St. Andrews Becomes Cameron Stadium
Smith shows his toughness at British Open
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Cameron Smith made eight birdies on the final day of the British Open. His 8-under 64 was the lowest closing round at St. Andrews by the champion golfer of the year. His name on the claret jug includes his score of 268, the best ever on the Old Course.
What defined this toughas-nails Australian in his greatest moment was a par.
Smith already had done the hard part by running off five straight birdies to start the back nine Sunday, ending the amazing streak with a two-putt from 90 feet over a massive mound that fed to the hole on the par-5 14th, giving him a one-shot lead over Rory Mcilroy.
That was the score when Smith was on the 17th hole. He was in the fairway some 65 feet from the pin with the notorious Road Hole bunker in the way. Smith used his magic touch with the putter to run it along the edge of the bunker onto the green and made the 10-footer for par.
“He had to be very decisive with that one, because if you’re wondering about if the play he’s making is correct, I think it’s a really hard one,” said Cameron Young, who played with Smith and finished one shot behind him.
“I think it’s just another example of why he’s one of the very best,” Young added. “He made a really good decision and executed it perfectly. Today kind of just is more proof that he is that good, and he is one of the very, very best players in the world.”
And now Smith has a trophy to show for it.
Mcilroy couldn’t make a 15-foot birdie putt in the group behind him — he couldn’t make anything all day — and Smith effectively ended it with two putts from 80 feet on the final hole to claim his first major.