Starting the day four strokes behind the leaders Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland, the legendary Australian Cameron Smith rode a final round of 64 to become the Champion Golfer of the Year as the winner of the 150th Open Championship. Smith (-20) tied the lowest score to finish in a major tournament, and his 30 on the back 9 Sunday was the lowest in the last half of any major tournament.
Making up for the frustration on his third round, Smith was brilliant as he regained the magic that led to his 36-hole lead. He had eight birdies with no bogeys on Sunday, opening with a 34 before dropping five consecutive holes from Nos. from McIlroy.
Even though the birdies were out of sorts, it was a save on the 17th that Smith looks back on as the defining moment of his tournament. In the back yard of the Road Hole fairway, he used his biggest tool – the putter – to get up and down the most difficult hole in St. Andrews.
Taking the wind out of McIlroy’s sails, Smith became the first major in modern history to score two rounds of 64 or lower. His aggressive play cost him the third round but it was what led to Sunday’s victory as he joined Jack Nicklaus (1978) as the only men to win the Players Championship and The Open in the same year.
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