Cameron Smith Rolls to a Sunday 64, Stealing the British Open From the Fan Favorite
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – The road, the bunker, the hotel, the railway shed – and the tee box that is typically out of bounds. Welcome to one of the funkiest holes in all of golf, and one that ultimately decided the British Open on Sunday.
Cameron Smith, who played near flawless golf in shooting 8-under-par 64 to win the 150th Open at the Home of Golf, overcame perhaps his worst shot of the day with a nervy putt along barren grass onto the green, from where he holed a 10-footer for par that saved the tournament.
“It wasn’t the best spot to be,’’ said caddie Sam Pinfield.
Smith hardly seemed fazed. The winner of the Players Championship earlier this year, who has been known to get on a hot putting streak along with some wild play off the tee, overcame third-round co-leader Rory McIlroy with the help of five consecutive birdies to win his first major championship.
MORE: Final Results, Payouts from the British Open
It was a bitter blow to McIlroy, who didn’t do much wrong in shooting 70, but likely would have done snow angels in that deep bunker beside the 17th green to have a smidgen of the putting prowess that Smith displayed during the final round. McIlroy didn’t miss a green and still lost by two.
Smith, meanwhile, needed just 29 putts and seemingly holed them from Edinburgh. Starting the day four shots behind McIlroy and Viktor Hovland, he made birdies at the second and fifth holes to stay in touch.
Then starting at the 10th, he went on a five-hole run that saw him take a lead he never relinquished but for a moment. Even when Cameron Young made an eagle at the 18th hole to briefly tie him, Smith calmly stepped up and knocked in a 2-footer for the margin of victory – forcing McIlroy to have to eagle the 18th to tie.
“To win an Open Championship in itself is probably going to be a golfer’s highlight to their career,’’ Smith said. “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.’’
A big part of its lore is that pesky 17th hole, now 495 yards and one that Ben Crenshaw once described as the most difficult par 4 in championship golf “because it was designed as a par 5.’’
Nobody would design such a hole today, although in fairness to Tom Morris Sr., who nurtured it into its present state, and the lords of the game who first plotted holes on the course some 500 years ago, there was no hotel back then.
The tee for the hole was criticized several years ago when it was moved back to land that was technically not on the property. The Old Course Hotel typically gets pounded by golf balls, including one from Justin Thomas during practice this week. The line for the tee shot is over the old railway shed – the train line used to run right next to the course – and players often aim over the word "Course" in the Old Course Hotel sign.
Once you get to the green, there’s that nasty Road Bunker to the left, the “road’’ to the right and an ancient wall that is in play and provides no relief.
Smith did everything correct to that point, hitting a perfect tee shot over the proper line and into the fairway.
“We were trying to fly it about 5 meters over the false front,’’ Pinfield said. “We had 9-iron there. He was trying to hit a draw in there, and he just pulled it. It didn’t end up in a very good spot. That might have been his only missed shot over the back nine. It didn’t look like a great spot walking up. But he ended up getting a 4 out of it.’’
Had the ball gone in the bunker, Smith’s plight would have been worse. But this was certainly not great, either. There was no direct chipping line to the hole, and keeping it close would be impossible.
So Smith decided to putt.
“The second shot on 17, it's just really an awkward shot, especially where I was,’’ Smith said. “I kind of had to draw a 9-iron in there. You're only trying to get it to 40 or 50 feet anyway. Just didn't quite commit to the shape I wanted to hit and got it a little bit toe-y and turned over a touch more than I would have liked.
“Then the putt next to the green, I mean, I was just trying to get it inside 15 feet, and the putter felt really good all day. I knew if I could get it somewhere in there, that I'd be able to give it a pretty good run.’’
Pinfield said the ground was so hard and firm that putting was the preferred option from off greens in most cases. “It was the smart play there,’’ he said. “Normally it’s quite the opposite. He’d rather chip it. But he did the proper thing.’’
Smith rolled the putt up alongside the bunker and watched it trundle onto the green, stopping about 10 feet away. He had taken disaster out of play and give himself a chance to make a par – which he did. “I kind of got away with a 4 there,’’ he said.
And it essentially won him the tournament. Yes, he had to make birdie at the 18th to edge Young by a stroke, but a bogey there would have changed everything. It would have allowed McIlroy a chance, and he might have then faced a four-hole playoff with Young.
‘’It's massive,’’ said Aussie Adam Scott, who tied for 15th and has never won the Open despite a few close calls. “It’s a bit bigger than winning the Open. It’s winning the 150th at St. Andrews. We’ve heard it all week. Rory called it the Holy Grail. Jack (Nicklaus) has said you’re not great unless you win here.
“Cam not only gets the Claret Jug but he gets those extra special things next to it. A 30 on the back nine should be one of those. Quiet unbelievable, really. Amazing round of golf.’’
Smith shot 64 on Friday and played in the final group with Young on Saturday, but struggled. He shot 73 and took 35 putts. Nothing would drop.
That changed on Sunday, and that means he was paraded around the famous ground near the 18th hole late Sunday as the “Champion Golfer of the Year.’’ He might have won the tournament some 400 yards down the fairway at the 17th; the celebration was taking place within the shadow of the R&A clubhouse.
“I’m definitely going to find out how many beers fit in the jug, that’s for sure,’’ he said.
Whatever the number, perhaps he took some time to give a toast to the famous 17th along the way.
More British Open Coverage From SI.com/Morning Read
> What Happened to Rory McIlroy on Sunday at the British Open? Golf Happened
> Cameron Young Did All He Could With a Sunday 65 at St. Andrews, But His Partner Shot 64
Click here to receive all the latest Morning Read news and commentary free in your inbox every morning.