Beginning the day four strokes behind leaders Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland, Australian sensation Cameron Smith rode a final- round 64 to the title Champion Golfer of the Year as victor at the 150th Open Championship. Smith (-20) matched the lowest score to par in major championship history, and his 30 on the back nine Sunday was the lowest score across the final half of a round for any major champion.
Making amends for the disappointment of his third round, Smith was simply brilliant as he rediscovered the putting magic that first led him to the 36-hole lead. He scored eight birdies with no bogeys on Sunday, starting with a 34 on the front before going low on five consecutive holes from Nos. 10-14 as he took advantage of every scoring opportunity at the Old Course on his way to wrestling the lead away from McIlroy.
Despite the birdie barrage, it was a par save on the 17th that Smith may look back upon as the defining moment of his championship. Behind the Road Hole bunker in two, he utilized his greatest weapon — the putter — to get up and down on the most difficult hole at St. Andrews.
Taking the wind out of the sails of McIlroy, Smith became the first major champion in modern history to sign for two rounds of 64 or lower. His aggressive play cost him in the third round but was exactly 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.
