Starting the day four shots behind leaders Rory McIlroy and Victor Hovland, Australian sensation Cameron Smith cruised to a final-round 64 to be crowned Champion Golfer of the Year as winner of the 150th Open Championship. Smith (-20) matched the lowest score in major championship history, and his 30 on the back nine Sunday was the lowest score in the back half of a round by any major.
Making amends for the disappointment of his third round, Smith was nothing short of brilliant as he rediscovered the putting magic that took him to a 36-hole lead. He carded eight bogey-free birdies on Sunday, opening with a 34 before going low on five consecutive holes from Nos. 10-14 as he took advantage of every scoring opportunity on the Old Course on his way to fighting for the lead from McIlroy .
Despite the birdie barrage, the save on the 17th was par, which Smith can look back on as a defining moment of his championship. Behind the Road Hole bunker in two, he used his greatest weapon — the putter — to get up and down the toughest hole at St. Andrews.
Taking the wind out of McIlroy’s sails, Smith became the first major champion in modern history to post two rounds of 64 or less. His aggressive play cost him in the third round, but it was what propelled him to victory on Sunday as he joined Jack Nicklaus (1978) as the only men to win the Players Championship and The Open in the same year.
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