July 18, (THEWILL) – Tiger Woods’ Old Course Open record was surpassed by one shot on Sunday, as Cameron Smith, who came from four strokes down, shocked Rory McIlroy to win the 150th Open Championship.
Beginning the final round on the Old Course at St. Andrews, McIlroy and fellow overnight leader Viktor Hovland were four shots ahead of Smith and the pursuing group. McIlroy seemed poised to end an eight-year major drought for much of the round, but Players winner Smith unleashed a scorching run on the back nine to score a surprising victory.
After 36 holes, Smith led the entire field thanks to a five-birdie spree from holes 10 through 14 and broke Woods’ Old Course record by one shot with an incredible par on 17 from what appeared to be an impossible position, and a birdie on 18 gave him a bogey-free 64 for a final score of 20-under.
Along with Henrik Stenson, who shot 20-under at Troon in 2016, Smith now shares the Open Championship 72-hole record as a result of his performance.
Cameron Young’s eagle on the 18th put McIlroy in third position with 18 under, therefore he was unable to even claim second place.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
