British Open 2022: Leaderboard and latest scores, news as Cameron Smith chases glory
Cam Smith’s prospects of ending Australia’s 29-year drought at the British Open are in tatters following a disastrous third-round.
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Cameron Smith’s chances of winning the 150th British Open at St Andrews are hanging by a thread after a disastrous third round on Saturday.
After starting the day leading the tournament by two shots, Smith tumbled down the leaderboard to finish in joint third place, four strokes behind co-leaders Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland.
Smith’s 1-over-par 73 - which included a double-bogey on the 13th hole when he gambled on a high-risk shot that backfired - was nine shots worse than his 64 from Friday.
His prospects of ending Australia’s 29-year drought in the world’s oldest golf major are now slim but not impossible as four shots also represents the biggest comeback by any Claret Jug winner at the famous Old Course.
But he’ll need to turn things around quickly after a day when nothing went his way.
One of the best putters in professional golf, Smith struggled with his flat stick from the opening hole, missing a three-foot par putt on the first that halved his lead straight away.
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He needed just 28 putts in each of his first two rounds but took 35 on Saturday.
“It’s just one of those days unfortunately, the golfing gods weren’t with me,” Smith said.
“I felt that I hit lots of good putts but nothing was dropping in, quite the opposite to the first couple of days.
“I thought I stuck in there all day. It’s pretty frustrating because it’s probably the best I’ve struck the ball all week; I had lots of opportunities.”
It was Smith’s brain snap on the 13th that cost him the most.
After missing a string of golden opportunities to get the shot back, it wasn’t until he drove the green on the par-4 ninth that he finally got his first birdie of the day.
But when he missed two more birdie chances at the 10th and 11th holes his frustrations got the better of him on the 13th when he hit his tee shot to the fringe of a bunker and took a gamble that backfired spectacularly.
Instead of chipping the ball on to the middle of the fairway, Smith climbed into the bunker and went for broke, trying to hack the ball all the way to the green.
But instead, it went straight into deep rough and by the time he got it out and into the cup, he’d taken a double bogey.
“I thought I hit a perfect drive down there; it’s sort of a blind tee shot so I guess it got a bad kick and ended up where it was,” Smith said.
“It wasn’t my day; to get something like that after an already frustrating 11 or 12 holes.
“It’s always hard to back up a good round and to have one like that was frustrating, but it’ll definitely motivate me tomorrow.
“I love making birdies. I love making putts and that’s what I need to do out there. Stay aggressive. I’ll have a slightly different game plan off a couple of tees and try to make a ton of birdies.”
Smith did pull one shot back when he birdied the par-5 14th - one of the easiest holes on the famous Scottish links course - but he laid up on the 18th and missed another makeable birdie putt to leave himself with a mountain to climb after McIlroy and Hovland both shot matching 66s.
LOCAL FAVOURITE
McIlroy’s bid to end his eight-year drought in the majors came alive when he holed a bunker shot on the par-4 10th for eagle.
“I was just trying to get it somewhat close,” the Northern Irishman said.
“It just came out perfectly. I think it was the first bunker I put it in this week and it was a nice result.
“You need a little bit of luck every now and again, especially in these big tournaments. And that was a nice bonus.”
McIlroy also made three birdies on the front nine and another two on the back but dropped a shot on the famous Road Hole when he hit into the stone wall, but birdied the last to finish at 16-under.
“I’m trying to play with discipline. I’m trying to play the percentages. Where they’ve put some of these pin positions this week, it’s about playing away from them, taking your 30-footer, knowing that par is a good score on a lot of holes,” he said
“And then it’s about taking advantage of the birdie holes the drivable par-4s and par-5s. And that’s been the key to this week and it will be the key to tomorrow as well.
YOUNG GUN
Hovland lived up to the hype around him as one of the sport’s rising stars.
The 24-year-old reeled off four birdies in a row from the third hole to lead by two shots at 14-under before matching McIlroy’s birdie on the last to fish all square.
Aiming to become the first Norwegian to win a golf major he said St Andrews would be a dream place to do it.
“I don’t think there’s any other place that would top it,” he said.
“Growing up in Norway, I always watched The Open Championship for way longer than I ever did, for example, the Masters.
“To win a major that’s closest to home, that would be really cool.”
Coming from a country better known for prodigy winter sports athletes, Hovland said he was still coming to grips with his success.
“I was thinking what the hell am I doing here? “ he said.
“It’s pretty crazy from where I grew up and so far away from playing the PGA Tour, European Tour, for that matter major championships. Just to be here is very special, but to have a chance to win one is -- have to pinch myself.
“The support I’ve been seeing the last couple of years in Norway has been really cool because we’ve always been kind of a winter nation and done well in the Olympics. We have a lot of great athletes, but I think now, not just in golf, but in tennis and football, a lot of different sports, there’s a bunch of Norwegian athletes coming up in summer sports as well.
