Smith breaks record with Kapalua victory
KAPALUA, Hawaii — No one ever finished more under par in PGA Tour history than Cameron Smith and he never could appreciate it until his final birdie putt Sunday in the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
Not with Jon Rahm, the No. 1 player in the world, on his heels every step of the way. Not with Matt Jones making a pair of eagles and a 50-foot birdie putt in a span of five holes to stay in the game.
In the best scoring conditions Kapalua has seen in the 24 times it has hosted the winners-only start to the new year, Smith was relentless all the day down to the 3-foot birdie putt the Aussie made on the 18th hole for an 8-under 65 and a one-shot victory over Rahm.
“Mate, it was intense,” Smith said. “It was pretty crazy. I felt like I needed to make a birdie to kind of keep up with him or stay in front.”
Smith finished at 34under 258.
Only three players in tour history had finished at 30 under or lower. Ernie Els set the record of 31 under at Kapalua in 2003 and won by eight shots.
Jordan Spieth shot 30 under in 2016, also winning by eight. Dustin
Johnson shot 30 under at Liberty National in 2020 and won by 11.
Smith won by one.
“Unreal round,” Smith said. “Something I’ll never forget.”
Rahm never shot worse than 66, and he was one of three players to tie the Plantation course record with a 61 in the third round. He made 32 birdies for the week, tying the PGA Tour record for a 72-hole event shared by Paul Gow at the B.C. Open and Mark Calcavecchia in the Phoenix Open, both those events in 2001.
Jones posted the third score of 61 — Justin Thomas also tied the record on Saturday — to finish third.
Jones was at 32-under 260, one shot better than the previous record.
SPEED SKATING Jackson on team, courtesy of Bowe
Erin Jackson is heading to the Beijing Olympics, thanks to Brittany Bowe.
Bowe has given up her spot in the 500 meters, allowing Jackson — ranked No. 1 in the world in the 500 — to make the U.S. team. Jackson slipped in her race Friday at the U.S. trials in Milwaukee and finished third in the event she has dominated this season.
Bowe won the 500 and Kimi Goetz took second to earn the two available Olympic spots. The rules didn’t allow for Jackson to have a re-skate — only a mechanical failure or a fall are reason for a do-over.
Jackson will be making her second Olympic appearance, having finished 24th in the 500 in 2018, not long after she switched from online skating to the ice. Three-time Olympian Bowe will compete in the 1,000 and 1,500 in Beijing. Goetz will compete in the 500 and 1,000.
In the 16-lap mass start Sunday at the Pettit National Ice Center, Ian Quinn won the men’s race and Giorgia Birkeland took the women’s event.Quinn won in 7 minutes, 56.82 to earn the Olympic spot. Ethan Cepuran was second and Emery Lehman finished third.
White reportedly pulls out of event due to COVID symptoms: Shaun White’s withdrawal from an Olympic qualifying event came after he experienced lingering COVID-19 symptoms, including fatigue and shortness of breath, the Associated Press has learned
White’s withdrawal from Saturday’s snowboarding U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain does not impact his plans to compete in Beijing.
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL Balkovec is first female manager
The New York Yankees are promoting Rachel Balkovec to manager at Low A Tampa, making her the first woman to lead a team affiliated with Major League Baseball, according to two people familiar with the move.