Great golfers are aware that sooner or later they must pay for their endowments with a decline in performance that relegates them to the field, where lesser mortals toil. On Saturday, Cameron Smith found himself in Gethsemane, but he was determined to avoid suffering there on Sunday. And so it transpired. At last, redemption and acclamation.
What a fantastic victory it was, fashioned from strong, long drives in mostly steady air, shrewd selection of landing areas with his laser-like irons, and quite stunning putting, his sword, and shield, for an eight-under-par 64 to go along with rounds of 67, 64, and 73 for a total of 268.
Rory McIlroy, who led alone from the fourth to the twelfth hole before the Australian overtook him, was caught and then devoured by five consecutive birdies on the back nine (among eight for the day). It rendered the audience speechless and the Northern Irishman desolate. The Mullet King can surely now afford a haircut and shave. Perhaps he will not bother. He is unquestionably his own man.
The flat stick is the most volatile of the 14 permitted clubs, but not for Smith, who is typically unnervingly calm from a distance. He struggled against the course and his own game on the third day, shooting 73 with only two birdies, a double bogey, and a bogey, after rounds of 67 and 64. This placed him four strokes behind McIlroy and Hovland.
Smith desired greater consistency at this year’s Masters when he bookended eight birdies on the first day with two double bogeys and finished with a 68. That is unconventional golf by any definition. Gary Player did not let this deter him from hailing him as “one hell of a putter” in his signature chummy tone. Indeed, he is the best in the world, according to a consensus of experts.
Smith pushed his initial opportunity for a birdie from 30 feet wide, but the conditions could not have been more favorable: virtually windless and slightly softer on the ground after a refreshing rain. On the second hole, Smith made his first birdie from eight feet. He needed to play aggressively off the tee and fairway to reduce the distance, but he could not afford an Augusta-sized blunder.
Cameron Young joined him at 13 under par on the fourth hole, as the pressure within and without their bubble increased. They both carded a birdie on the fifth hole: Young with a tap-in after attempting a monstrous eagle; Smith, similarly, after hitting his initial putt to within a foot of 88 feet. Two strokes separated them from the lead before McIlroy’s first birdie of the day put him at 17 under par.
On these exceptionally huge shared greens, Smith continued to lag like a king. On the sixth hole, he covered at least two cricket pitches for a par putt of one foot. Getting the initial attempt that near requires as much judgment and skill as a microdrive, if you will.
When he missed a 12-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole that he would have made on either of the first two days, a sensation of tension descended upon his shoulders, and the early sense of optimism and possibilities evaporated momentarily. It did not last long. Three shots behind McIlroy, he stepped up his assault against devilishly placed pins on undulating greens.
Then, Smith and Young made their move on the tenth hole, reducing the deficit to two strokes with rock-solid birdies that infused the closing charge with a great deal of energy despite the overcast conditions. McIlroy responded with a birdie on the hole behind him when the Australian wizard made a 16-foot putt on the difficult par-three 11th to inch closer. The Australian’s elation lasted less than a minute, as McIlroy responded with a birdie on the hole behind him.
There was never a moment to turn away from the enthralling drama, whose conclusion remained uncertain. After Dustin Johnson missed a birdie opportunity on hole 14, there were at least four different outcomes with seven and eight holes remaining for the leaders.
Smith posed a clear danger, as his putter sliced through the air and atmosphere like a hot knife through butterscotch. He uttered an audible “aargh!” as a lengthy, challenging eagle effort over a hump on 12 failed. However, a fourth consecutive birdie from 13 feet on hole 13 tied him with McIlroy, who missed a birdie opportunity on hole 12.
On the fourteenth, the man with the common name and uncommon skills ate up the majority of the 614-yard hole in two mighty swats, then tapped in his fifth consecutive birdie – his best of the day, after a stunning eagle attempt of 87 feet, unsighted, from the far side of the enormous green over another hill. Nick Faldo remarked, “That was a wonderful touch.”
The crown was up for grabs for Smith. McIlroy was in neutral with four holes remaining, hoping for a break. Young, a traveling companion for the majority of the weekend, was visible in Smith’s rearview mirror, but he remained threatening. Hovland had lost control of his bicycle further along the road.
On the Road Hole, Smith elected to putt perilously past the greenside bunker, skirting over a sheer drop into the sand, and positioned it neatly in front of the flag for par. Laura Davies observed, “If he goes on to win, that was the greatest two-putt of his life” after he made a 10-foot par putt for par.
And then, the finale to end all climaxes: Young appeared from nowhere to eagle the 18th and tie his namesake, followed by Smith’s straightforward birdie to seal the victory.
On hole 18, McIlroy needs an eagle to trigger a playoff. This Sunday, though, there were only so many miracles available.
