Cam Smith picks up first major title in the 2022 Open championship and ties a golf record, plus more on Sunday's final round and the leaderboard.
2022 British Open: Cam Smith wins and ties major scoring record
Australian sensation Cameron Smith played an incredible final round, rallying to catch Rory McIlroy and the rest of the leaders for a comeback victory, Fox reported.
Going into the fourth round of the open championship on Sunday, Cam Smith was four strokes off the lead, behind leaders Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland. Smith played brilliantly thereafter, scoring eight birdies with no bogeys, beginning with a 34 on the front, then going low on five consecutive holes, taking advantage of every scoring opportunity, CBSSports reported. Five of the birdies were consecutive from 10 to 14, per Sporting News.
A par save on the 17th became a defining play of Smith's victory. However, it was his putting magic that made all the difference. Behind the Road Hole bunker in two, he putted his way through the most difficult hole at Saint Andrews.
Smith also set a record by becoming the first major champion in modern history to sign for two rounds of 64 or lower. And although his aggressive play cost him in the third round, at the same time, it propelled him to victory.
In 1978, Jack Nicklaus became the only man to win the Players Championship and The Open in the same year. But with his win on Sunday, Smith now joins Nicklaus with that record-setting distinction.
British Open Leaderboard
1st. Cameron Smith (-20).
2nd. Cameron Young (-19). The 33-year-old world No. 2 must wait to once again win one of golf’s greatest prizes.
3rd. Rory McIlroy (-18). For the first time in eight years, McIlroy held a 54-hole lead but ultimately fell two strokes behind. McIlroy became the only player in 2022 to finish inside the top 10 of each major championship.
Tie for 4th. Viktor Hovland and Tommy Fleetwood (-14). Hovland fell from being the overnight joint leader, but it still marks his first top-10 finish in a major championship.
Tie for 6th. Dustin Johnson and Brian Harman (-13)
Tie for 8th. Bryson DeChambeau, Jordan Spieth, and Patrick Cantlay (-12)
Tie for 15th. Xander Schauffele, Adam Scott, Francesco Molinari, and three others (-10)
Tie for 21st. Shane Lowry, Matt Fitzpatrick, Scottie Scheffler, and four others (-9)
Tie for 28th. Will Zalatoris, Tony Finau, Corey Conners, and three others (-8)