At a major event, the wind—what little there was of it—finally appeared to be blowing Rory McIlroy's way once more.
With one round remaining, he shared the lead by four shots. Though he wasn't quite at home in the birthplace of the game, Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy undoubtedly must have felt as though he was playing on his terms and in his territory as he basked in the cheers of the record crowd and strolled his jaunty way over the Old Course's undulating fairways and double greens.
With a fluid swing that gives him the kind of power often found in more muscular guys and enables him to pound shots too far locations, McIlroy, 33, possesses both charisma and game.
Although McIlroy did not choke away his chance to create history, he scarcely grabbed the big moment by the lapels and shook it for all it was worth. The 150th British Open would come down to exquisite touch, not overpowering force.
Cameron Smith was left to handle it with his putter.
Although blazers and ties are required at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, Smith, an Australian with a wispy mustache and mullet, had a throwback look and fit right in there. Despite the pressure that comes with trying to win one's first major, Smith sank five consecutive birdies on the back nine.
The amazing, bogey-free final round of 64 that Smith, a 28-year-old from Brisbane in humid Queensland, shot on Sunday handed him a one-stroke victory over the American Cameron Young and moved him to 20 under par. McIlroy had a score of 70 on Sunday and ended in third place, one stroke back, after making par after par on the back nine.
The winning moment 🏆
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 17, 2022
Cameron Smith, Champion Golfer of the Year. pic.twitter.com/Rw553aqmho
In comparison to the previous three days, the putter "just got a touch chilly today," according to McIlroy.
Smith had no such issues, and he is the first Australian to win a major since Jason Day won the P.G.A. Championship in 2015. Smith is also the first Australian to win the British Open since Greg Norman in 1993.
Smith continued the custom of his country by triumphing in special anniversary Open Championship tournaments at St. Andrews. The 100th edition here was won in 1960 by an Australian named Kel Nagle.
Smith said, "That's very cool; I didn't know that." "Winning the Open Championship will likely be a golfer's career high point, in my opinion. To carry it out near St. Andrews, in my opinion, is simply inconceivable. This location is awesome. I adore playing golf. I adore the city. I hope we can continue that pattern every 50 years. Don't you think that would be nice?
The triumph was also initially seen as a vindication for the established tours in their increasingly heated competition with the independent, Saudi-funded LIV Golf series, which has attracted major stars like Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, and Dustin Johnson, all of whom are currently still permitted to play major championships despite being banned from the PGA Tour.
Johnson, who tied for sixth at 13 under, was the closest defection to the title at the Old Course. When questioned about speculations that he was pondering a switch to LIV, Smith was far from comforting. He remarked, clearly embarrassed, "I just won the British Open, and you're asking about that?" adding that the question was "not that good."
Smith refused to confirm or deny if he was interested in the new tour, which is being led by fellow Australian Norman, despite the reporter's persistent questions. I'm not sure, mate," Smith said. "The people who work with me worry about all of that. I'm here to compete in golf competitions.
If Smith jumps, he will undoubtedly be in a better-negotiating position thanks to his week at St. Andrews. Smith's final-round surge, which started on No. 10 when he made the first of his five consecutive birdies and started to catch up to McIlroy and Viktor Hovland, who was tied for the lead after the third round, was marked by much more precision than emotion.
Smith has had four top-five performances at the majors, though, including ties for third and second at the Masters in 2022 and 2020, respectively. Over the past several years, "I've probably kicked myself a few times," he admitted.
He won the Players Championship in March, marking his second PGA Tour triumph of the year, and added many birdies on the back nine during the final round. The Players, with its top-notch field and generous prize, has frequently been compared to a major, but the Open Championship is the genuine deal, and even while the Old Course is not the toughest test in the rotation, it still has the ability to motivate players.
Tiger Woods's score of 19 under when he won the Open at St. Andrews in 2000 was surpassed by Smith's 20-under-par total score of 268 to set a record for a British Open.
The final round was transformed into a professional when Woods, who was then at his peak, triumphed by eight shots. Smith's triumph, though, was quite close. After the first two rounds, he was in the lead of the competition, but after shooting a one-over 73 on Saturday, he lost the lead by four strokes. During that round, he made a double bogey on the par-4 13th after taking a risky second shot from the edge of a bunker.
By Saturday night, Hovland, a former Oklahoma State standout who taught himself the fundamentals of the game by studying YouTube videos, and McIlroy, who was attempting to become the first Norwegian to win a major, were tied for the lead.
"Rory, you were made for this! One Scottish supporter yelled, "Come on!" as McIlroy approached the 10th tee on Sunday.
The following year, at the P.G.A. Championship, McIlroy added a fourth major to his resume by winning the British Open at Royal Liverpool. He appeared to be on track for a sustained period of domination, but an injury cost him the next year's British Open, which had been played at St. Andrews most recently. Since then, he has had a string of disappointing final-round finishes.
Even though he placed in the top 10 in each of the four majors this season, the pursuit of the next major continues eight years later.
It's been a wonderful week overall, he added, "but I'll mourn a couple missed type of putts that slid by." "Given how this year has gone and how this year is going, I can't be too depressed. I'm now playing some of my best golf in a long time. So all you have to do is keep knocking until a door finally opens.
Smith was the one who started this one. McIlroy stated, "Look, I was defeated this week by a better golfer. Twenty under par for four rounds of golf in this area is quite astounding, especially after shooting 64 today to complete the feat.
To complete the task, Smith had to bounce back from a weak second shot at the notorious Road Hole, the par-4 17th hole that this year played more difficult than any other on the course. Smith had a 10-foot putt to salvage par after hitting a nicely weighted putt uphill from off the green, though. He succeeded and proceeded to the 18th hole, where he's playing partner Young ended with an eagle to momentarily tie Smith for the lead at 19 under.
On the par-4 18th, though, Smith had already placed his second shot two feet from the pin.
Young, who had witnessed Smith sink so many pressure putts during the cloudy day, stated, "Cameron was not going to miss that."
Young understood his man. Smith retook the lead at 20 under after patiently positioning himself and striking the ball into the cup.
Young had just demonstrated that McIlroy could score an eagle on 18, which was his final opportunity to force a playoff. However, McIlroy's tee shot and round both fell short, and after he missed the green with his second shot, Smith quickly became the British Open winner and had his name inscribed on the claret jug.
With the trophy in his hand and the tears starting to flow, Smith stated to his team, "All the hard work we've done the previous several years is truly starting to pay off." And this one really justifies the cost.
However, Smith made it apparent that he had positive plans for the claret jug, even though he wasn't using it for claret at the time.
He declared, "I'm absolutely going to find out how many beers fit in this contraption.
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