WHO DARES WINS
Smith’s self-belief delivers a major prize
CAMERON Smith is living proof that self-belief can overcome even the most crushing of setbacks.
Time and time again Smith’s unwavering confidence has cost him the chance of winning big tournaments but he’s never lost faith in his ability to play big shots under pressure.
Just three months ago, Smith was left wondering what if after he blew his chances of winning the Masters when he got too aggressive and plonked his ball into the water at Amen Corner.
And on Saturday, while leading the British Open, his bullish strategy again backfired
when he made a double bogey while trying to hack a ball from the fringe of a bunker.
His two-shot lead disappeared instantly and he went into the
final round trailing by four, yet never stopped believing.
That should have been the end of his
chances but Smith’s not wired that way. “To win an Open Championship in itself is probably going to be a golfer’s highlight in their career,” he 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.”
In the end, to win took a comeback for the ages that was out of this world.
He reeled off five birdies in a row then birdied the final hole to win by a single shot. His final score 20-under par matched the lowest total in any golf championship.
And it broke Tiger Woods’ record at St Andrews, the home of golf.
“I’ve definitely kicked myself a couple of times over the past few years. To do it the way I did today was pretty cool to be back and really apply pressure, keep holing putts. It was awesome,” he said. “I don’t think I hit the ball any differently all four days, to be honest. I felt like I kept hitting quality golf shots and kept giving myself looks at birdie, even from a distance, which is sometimes what you have to do around here. The only difference was the putts were dropping. I spent a little bit of time on the green (Saturday night) and just really wanted to see a few putts go in.”
Smith admitted he was disappointed with the way he played in the third round, when he carded a 1-over 73.
It would have cost him his first major win had it not been for his amazing finish, but he said that in a strange way it actually helped him.
“I just really put it down to links golf. I think you really have those days on these courses where you get a bit of a weird bounce here and there and puts you in a bad spot,” he said.
“So I shrugged it off. I really didn’t dwell on it too much. I just had to go out there and really stick my head down and keep making birdies and keep making putts.”
A devoted Queensland rugby league supporter, Smith said he adopted the same approach as the Maroons in last week’s State of Origin decider.
“You’ve got to try and win. That’s what we’re all here to do,” he said.
“I started to feel really good with where my game was at last weekend at the Scottish Open. I had a really, really solid weekend. I just felt really good about my game. I’d played this golf course before, but it had been a while. It was almost like relearning the place.
“I love this type of golf. I think this type of golf suits a lot of Aussies, the firm and fast fairways. Having to hit away from pins, I think, is another one, where Aussies are brought up doing that.”
Smith’s only regret was that his father Des didn’t make the trip to Scotland to see him win.
“Actually, I don’t have any family here. I’ve got all my team here. My dad was actually meant to come over, and he pulled out at the last minute basically,” Smith said.
“I really wish he was here too.”