From the day four strokes behind leaders Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland, Australian sensation Cameron Smith took the final round 64 of the champion Golfer of the Year, who won the 150th British Open. Smith (-20) matched the par with the lowest score in the history of the major championships, and his 30 on Back Nine Sunday was the lowest score in the second half of the round for any major champion.
To make up for his disappointment in the third round Smith was just great When he first rediscovered the putting magic that led to the 36-hole lead. He scored 8 birdies without a bogey on Sunday, starting at 34 on the front, going low on 5 consecutive holes from 10-14 and taking advantage of all the scoring opportunities on the old course in the middle of taking the lead. .. From McIlroy.
Despite Birdie’s barrage, it was the par save on the 17th that Smith could look back on as the decisive moment in his championship. Behind the road hole bunker, he used his greatest weapon, the putter, to climb up and down the most difficult holes in St Andrews.
With the wind removed from McKilroy’s sails, Smith became the first major champion in modern history to sign two rounds of 64 or less. His offensive play sacrificed him in the third round, but on Sunday as he joined Jack Nicklaus (1978) as the only man to win the Players Championship and the British Open in the same year. Driven him to victory.
Here’s a breakdown of the final leaderboard for the 150th British Open.
1. Cameron Smith (-20): Smith was able to spoil McKillroy and correct his mistake in the third round with a great 8 under 64. He scored nearly 10 strokes in the first two days and rode a hot putting stroke again on Sunday. It was an intermediate start to his final round as he turned 2 under before firing at the front of the inward Nine. Five straight birdies marked the personal best in his major championship career, and he once again proved that his game was shining when the lights were brightest. He defeated Jon Rahm in the Tournament of Champions, made 10 birdies in the final round of the Players Championship, secured the maximum payday in golf, and stared at St Andrews as a whole to raise the claret jug.
2. Cameron Young (-19): Suitable for the fourth runner-up finish of the rookie campaign, Young is invisible to anyone but a rookie when he steps into the major championship venue. He is currently on the podium on the Riviera, Southern Hills and St Andrews. The first victory of his PGA Tour career is certainly just around the corner. Young would have signed up for the final round of 7 under 65 at the beginning of the day, but he would kick himself for some ridiculous mistakes. The young three-putt No. 1 couldn’t play in 9th place on a short par 4, shortening birdie chances on 15th and 17th and finishing in 2nd place despite these failures.
3. Rory McIlroy (-18): If the Masters runner-up was pure delight This must feel like the ultimate defeat.. McIlroy’s lack of aggression and increased maturity, which won the 54-hole lead in the major championship for the first time in eight years, may actually have played a role as a thorn on his side. Nothing happened on the green, so the four major winners delayed the last 39 holes of the championship by two strokes to Smith. McIlroy became the only player to finish in the top 10 of each major championship in 2022, but at this point in his career he is not going to be comforted by a close call. Rory hasn’t won a major championship for eight years and has achieved 17 top 10 finishes in 31 events during that time.
“I knew it could be done. I know this golf course. I play well here. The last two open I played here, I finished third in both times “McIlroy said. “It’s coming soon. I think it’s the whole of Augusta’s second major season. [National]3rd here, 5th at the US Open, 8th at the PGA [Championship] -Knocking on the door. You have to be patient and keep knocking on the door. Then the door will eventually open again. “
T4. Viktor Hovland and Tommy Fleetwood (-14): Hovland, who first experienced the fight for the major championship, struggled early on when he signed the 2-over 74. A young Norwegian who makes a headache decision, such as keeping a driver in a bag at an accessible birdie hall, makes good use of this experience. It marks his first top 10 finish in the major championships and could serve as a stepping stone to 2023.
T6. Dustin Johnson and Brian Harman (-13): Johnson reached 11 unders after a series of birdies early in the third round and played the remaining 33 holes with 2 unders. The green and its surroundings were so cluttered that the two major winners may have passed his grasp on one of the best opportunities to win the open. Johnson has so much uncertainty about the status of his upcoming key qualifications that he may need to add to his total by 2025.
T8. Bryson DeChambeau, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay (-12): Other than the second round, DeChambeau was impressive around St Andrews, signing rounds 69-74-67-66 with a total of 12 under. During the weekend he adopted a different strategy. You have to wonder what his championship would have been if he had been aggressive from the beginning. The old course is not comparable to modern players, and despite being a mad scientist, it was too late after DeChambeau understood St Andrews.
T15. Xander Schauffele, Adam Scott, Francesco Molinari, and 3 others (-10): Schauffele, the three-time winner of the season, was surprised because he never participated in the mix. Olympic gold medalists will have another major championship season without joining the winner’s circle after winning the last two starts. He has had a chance at the 2021 Masters recently for years, but 2022 will be an unforgettable endeavor.
T21.Shane Lowry, Matt Fitzpatrick, Scottie Scheffler and 4 others (-9): The 2019 Champion Golfer of the Year rushed to the forefront of the battle on Saturday with a back-to-back eagle. Raleigh, who later stumbled upon the house, was unable to maintain this momentum and was no longer a factor in this opening. As for how consistent he was, he should consider only one major championship this season and be disappointed with his play as it was the finish of the T3 at the Masters. Chefler, meanwhile, had an outside chance to climb the leaderboard, but instead went in the opposite direction with Sunday’s volatile putter and inconsistent play.
T28. Zalatoris, Tony Finau, Corey Conners, and 3 others (-8): Having won two major championships this season, Zaratris should be proud to play on the biggest stages of golf. He joins this week as one of the top two men in each major, leaving a few shots that didn’t make it to all four. Zalatoris appeared to have withdrawn from his open debut last year due to his wrist injury and challenged his first 72-hole links golf challenge.
