Cameron Smith wins rally to beat Rory McIlroy and wins British Open at St Andrews, #Cameron #Smith #rallies #beat #Rory #McIlroy #win #British #Open #Andrews Welcome to OLASMEDIA TV NEWSThis is what we have for you today:
St Andrews, Scotland – Cameron Smith made his way into history at the Old Course, a Sunday stunner in St Andrews that sent the Australian to his first major win by beating Rory McIlroy to win the British Open.
The stage was set for McIlroy to end his eight-year drought in the majors and cap off a week of celebration in golf’s hometown of the 150th Open.
Smith stole the show by making five consecutive birdies to start the back nine and deliver more clutching moments at the end. His 8-under 64 was a champion’s lowest last round in the 30 times the oldest golf champion has been played in St Andrews.
Smith won with one shot against Cameron Young, who puts a 15-foot eagle on the final hole. It wasn’t enough, and McIlroy couldn’t muster anything either.
He couldn’t make a putt early. He couldn’t get close enough late enough. His last good chance was a 15-foot birdie attempt at the creepy Road Hole at number 17, and he narrowly missed on the left.
Cameron Smith celebrates after setting the 18th green in the final round of the British Open golf championship at the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland, on Sunday, July 17, 2022.
Gerald Herbert / AP
Smith, who saved par on the 17th with a 10-foot putt, was out front on the 18th green with his tee shot. From 80 feet away, his pace up the slope and toward the cup was nearly perfect, leaving a tick-in birdie to finish at 20-under 268.
Smith equaled the major championship record, last achieved by Dustin Johnson at the 2020 Masters held in November.
McIlroy needed an eagle to tie him up, and his putt through the Valley of Sin didn’t stand a chance. He missed the birdie and finished with a 70 to finish third.
Smith is the first Australian to win at St Andrews since Kel Nagle in 1960, when he topped a rising American star named Arnold Palmer, the people’s choice.
That’s what McIlroy is now, and all day long there was an energy along the humps and hollows of the Old Course, all waiting to celebrate McIlroy as an Open champion in St Andrews.
He gave them little to cheer them up – two birdies, 16 par, more disappointment.