MIAMI (AFP) – Australia’s Cameron Smith charged to victory on the PGA Tour’s weather-disrupted Players Championship on Monday (March 14), carding a closing six-under 66 to win by one shot.
The 28-year-old Queenslander roared into competition on a congested ultimate day at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida with 5 birdies in his opening six holes.
It was Smith’s second victory of 2022 following victory on the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii in January, and was made even sweeter by the presence of his mom Sharon and sister Mel to witness the victory.
Smith mentioned he had not seen his household for greater than two years till just lately because of Covid-19 journey restrictions.
“It’s really cool to have them here,” Smith mentioned, his voice cracking with emotion. “My primary precedence was simply to hang around with them.
“Golf was second for these few weeks, so it’s nice to see them and nice to get a win for them.”
Smith’s ultimate spherical 66 left him on 13 beneath 265, one forward of India’s Anirban Lahiri, who shot a closing 69. England’s Paul Casey was third on 11 beneath whereas Kevin Kisner was fourth on 10 beneath.
Weather disruption that worn out swathes of play on Thursday and Friday meant the ultimate spherical was solely accomplished early Monday, with Smith two adrift of Lahiri, the 54-hole chief on 9 beneath.
Smith’s ultimate spherical acquired off to a flying begin, with a 38-foot birdie putt on the primary to maneuver to inside one of many lead.
Another birdie on the second gave him a share of the lead, earlier than he took sole possession of the highest of the leaderboard with a 3rd straight birdie on the third.
He went two clear along with his fourth birdie on the fourth.
Another birdie putt from 10 ft on the sixth gap preserved his two-shot benefit earlier than three straight bogeys on the seventh, eighth and ninth holes allowed England’s Paul Casey and Keegan Bradley to affix him on the high of the leaderboard.
But Smith then responded with a sensational begin to the again 9 which mirrored the beginning of his spherical, making 4 straight birdies on the tenth, eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth to regain a two-shot lead.
There was a wobble on the par-five sixteenth when his tee-shot flew into the timber flanking the left hand fringe of the golf green. But he recovered brilliantly to make par.
Then on the enduring par-three seventeenth, Smith bravely blasted a 9 iron to 4 ft for a birdie which left him three pictures clear heading to the 18th.
Yet there threatened to be a plot twist on the final, when one other wayward tee shot left him within the tough amongst the timber.
An try to chip safely onto the golf green led to catastrophe when the Australian’s ball rolled into the water forcing him to drop.
But as soon as once more Smith’s iron play got here to the rescue.
He stroked a fourth shot to 4 ft, leaving him with a simple bogey putt to restrict the injury.
Lahiri in the meantime, who had closed to inside one of many lead after a birdie of his personal on the seventeenth, then didn’t chip in from 41 ft on the final to go away Smith alone on the high of the leaderboard and celebrating a US$3.6 million payday.
The post Golf: Smith’s birdie blitz clinches weather-hit Players win first appeared on Umorr.
