ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Cameron Smith had just resigned from his 36-hole lead at The 150th Open. It was time for his caddy, Sam Pinfold, to give a talk and help change course.
When Pinfold finished, Smith smiled at his good friend and, without hesitation, replied, “Three or four back, … don’t worry.… We had to give them an advantage anyway.”
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This is the confidence of the young Australian who produced an impressive 64 on Sunday to win the Open, becoming the fifth Australian to win the Claret Jug and the first since 1993. His first big win has joined the victories earlier this year at THE PLAYERS and Sentry. Champions Tournament. He has moved to No. 2 in both the FedExCup and the world rankings in a year that saw him become the only player other than Jack Nicklaus in 1978 to win THE PLAYERS and The Open the same year. In his victory at Sentry in January, Smith set the TOUR record for the lowest score relative to par, firing 34 below. A St. Andrews, equaled that mark for seniors and recorded the lowest score ever shot at an Open in St. Andrews. Andrews, a 20 below 268. And closed with a remarkable 30 in the back nine, the lowest ever shot by an open Champion.
But back to Smith’s joke. It was a cheerful response. But there was a little wisdom hidden inside. Smith is, with all due respect, like a mongrel dog fighting for the first bone he has seen in a month. He is the last disadvantaged, determined to prove that those who doubt are wrong.
As of Sunday, four shots off the scoreboard was a challenge enough. The fact that one of the leaders was Rory McIlroy, Britain’s great hope that the crowds were eager to crown, was a red cloth for a bull.
Smith is from Queensland, the northeastern state of Australia known for its beautiful beaches, Great Barrier Reef and an ethos of toughness that never claims to die. This determination stems from Smith’s favorite sport other than golf, the rugby league, where the Queensland Maroons face the mighty New South Wales Blues three times a year in an epic and brutal series of games called State of Origin. It is tribal.
Queensland is known to win often against predictions. He has a smaller talent group to pull off, but somehow he rises above himself when he puts on the shirt. A State of Origin game fell on the eve of the Open, and Smith insisted on playing his last round of nine-hole practice in the early hours of the morning so he could play the game on his phone in St. Louis. Andrews.
The Maroons, who lost three key players due to VOCID and injuries, were at a disadvantage. Then, in a frantic opening of a few minutes of the match, they lost two more by concussion. Despite the obstacles, they won 22-12. Pinfold confirmed that Smith “got a lot out of that.”
“Never a doubt,” Smith joked about the match at his pre-tournament press conference. “It’s just one more example of the spirit of Queensland. I’m sure I’ll think about it this week.”
The underdog emerged Sunday at the Old Course. Smith wrote a maroon shirt before his attempt to chase the local favorite.
After a solid 34 on the nine forwards, Smith looked up to see that he had only recovered one shot from McIlroy. It was time to hold on or shut up.
“You have to try to win. That’s what we’re here to do. I really needed something to happen,” said Smith, whose gallery included tennis star Ash Barty and two-time MotoGP champion Casey Stoner .
And so Smith set to work. He almost drove the par-4 10th to make the first of five consecutive birdies that put him one ahead of McIlroy. The best came on the 13th, a hole that had almost run out of opportunities a day earlier.
“These guys are great players. They weren’t going to give it to me. I had to catch him, “Smith added.” It was a good thing he was behind. My mentality would have been a different touch on arrival, especially on that new one, if I had been ahead. “
“My second hit at 13 was really when I thought we could win that.”
Pinfold also picked up some criticism of the double bogey on Saturday the 13th. his feet. That shot sailed into a gorse bush, resulting in a double bogey.
“You don’t mess with a player confident with their skill level,” Pinfold explained. “I’m very proud of him. His game plan was impressive; he was very confident and has so much belief that it makes my job easier.
“I don’t have to think about a second option, it’s just what is the best shot, what is the best option, then aim, shoot and leave. He just has the balls and the courage to get up and do it. “
Another of those moments was Sunday at the infamous Road Hole, which ranks as the hardest of the TOUR every time the Open arrives in St. Louis. Andrews. Smith’s approach fell short, and the famous greenside bunker in the hole stood between his ball and his goal. Smith quietly put his ball down the slope against the edge of the trap and then buried the 10-foot putt.
When he made a calm bird at the last one that put 20 below, a better shot than teammate Cameron Young, only an eagle from McIlroy could beat him. But the four-time big winner was unable to slowly get off the green and victory was assured.
“I feel like I can’t breathe,” he said. “These last four or five holes are not easy here, especially with the wind rising on the left. I am very proud of how I fell today and I managed to do it. “
“Winning an Open Championship in itself will probably be the highlight of a golfer in his career. Doing it for St. Andrews, I think it’s amazing. This place is great.”
Birdie in the first five holes of the next nine ran parallel to how THE PLAYERS won earlier this year. He made birds in the first four holes of TPC Sawgrass ’new back on the road to that victory.
“He loves to fight,” Pinfold said. “Put him in a fight, three or four back, and he’ll increase his game and go do it.”
Another celebration is expected, such as the one that followed after the PLAYERS victory.
“I’ll definitely figure out how many beers fit into this thing,” he said of the Claret pitcher. “I’m going to guess two, two cans of beer.… I’ll probably have about 20 pitchers of claret.”
Surely he won it.