Heartbreak for Rory, Delight for Cameron Smith as he Captures Maiden Major at the Open

The duel in the Sun in 1977. The duel of the ‘Sons in 2016. Turnberry and Troon brought us two of the best duels in Open history, where the tournament was closed down to two players.

Tom Watson birdied the final hole in ’77, breaking the previous Open scoring record. Stenson buried his birdie on the 72^nd in ’16, securing a three-shot lead over Phil Mickelson, who was eleven shots ahead of third place. Cameron Smith birdied the 72^nd at St. Andrews to secure a -20 total, a Sunday 64, and his first major.

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by GSM Golf (@gsmgolf)

After 54 holes, this year’s Open saw Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland separate themselves from the rest of the world’s best by four shots with a 66 apiece on Saturday. In 2016, Mickelson and Stenson were five and six shots ahead of the field through 54 holes, and I expected another similar break away from the two European superstars this Sunday. A fast start could’ve seen them distance from the field like two cyclists freeing themselves from the peloton.

With a four-shot lead on the chasers, a stable start for McIlroy and Hovland saw them -1 and +1 through 5 holes, respectively, but in the meantime, rather than being left in the dust, the rest of the field gave chase.

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Golf Digest (@golfdigest)

In the middle of the pack, Tyrell Hatton, Jordan Spieth, Brian Harman, Bryson DeChambeau, and Tommy Fleetwood all carded rounds in the mid-sixties, flying up the leaderboard on the final day. Thai player Sadom Kaewkanjana had a Sunday 65 and a T11 finish, pushing him into the limelight and improving vastly on his major experiences, the sole missed cut he had at the PGA Championship.

36-hole leader Cameron Smith went on a run of five consecutive birdies in the back nine, seven under through 14 holes for his Sunday round, and took the solo lead at 19 under with four holes to play. American rookie Cameron Young started with a bogey on Sunday before rallying and carding a swathe of birdies to put himself in the mix. Fifteen birdies and an eagle between the two were a pleasure to behold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by be.still golf (@be.stillgolf)

With explosives going off around him, Rory remained consistently disciplined, as he had committed to all week. He made no errors – but made very few putts. He was playing effortlessly, but the groans from the crowd were repeated hole after hole as Rory had birdie putt after birdie putt that stayed above ground. On 17, he had another great chance, a crucial, pivotal time to hole another putt, but failed to convert another great approach.

Viktor Hovland started the day aiming to spoil Rory’s fun but made several errors on Sunday. He corrected one of them with a birdie on 13 before falling back into fourth place after a bogey on 16.

The 18^th brought more fireworks. Cameron Smith carding a birdie on 18, all but shut the door on his challengers, hitting the magic number of -20 for the tournament, and a Sunday round of eight under par, just as Stenson had done in 2016 at Troon.

Epic finish. 👏

Cameron Young eagles his final hole to finish 19-under. #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/pLCj4hwVpB

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) July 17, 2022

Cameron Young striped his final tee shot of the tournament before a moment of chaos where he holed the putt for an eagle, taking him to -19 and a final round 65, after a bogey on his first hole of the day.

The love for Rory was apparent as he walked up the 18^th hole, knowing he needed an eagle 2 to force a playoff. He gave it a good go, but it was too little, too late.

Cameron Smith became the winner of the 150^th Open with a Sunday 64 that was deserving of the championship. Smith was on another level on Sunday. After birdieing holes 10 through to 14, he saved par on 17 with a putt around the famous greenside bunker before burying a snaking twelve-foot putt to keep him in the lead by one shot. A third debut major winner for the year, Smith has established himself as a world-class player and will certainly add further accolades in his career.

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by The Open (@theopen)

We did witness a duel on this hallowed turf at St. Andrews, but not the one expected.

The battle of the Cameron’s provided the entertainment at St. Andrews in 2022, Smith’s 64 to Young’s 65, a twelve under par 60 as their best ball effort. The duel came from the penultimate pairing, setting the standard that the leaders had to respond to. Five birdies in a row from Smith, a finishing eagle from Young, a combined five shots between them to complete the par four 18^th – it was a phenomenal Sunday.

But what more can we ask for?

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by The Open (@theopen)

After 72 holes, 156 golfers, a Sunday sea of birdies, and the ebb and flow of the changing momentum – it came down to the final shot on the final hole, as the fairway on 18 became a mass of humanity as fans wanted to get a glimpse of Rory as he lined up his eagle putt.

Rory’s final hole summarised his Sunday, a fine tee shot, solid approach, a missed birdie, and a tap-in par. Carding rounds of 66-68-66-70 and failing to capture the Claret Jug must be devastating. Despite the admiration he has received and the high quality of golf he had played all week, the emotion was clear on his face. All arrows pointed to a win here as he has become the spokesperson of the PGA Tour, on an incredible run of form, and has been trying to end his major drought for almost a decade.150th open

We wanted the fairytale story again. We wanted the bouncy-chested Rory to walk up the 18^th, waving to the crowd with a two-shot lead to round off a phenomenal year where has contended at almost every tournament he played. It wasn’t to be. He must keep trusting the process and hope that his efforts bear fruit soon enough. Golf is reportedly a game of inches, but today’s Major Sunday makes us wonder whether it is a game of fate after all.

Cover Image Via CNN