Cameron Smith holds on to win Players Championship on rollercoaster final day

This was almost worth the wait. On day five, the weather-delayed Players Championship delivered moments worthy of its tournament’s lofty status.

The last three holes of the eventual winner, Cameron Smith, summed up the dramatic nature of proceedings. The Australian snap-hooked a drive into pine straw at the 16th, from where he bravely saved par. His tee shot at the iconic 17th was incredible for its audacity, aimed right at a teasing pin on a green surrounded by a pond. As Smith converted a birdie putt from four feet, his three-shot lead meant this looked all over bar the shouting.

Wrongly, as it transpired. Smith totally miscued a chip out from more debris at the 18th, with his ball bounding, bounding, bounding into water. The Australian had to escape with a bogey at worst and did, courtesy of a sublime 60-yard chip that rested within tap-in range. Smith’s final 18 holes included 13 single putts.

India’s Anirban Lahari could only par the 72nd hole, and Smith was $3.6m (£2.77m) richer. His day was the epitome of a golfing rollercoaster. Smith birdied five of his first six holes, and subsequently slipped to three bogeys in a row. After 14, Smith had only made par twice. By close of play, he was signing for a 66 and 13-under-par aggregate.

Smith cut an emotional figure alongside his mother and sister, who as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic were attending a tournament from Australia for the first time in more than two years. Lahiri finished runner-up by one strike, denied what would have been a breakthrough win for Indian golf.

At one point in this final round, there was a five-way tie for the lead. Included in that group was Paul Casey, who later had cause to rue rotten luck. The Englishman’s drive at the 16th