Cameron Smith survives late scare to win Gamers Championship

Australia’s Cameron Smith survived a late scare as he produced a rollercoaster remaining spherical of 66 to say victory on the Gamers Championship in dramatic model.

The 28-year-old discovered the water on the 18th gap at TPC Sawgrass as he carded 10 birdies and 4 bogeys to complete on 13 underneath par, however in a single day chief Anirban Lahiri was unable to make him pay because the three he wanted to take it to a play-off eluded him.

Smith finally landed the $3.6million – round £2.77million – prize cash, together with three-year exemptions to the Masters, US Open and the Open Championship, by a single shot with England’s Paul Casey, who had began the event with a triple bogey, an extra shot behind in third.

Requested how a lot confidence he had in his placing, the Australian stated: “That was most likely the large key right now, to be trustworthy. It saved me in it.

“I made loads of birdies. Needed to make a number of good par putts as effectively there on the finish. And yeah, it’s undoubtedly the power of my sport. Typically I perhaps lean on it an excessive amount of, but it surely’s good to see them go in.”

An emotional Smith was watched by his mom Sharon and sister Mel, who he had not seen for greater than two and a half years due to Covid journey restrictions.

He stated: “It’s actually cool to have them right here. My predominant precedence actually was simply to hang around with them and golf was second for these few weeks. It’s good to see them and good to get a win for them.”

Smith set the early tempo with birdies at 5 of the primary six holes to ascertain a two-shot lead at 12 underneath par, with Lahiri choosing up solely a single shot by way of 5.

Norwegian Viktor Hovlund, whose belated completion of his third spherical had included a hole-in-one on the eighth, picked up the place he had left off to go for the twelfth tee with 5 birdies having taken him to eight underneath.

Smith faltered with back-to-back bogeys on the seventh, eight and ninth holes and enjoying companion Casey, having reignited his problem with a birdie three at seven, reached the flip with a bogey and one other birdie to take a share of the lead on 9 underneath par.

Hovlund had slipped again to eight underneath with a 5 on the twelfth as Lahiri hooked his tee shot on the par three eighth and needed to take a drop, finally carding a double bogey.

Birdies on the tenth and eleventh holes noticed Keegan Bradley be part of Smith and Casey on the head of the sector as rain began to fall, and a 3 for Hovlund at 14 elevated the pack to 4, however Smith picked up photographs on the tenth and eleventh to guide from Casey and Bradley at 11 underneath.

Lahiri’s eagle three on 11 and a birdie for Casey at 12 noticed them be part of Smith briefly till the Australian holed out to retain his single-shot benefit, and he prolonged it to 2 when he dropped an 11-footer on the thirteenth inexperienced as Casey left a putt from related vary up.

Smith held his nerve on 14 to safe simply his second par of the spherical and that proved well timed as Bradley birdied the sixteenth to shut to inside a shot, and the chief wanted one other good up and down on the subsequent to remain forward.

He scrambled his option to one other par on the sixteenth having hooked his tee shot horribly, however Casey was unable to take benefit after his drive landed in an previous pitchmark in the midst of the golf green.

An excellent two on the seventeenth despatched Smith to remaining gap three photographs to the nice, though the alarm bells had been ringing when he discovered the water and Lahiri closed with a birdie at 17.

Nonetheless, an excellent pitch left him with a two-foot putt to flee with a bogey 5 and Lahiri might solely make a 4 to finish with a 69.

Earlier, Dustin Johnson had chipped in on the final to equal the course file of 63, whereas fellow American Russell Henley, who began on the again 9, had a day to recollect as he completed with a spherical of 68 which included an albatross two on the eleventh and an eagle three on the second.