Smith rides hot putter to Open Championship

TSN Senior Reporter

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Willie Park Jr., who won the Open Championship back in 1887, once said that a man who can putt is a match for anyone.

Clearly, that adage still holds true 141 years later as Cam Smith proved in winning the 150th edition of the Open Championship.

The Australian, known as much for his mullet as his putting, came from four shots off the pace to win the Open Championship, his four-round total of 20-under equaling the lowest score in relation to par in major championship history.

“I feel like I can breathe,” said Smith who joins Jack Nicklaus in winning the Open and the Players in the same year. “These last four or five holes aren't easy around here, especially with the wind up off the left. Yeah, just stuck to what I was doing. Just really proud of how I kind of knuckled down today and managed to get it done.”

While all parts of his game were working on Sunday, Smith used just 28 putts to get around the Old Course in 64 strokes to slip past favourite Rory McIlroy and hold off upstart Cameron Young to win the Claret Jug. His putter was especially hot on the back nine where he used it on the greens just nine times, making birdies on the first five holes. On six occasions, he needed just one putt to finish the hole. His score of 30 on the back nine was the lowest closing nine in Open Championship history.

He also utilized his putter from off the green on the rock-hard links at the Old Course and two of those may have been the most impressive shots of his week.

The first came on the 17th when he short-sided himself with his approach. Between his ball and the hole sat a deep hazard known as the Road Hole bunker. Ending up in there was a certain double bogey or worse so Smith elected to run