Cameron Smith’s attacking brilliance and peerless putting display snatched the Claret Jug from Rory McIlroy on a dramatic final day at 150th Open at St Andrews.
The 28-year-old Australian followed in the footsteps of countrymen Kel Nagle and Peter Thomson as winners of the Open on the Old Course. And he did it in incredible fashion, a six-under back nine of 30 that turned a three-shot deficit at the turn into a one-shot victory.
Young second a stroke back, but it’s McIlroy’s loss
A back-nine for the ages.
What a performance from Cameron Smith 👏 pic.twitter.com/9mel9hx7TW
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 17, 2022
He actually won by a stroke not from McIlroy but from playing partner Cameron Young, who had an eagle two at the last. The American’s final desperate surge had to give best to Smith’s sixth birdie of the homeward half on the final green.
But the American’s final surge masked the reality that Smith really took the title from McIlroy, who had a four-shot advantage at the start of play but simply couldn’t hole a putt when he needed to.
In the end Rory’s apparent destiny of an Open title at St Andrews didn’t materialise, in a succession of birdie putts left in the jaws or sliding barely by the hole.
Smith, in contrast, had five birdies in a row from the tenth to turn the tide in his favour. He finished with a record 20-under aggregate for St Andrews of 268. Young finished second a shot behind, and McIlroy was alone in third on 18-under.
An anti-climax building until…
ICE. IN. HIS. VEINS.
Clutch up-and-down by Cam Smith. #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/h879U11IAa
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) July 17, 2022
The first two and a half hours of Open Sunday was seemingly building towards an inevitable anti-climax after one of the greatest Opens in years. McIlroy looked in complete control for a two-shot advantage on Viktor Hovland.
But the 2014 champion had just the one birdie, and even that was a missed chance at eagle, at the long fifth. He was still only one-under for the front nine.
At the tenth, McIlroy drove the green and two-putted from 130 feet for birdie. But by then, up ahead, Smith had hit his groove.
Having picked up two strokes to lie three behind on by the ninth, the Australian birdied five in a row to completely overturn the contest.
The “bonus” birdies were the 11th, where he holed from 20 feet, and the 13th, playing tough again. At the long 14th he was long and through the green in two, but executed a brilliant 30-yard putt to stone dead for his fifth birdie.
Rory becalmed as Smith surges
Fingers crossed 🤞
An amazing moment from a young fan pulling for @McIlroyRory ❤️ pic.twitter.com/CrAZipGwe6
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 17, 2022
McIlroy, in contrast, was becalmed. He missed a birdie chance at 12, left a 60 foot putt short by two inches at 13, then didn’t take the birdie chance at 14th either.
Smith, meanwhile solidly parred 15 and 16 and although he was short of the Road Hole bunker in two, he putted up and holed another key putt from 10 feet for par.
That left McIlroy needing to birdie 17 to keep hope alive and although he had a look at 20 feet away, he pushed it narrowly to the left.
The Northern Irishman didn’t have another birdie after the 10th – a crucial failing that cost him the title many thought was destined to be his on Saturday night.
Hovland’s challenge never materialised. Co-leader with McIlroy starting the day, he was the first to blink with a three-putt at the fourth, and was always scrambling thereafter.
He was two behind at the turn and although he birdied the 12th, he drove into the Coffins at 13, hacked out sideways, and made bogey to effectively end his challenge.
Cameron Young never quite went away, and there was a sting in the tail for him. He couldn’t quite get upsides with Smith and McIlroy, particularly after driving into gorse at the ninth, resulting in a bogey five.
But he stayed in the fight with birdies at the 10th, 13th and 14th, and was short with a birdie putt at 17. In a last show of defiance he drove the 18th green and holed from 20 feet for eagle, but it was only good enough for second place.