“I’ve always done cross-country skiing and alpine skiing, but I haven’t done it that much in the last decade or so. I don’t think you’re truly a Norwegian if you don’t ski at all. We usually joke around saying we’re born with two skis on our feet. So I’ve done a little bit.”
BIRTHDAY BOY
Adam Scott, who celebrated his 42nd birthday at the course, shot a 70 to head into the last round as the second best-placed Aussie, tied for eighth at 9-under, and needing to go for broke after falling seven behind the leaders.
“I just didn’t hit good enough shots early on. Just a hair off,” Scott said.
“It just didn’t go the way I needed it to go the first seven holes. That has to change if I want to dream of playing with anything on the line on the back nine.
“If it’s possible to attack a couple of pins, maybe attack a couple pins and have a bit of fun and try and shoot 6- or 7-under on the front nine and put myself in the mix with nine to go.”
Min Woo Lee was among three Australians to finish at 5-under, but questioned some of the pin positions, saying they were unfair.
“Some of those pins were a bit funky and tricky, but you’re at a major, you expect that,” he said.
“Some of them were kind of questionable, but it is what it is. Some people liked it. Some people didn’t like it. It’s fine.
“Even if you’re in the right position, you need to hit like a miraculous shot to get it somewhat close. There’s some shots out there that it was just tough. It rolls out too much.”
LEADERBOARD AFTER THIRD ROUND
200 - Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) - 66-68-66
200 - Viktor Hovland (Norway) - 68-66-66
204- Cameron Smith (Australia) - 67-64-73
204 - Cameron Young (US) - 64-69-71
205 - Scottie Scheffler (US) - 68-68-69
205 - Si Woo Kim (South Korea) - 69-69-67
206 - Dustin Johnson (US) - 68-67-71
207 - Adam Scott (Australia) - 72-65-70
207- Tommy Fleetwood (England) - 72-69-66
207 - Matt Fitzpatrick (England) - 72-69-66
Other Australians
211 - Min Woo Lee (Australia) - 69-69-73
211 - Lucas Herbert (Australia) - 70-68-73
211 - Anthony Quayle (Australia) - 74-69-68
212 - Brad Kennedy (Australia) - 68-72-72
214 - Jason Scrivener (Australia) - 72-71-71
The Australian tee times (AEST) for Sunday’s final round
Jason Scrivener - 18.40
Brad Kennedy - 20.20
Min Woo Lee - 20.55
Lucas Herbert - 21.05
Anthony Quayle - 21.35
Adam Scott - 23.10
Cameron Smith - 23.40
SECOND ROUND: FLAWLESS SMITH NEARS TRIUMPH
Australia’s Cameron Smith is halfway to winning the greatest prize in golfing history after an astonishing performance at the 150th British Open on Friday.
Golf is such a fickle game that no-one is counting their chickens yet - especially as there’s still 36 holes to play - so Smith is guaranteed nothing yet.
But if form counts for anything, the Queenslander is in the driver’s seat heading into the last two rounds because has hasn’t put a foot wrong so far,
On Friday, he shot a flawless second round of 64 - just one off the all-time low score at St Andrews, the spiritual home of golf.
He made six birdies, including one on each of the first three holes, plus an eagle on the par-5 14th. He didn’t drop a single shot.
Following on from his opening round of 67, Smith is 13-under par at the halfway point - which is the record low total at the famous Old Course in Scotland.
St Andrews is renowned as a frontrunner’s course so history is on Smith’s side, but he’s not taking anything for granted and nor should he.
“It’s just exciting to be leading the open after a couple of days,” Smith said.
“I think the experience is going to be really cool. There’s a lot of Aussies in the crowd.
“I’ve had a lot of support the first couple of days and really can’t wait for the next couple.”
Smith has a two-shot lead over his nearest rival - American Cameron Young - who led after the first round and got to 11-under with a second round 69. They will play together in the last pairing on Saturday.
But there are plenty of great players nipping at their heels.
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, the pre-tournament favourite, is at 10-under, just three behind Smith. He will play in the second last group with Norway’s Viktor Hovland, who eagled the par-4 15th to finish level with McIlroy.
Two-time major winner Dustin Johnson, one of 23 players in the tournament who have signed with the Saudi-backed LIV series, finished at 9-under after a 67. He will play with Masters champion and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, desperate to win because he’s unsure whether he’ll be able to play the championship again.
“It’s a great tournament,” Johnson said.
“Obviously if you look at the history of it, it’s a golf tournament that I would love to have.
“It’s a trophy I would love to have in the office when I’m done with my golf career.”
Ranked sixth in the world, Smith came into the British Open as one of the favourites after winning this year’s Players’ Championship in Florida though he credits his third place finish at the Masters - when his chances of winning disappeared when he found the water at Amen Corner - for teaching him the importance of taking his time and staying calm.
“I’m a really impatient person. Everyone that knows me hates me for it,” Smith said.
“So I have to try my best out there to be really patient, with the pace of play, and with the golf course as well.
