Cameron Smith had a perfect Sunday and became the British Open champion with a historic last lap

the Australian cameron blacksmith He made history this Sunday by becoming the winner of the prestigious British Golf Open in its 150th edition. He did it with a perfect last round of 64 strokes – eight under par – to finish with an impressive -20 after the four rounds in the traditional St. Andrews field. That phenomenal work allowed him to overcome the attacks of the American Cameron Young (-19) and the Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy (-18), who had arrived as leader after a great Saturday and continues with the thorn of not being able to celebrate again in the major.

It was a spectacular comeback. When, midway through the final round, McIlroy seemed able to end his drought in the main tournament, Smith amassed 6 birdies in the last 9 holes to lift the Claret pitcherthe coveted trophy reserved for the winner of this prestigious tournament.

The Australian, who took his sixth PGA Tour win, started the day four strokes behind McIlroy, who finished third, and Norway’s Viktor Hovland on the final day of the Open after a bad third day in which he was been above the pair (+1).

Smith recovered his solvency in time to star in a thrilling and open ending, a race from which Hovland fell and which was among the Australian and McIlroy, with the American Cameron Young, first leader of this edition of the Open, waiting, so much so that on the last hole, with an eagle, he finished second.

“What a week. This (winning the Open) is what makes all the work done for years worthwhile,” said a laconic Smith.

This is the first major tournament for the man born 28 years ago in Brisbane, Australia. His best performance up to this unforgettable Sunday had been second place at the Augusta Masters 2020. No one since 1939 had won in the golf mecca after running from behind the first three days. This 2022 instead marks a generational break: all the winners of the majors are under 30 years old.

charming Sunday

The two leaders on Saturday started the last round with a -16 overall, with McIlroy, encouraged by the public, as the favorite against a rival who had, in his favor, played without that pressure. After the first three holes with par in both cases, the Norwegian made a bogey in the fourth, which took the Northern Irishman to the head.

In the quote from ‘the Camerons’Smith had signed a birdie in the second and another in the fifth, finer than the third day in the putt, and Young, starting in the worst way, with bogey, immediately recovered with three consecutive holes under par.

Pressure for McIlroy and Hovland, with the Australian Adam Scott and the American Dustin Johnson with the cards in red and -12 after seven holes, joined at that point by the English Tommy Fleetwood and the South African Dean Burmester, but after 15 holes.

McIlroy landed in the middle on a hole that ended under par in the four days of the championship, the fourth of the Old Course, and stopped at -17 pushed by the public.

Enthusiasm rose with Smith’s three birdies in a row early in the second round to -17, one from McIlroy, who also took advantage of hole 10. Hovland, for his part, reacted in 12th with the first birdie. In that and 9, the Northern Irishman failed to extend the lead.

The Australian caught up with McIlroy at 13 and took the lead at 14 with his fifth consecutive birdie (best at 11 and 13) at -19.

Smith had problems in the 17th, but he solved them with the par and finished the 18th with the birdie that allowed him to enter the Club House with the win in hand.

There came his matchmate, Cameron Young with the eagle, the same thing that McIlroy should have signed to equalize with the Australian, but he couldn’t.

Hovland (+2 this Sunday) finished fourth, like Fleetwood, ahead of Americans Brian Harman and Dustin Johnson. Within the top ten were Americans Bryson Dechambeau, Patrick Cantlay and Jordan Spieth, who saved the par in 17th place with a great shot from the course to the green.

The leader of the world rankings, the American Scottie Scheffler, did not have a good day, who finished the first round with three over par and came out of the fight for the victory: twenty-first with -9, as did the English Matt Fitzpatrick .

Many golfers took advantage of the great morning to put the cards in the red and climb the rankings: this is the case of the American Sam Burns, who showed up on the last day with +2 in the cumulative and handed over his card of the day with – 8, the same as the champion, with four consecutive birdies at the end of his tour (from 15 to 18), or the Thai Sadom Kaewkanjana, who finished with -7 of the day and -11 overall.

Mexican Abraham Ancer finished the Open with those same shots, with seven birdies (he forgave another one in ninth) and no bugbear on a sensational Sunday that took him to eleventh place.

The South African Garrick Higgo was another of the best of the morning (-6 at the end with -5 accumulated), a pace that his competitor, the Spaniard Adri Arnaus, was unable to follow, who at the end of the Open smiled for an eagle that allowed him to close the day in a draw, albeit with an overall +1. With birdies at 18, the Spaniard Jon Rahm, the best of all with -7, and Sergio García, who had an unstable day in which his card showed a +1 to leave his result in St. Andrews at -2.

The best amateur of the tournament was the Italian Flippo Celli, with -1 at the last card and -5 in total, which helped the European amateur champion to win the silver medal in Scotland.

Source: Agencies