Cameron Smith

2022 - 7 - 16

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Sports Illustrated"

Cameron Smith Charges Sunday to Win the British Open; Rory ... (Sports Illustrated)

With a Sunday 64 on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Australia's Cameron Smith won the 150th British Open for his first major title.

The only mistake he made was a poor approach to the 17th green, the Road Hole. You can’t miss it left there, and Smith did – leaving himself virtually no shot. His birdie at the 11th cut the lead to one before McIlroy followed with his birdie at the 10th. He had made five straight and gone a shot ahead of McIlroy. Smith then made birdies at the 12th, 13th and 14th holes – where he two-putted from 80 feet. And I'm going to try to make a dream come true tomorrow.’’ “The ovations coming on the greens, with the big grandstands.

The Open: Cameron Smith wins first major after incredible finish - CNN (CNN)

A remarkable late surge from Cameron Smith saw the Australian win his first major in stunning fashion at the 150th Open Championship in St. Andrews, ...

His four-stroke overhaul matched the largest comeback win at St. Andrews, most recently achieved by John Daly in 1995. Yet while the 33-year-old subsequently birdied just once more, up ahead Smith -- having already doubled the tally by his fifth hole -- burst through the back nine with a run of five birdies before adding one more at the 18th. With Young draining a dramatic final eagle just moments earlier, the Australian's eighth and final birdie of the round spared him a playoff, his victory assured after McIlroy failed to make the speculative eagle chip needed to draw level.

Cameron Smith seals 150th British Open victory with spectacular ... (USA TODAY)

Smith birdied five consecutive holes in the final round at St. Andrews, shooting an 8-under 64 and overtaking Rory McIlroy for his first major title.

But he didn’t make a birdie over his last eight holes and shot 70 to finish in third at 18 under. Smith calmly stepped into his putt and knocked it in to win his first major championship. Young, who likely will be the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year and was ranked in the 500s early last summer, closed with a 65 to finish at 19 under. But the man who prefers a rod and reel in his hands instead of a 9-iron unleashed the most powerful weapon of the day – his putter. The five consecutive birdies reeled in McIlroy and gave Smith the lead. But playing partner Cameron Young had driven the green and then knocked in a 15-footer for eagle to tie Smith if only for a moment.

Cameron Smith makes a comeback and wins the British Open on a ... (NPR)

The Australian shot 8-under 64 to overturn a four-shot deficit in the final round. It's his first major title.

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Cameron Smith Wins the 150th British Open at St. Andrews (The New York Times)

The Australian, who tied for third at the Masters in April, overtook Rory McIlroy with a brilliant final round to capture his first major championship.

But he missed the Open the next year, the most recent one to be contested at St. Andrews, because of an injury, and faced years of disappointments. McIlroy, who was born in Northern Ireland and played for Ireland at the Tokyo Olympics, has won a British Open, raising the claret jug in 2014 at Royal Liverpool. Back then, he seemed indomitable. Smith calmly positioned himself and stroked the ball into the cup to retake the lead at 20 under. I’ve got to string four good rounds together, and hopefully at the end of the week, that’s good enough to win.” With his brilliant putting and calm demeanor, he led the tournament after two rounds but then fell four shots off the lead with a 1-over-par 73 on Saturday, a round that included a double bogey on the par-4 13th when he went for an ill-advised second shot from the edge of a bunker. But Woods, then in his prime, won by eight strokes, turning the final round into a processional. “And this one definitely makes it worth it.” He won the Players Championship in March, his second PGA Tour victory this season. But with his remarkable final-round 64 on Sunday, Smith broke through at an iconic place. Beginning on No. 10, Smith, who began the day at 12 under par, birdied five consecutive holes, while McIlroy’s birdie putts too often fell short, his advantage slimming and then disappearing. Cameron Smith and his putter proved too much. Smith, an Australian with a wispy mustache and mullet, has a retro air, and he often had his way with the historic course, holing birdie after birdie after birdie after birdie after birdie (yes, five in a row) on the back nine despite the pressure that goes with trying to win one’s first major.

How Cameron Smith surged at St. Andrews and stole the show from ... (ESPN)

All of Scotland was rooting for Rory McIlroy. Then Cameron Smith went on a tear at the home of golf that will live on for generations.

The hotel room he and his family are staying in overlooks the 18th. But it was how he navigated the 13th that led him to believe he was going to win the championship. It has all helped him stay calm and ready for the championship-winning moments that he eased through Sunday. He turned to the putter, which left him a 5-footer to make it five birdies in row. "I felt good all day, and those putts just started going in on that back nine and just got a lot of momentum going." For that to go in, I think, that was it for me." That was his nemesis Saturday. On Sunday, he found the fairway, and then hit a beautiful approach shot from 184 yards to leave him with an 18-foot birdie putt. "I think I was really frustrated [Saturday] with how the round went," he said. On the 11th and 12th he holed out from 16 feet and 11 feet, respectively. "I don't have any family here," he said. But the minute McIlroy's drive came up short of the green, and his attempt to hole out for an eagle to force a playoff slipped past, Smith emerged from the hut as the winner of golf's oldest championship. He regretted how he had attacked the 13th with gusto, instead of playing it carefully -- and walked away with double bogey.