, to be honest. I felt like I kept hitting quality golf shots and kept giving myself looks at birdie, even from a distance, which is sometimes what you have to do around here.
“The only difference today, was the putts were dropping. I spent a little bit of time on the green yesterday night, last night, and just really wanted to see a few putts go in. Yeah, it turned out it was a pretty good thing to do.”
Smith was asked if his struggles on day three were important in steeling him for what happened today.
“I was really frustrated yesterday with how the round went. I just really put it down to links golf. I think you really have those days on these courses where you get a bit of a weird bounce here and there and puts you in a bad spot.
“So I shrugged it off pretty good, I think, last night. I really didn’t dwell on it too much. Yeah, but to go out there and really stick my head down and keep making birdies and keep making putts, yeah, it was really cool. I think that definitely helped yesterday.
“I knew my game was there. I felt really comfortable. At the end of last week, I started playing some really good golf. Yeah, I just really needed to keep doing what I was doing. I didn’t do anything wrong yesterday. It was just really one of those days.”
Cameron Young’s effort in his first Open Championship was particularly impressive keeping the pressure on the winner to the very last with his eagle at the par 4 from just under 20 feet.
Rory McIlroy left another great opportunity for his first major in eight years slip from his grasp, his putting proving his nemesis today.
Of the other Australians to make it to the weekend there were several good performances.
Adam Scott moved within four shots of the lead with four birdies in his first ten holes but struck trouble at the 12th and took double bogey bringing to an end any hopes he had of challenging for the title. Scott finished in a share of 15th along with fellow Australians Lucas Herbert and surprise packet, Anthony Quayle, who produced weekend rounds of 68 and 67 in his very first Open appearance.
Herbert also had 67 today to move up nine places for his share of 15th.
Min Woo Lee was 21st and Jason Scrivener and Brad Kennedy 53rd.
SCORES
Cameron Young eagled the last to grab second place – photo R&A via Getty
