The Open 2022: Aussie golf icon's ashes scattered on 18th green hours prior to Cameron Smith's victory
Serendipity for Smith after Aussie icon's ashes scattered
Peter Thomson was a five-time winner of the Claret Jug, and his memory will forever live on at The Old Course.
Just hours before Cameron Smith would become the first Australian to win The Open in nearly three decades, Andrew Thomson spread his father's ashes on the 18th green.
After retiring form professional golf, Thomson became one of the most prolific course designers in the world.
He died in 2018 after a battle with Parkinson's disease.
The second of Peter's five Open victories came at The Old Course by two strokes in 1955. His first prize was £1000.
Back then, the first two rounds were played on Wednesday and Thursday, and the final two crammed into Friday.
After Smith's round, Andrew Thomson tweeted: "At 6.45am this morning I scattered my father's ashes on the 18th green of the Old Course. 12 hours later an Australian wins The Open. Cam Smith, Champion Golfer of the Year. Champagne golf."
Cameron Smith's second shot on the 18th hole was a putt from just off the green.
It was arguably the biggest putt he had all day. He stuck it to two feet, and rolled in his third for birdie to win the tournament.
Thomson's other Open victories came at Royal Birkdale (1954, 1965), Royal Liverpool (1956) and Royal Lytham & St Annes (1958).
His win at Royal Lytham & St Annes was the seventh consecutive year Thomson had finished in the top-two at The Open.
Shot 268
This little two-foot putt on the 18th was worth one on the scorecard, but meant so much more than that.
It marked Smith as the first Aussie to win The Open in 29 years.
Magical touch
Smith's tee shot on 18 finished just short of the green.
Ideally, he would've wanted it to have ended up on the green, or a bit further back to allow him to play more of a conventional chip shot.
What he was left with was a long, uphill, hugely breaking putt ... that he rolled to two foot.
This image shows just how high Smith had to aim the putt to give it a chance to get to the hole.
His putting in the fourth round won him The Open. Rory McIlroy hit all 18 greens in regulation and didn't make a bogey all day. But he also couldn't sink a putt.
Smith could.
The spoils of victory
Cameron Smith poses in front of The Royal & Ancient Clubhouse, which overlooks the first tee of The Old Course.
The main scoreboard on the 18th hole
The main scoreboard, which overlooked 18th green and first tee, congratulates Cam Smith on winning The Open.
The scoreboard sat atop the temporary grandstand in front of the Hamilton Grand.
The 2023 Open will be played at Royal Liverpool.
In the presence of greatness
Cameron Smith's name has already been engraved on The Claret Jug.
Peter Thomson's first Open win at Royal Birkdale can be seen at the bottom of the upper level.
Drawing the short straw
It wasn't all smooth sailing for Smith. A couple of his drives found the rough, but he was good enough to make par after all of them.
Flat stick talking
Alongside the 14th fairway is this gargantuan corporate stand.
Fans in those suites had sweeping views of several holes, and here they were watching Smith on the fourth green.
Moment that left Aussie Smith fuming
Cameron Smith stepped into a fairway bunker about three feet below his ball, which was perched precariously on the lip of the trap.
The Australian had seen his overnight lead disappear in a frustrating third round at the British Open and here he was on 13th hole of the Old Course with a big decision to make.
Play it safe and somehow get the ball back in play. Or go for the bold shot that had danger all over it.
He chose the wrong option.
Reaching up and out of the bunker with his iron, Smith skimmed a low, ugly shot about 100 yards into a heather bush and swung his club in anger. Then he hacked out into more rough on a bank in front of the green, and failed to get up and down.
A double-bogey 6 was the low point of a round that ended on No. 18 like so many holes did for the man with perhaps the most famous haircut in golf — Smith leaning over in anguish after missing a birdie putt.
He began Saturday with a two-shot lead, the lowest 36-hole total in a British Open at St Andrews, and in a strong position for a run at a first major title.
He ended it four behind Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland, and with plenty of regrets after his 1-over 73 that left him tied for third place at 12 under.
"It wasn't my day," Smith said, "to get something like that (on No. 13) after an already frustrating 11 or 12 holes."
- AP
