ST ANDREWS: Accidents are not unknown at the famous Road Hole 17th hole at the Old Course at St. Andrews, but Cameron Smith having moved into a cruise on the back nine at the 150th Open, negotiated it very well to come home unscathed, and with the Claret Jug. He added the Open to go with the PLAYERS Championships, which he won earlier this year. Smith finished the final round at 64, the best of the day, and a total of 20-under. Cameron Young (65) was second at 19-under and Rory McIllroy moving out of the sixties for the first time this week shot 70 for 18-under.
Smith, the Australian with a mullet, landed his second shot to a scary position less than 10 feet away from the road hole, which was exactly in between the ball and the flag. He literally putted around the dreaded bunker and reached within 10 feet. There was no doubt about where the ball was going from there and the putt was just for a par but it was probably the most important part of the week.
Only the 18th, which has been benevolent all through this week, was left between him and the Claret Jug. Smith landed his tee shot on 18th to just under 80 feet. Putting brilliantly as he has through most of the tournament, Smith's first putt came within a yard (three feet) and he nonchalantly knocked it home to get 20-under.
It was not as if McIlroy was not playing well, it was simply a case of Smith going full throttle with the mission of adding the 150th Open to the PLAYERS championship, where he was locked in a stunning battle with India's Anirban Lahiri. McIllroy was good for most part of the final, but on this day when Smith was brilliant, good was not enough. At the end McIlroy was left as much a bystander as the crowds. After getting to 18-under on the 10th with a birdie following a great approach, McIllroy's machine simply stalled.
The putts stopped agonizingly short or slid past on either side of the cup. They kissed and missed, but just did not. He stayed at 18-under through the tape. Cameron Young, who seemed to be playing in the shadow of Smith's brilliance on Sunday and McIlroy's massive reputation, moved from 12-un- der to 14-under on the front nine and then added a superb 5-under back nine where the icing on the cake was the eagle on the Par-4 18th. He landed his tee shot to 17 feet and holed the putt and jumped from 17-under to 19-under and left McIllroy stranded at 18-under.