“It’s obviously a really good spot to be in. I feel like I’ve been in this spot a lot over the past couple of years, and things just haven’t quite gone my way yet.
“I’ve just got to be really patient over the weekend. I think the golf course is going to get a lot harder and a lot faster. So just be patient and make good putts.”
Could the drought be about to end?
Is one of the longest droughts in Australia’s great golfing history on the verge of ending?
It’s been 29 years since an Australian last won the men’s British Open.
That was Greg Norman at Royal St George’s in 1993.
But the last Australian winner of the Claret Jug winner at St Andrews, the home of golf, was 62 years ago when Kel Nagle won the Centenary edition.
This year’s edition - the 150th - is the most significant milestone since then and the stars are aligning.
Not only is Cameron Smith leading the tournament at the halfway stage but seven Aussies have made the cut and four of them - Smith, Adam Scott, Min Woo Lee and Lucas Herbert - are in the top 12 heading into the weekend.
“I think we’re all brought up to be smart golfers, hit away from the pin sometimes. And that really serves us well in big tournaments and when the conditions get tough,” Smith said.
“I think you have to play smart golf. You have to play away from the pin around here. I think a lot of sandbelt golfers like that, using slopes to your advantage, sometimes having a big curling putt is your best option.
“I think the Aussies will do good this week as it gets firmer and faster.”
Brad Kennedy, Jason Scrivener and Anthony Quayle all made the cut at the British Open for the first time.
“I was just trying to get through the day,” Kennedy said.
“There were certainly some couple of things floating in my head, but I had to dig deep and managed to dig deep.
“I think tonight I’ll have a cold drink and just sort of understand what a place like this is, but at the end of the day I’ve still got a job to do. I’ve got 36 holes. Sure, I’m a fair way back, but this place can do anything.
“The key for me around any tournament I’m playing now is to how far can I push myself mentally to be able to hit the shots that are required to play under pressure and felt like I’ve probably taken another step this week.”
Scott cuts loose to surge into Open contention
Adam Scott stormed back into contention at the 150th British Open after a flawless second round at St Andrews on Friday.
Needing to shoot a super low score to get back in the hunt after battling his way to an even-par 72 in his opening round, Scott did exactly that — and more.
Teeing off early when conditions at the Scottish links were near perfect, the only Australian to win the Masters cashed in big, carding a stunning 7-under 65 to charge up the leaderboard.
“That’s what I needed,” Scott said. “I’m really pleased with that. I did a lot of good stuff out there so hopefully more of that on the weekend.”
One of the best tee-to-green players in golf, Scott’s fortunes almost always rely on his putting and his flat blade was running hot when it mattered.
With overnight rain softening the greens and just a light breeze blowing in from the North Sea, Scott was able to attack the pins rather than play risky bump and run golf.
“The greens were slowing up,” Scott said. “It’s quite incredible, just that little bit of rain and the sun hadn’t even really come out and they were looking so much greener.
“They’re probably going to get a little slow for the guys this afternoon, which is a bit of an adjustment. My putting was great and it’s been generally great this year.
“So I want to keep that going over the weekend. The big thing is when you hole a couple of long ones like I did today, it’s so good for the momentum out there because it’s so hard to hit them close. And 40 feet can be good shots. And when a couple of those go in, it can really set you up for a good day.”
Unlike his opening round where he stumbled out of the gates with a double bogey and two bogeys from his first six holes, Scott didn’t make any catastrophic mistakes second time around.
He made seven birdies and not a single bogey.
He got himself in the red numbers for the first time when he birdied the third then picked up another stroke at the long par-5 fifth, one of the easiest holes on the Old Course.
His accuracy with the irons paid off when he reeled off three birdies in a row around the turn including a tap-in at the par-4 10th when he drove the green and came within a whisker of making eagle.
“I think my striking was solid enough. Of course, I’d love to absolutely stripe it a bit more over the weekend but really my putting was very, very good,” Scott said.
“So you’ve got to lean on that around here. I’ve heard a lot of people say the guy who wins here is the leader of putting so hopefully I’m up there and trending.”
Out in 33, he came back in 32, narrowly missing an eagle putt at the final hole that would have equalled his lowest score at a British Open, the 64 he made at Royal Lytham and St Annes in 2012.
That was the same year Scott nearly won the Claret Jug.
He led the championship by four shots with four holes to play but bogeyed them all and lost to Ernie Els by a single shot.
Scott rebounded from that heartbreaking disappointment however to become the first Australian to wear the coveted green jacket, famously winning the Masters at Augusta National the next year.
“You don’t need much extra motivation at an Open Championship but anytime I think about letting one slip through my hands, it hurts,” Scott said.
“It would be exciting if I shot a really great round to tee off with a legitimate feeling that I’m in contention, not only for the fact that I haven’t really been in that position for a major for a little while, but also for the fact that I’ve had one hand on this jug and I’d like to put two on.”
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