Cameron Smith will head for his defence of the Open Championship fresh from victory after seeing off the spirited challenge of Patrick Reed to claim LIV Golf’s tournament at Centurion. Smith’s next start will be the final major of the year, which tees off at Royal Liverpool on Thursday week.
Having witnessed sellout weekend crowds on their return to England, LIV executives have cause to revel in their return to Hertfordshire. Smith, too, continues to justify what was a controversial switch to the breakaway tour in the immediate aftermath of lifting the Claret Jug at St Andrews last July.
Smith will collect $4m for his efforts but, more important, impetus heading to Hoylake. His margin of victory was one, at 15 under par, after a 68 on Sunday. “I’m thrilled,” Smith said. “It gives me a shot of confidence, absolutely. This was a gutsy win. Over the weekend I didn’t have my best stuff with the driver, which had actually been feeling really good. So I still have some work to do on that but I am really happy to get the win.”
Interestingly, Smith also conceded an element of “mixed emotion” after his LIV team, Ripper, fell one shy of 4Aces. Perhaps the much-ridiculed team concept really is capturing attention after all.
Smith had started day three with a three-shot lead from Marc Leishman and Louis Oosthuizen. Yet Reed soon came rampaging through the pack, his six back-nine birdies contributing to a 65. He was within one of Smith before the Australian holed out for a crucial birdie two at the 17th to allow himself closing-hole breathing space. Smith’s dropped shot at 18 was irrelevant. Leishman, playing alongside Smith, birdied the last to share second with Reed at 14 under. Oosthuizen claimed fourth at minus 12, two clear of Dustin Johnson.
Matt Wolff, who had been vehemently criticised by his LIV teammate Brooks Koepka before a ball was struck, completed a miserable few days with a seven-over-par 78. After Paul Casey withdrew during the final round, Wolff finished last in the remaining field of 47.
On the DP World Tour, Nacho Elvira, Kalle Samooja and Marc Warren earned spots in the Open with their finishes at the Made in HimmerLand tournament in Denmark. Rasmus Højgaard boosted his hopes of a Ryder Cup debut in September with victory over Elvira at the sixth playoff hole.
