Australian Cameron Smith has held on for a stunning victory at the 2022 Players Championship to mark the biggest moment of his golf career.
Smith overcame several twists and turns – including putting his second shot in the water on the 18th – but showed incredible nerve to hold on for a stunning victory at golf’s richest tournament, which will see the Queenslander pocket $5,000,000.
Having been in the hunt all weekend, the world No. 10 flew into the lead early in the final round, notching five birdies over the first six holes to start the day at TPC Sawgrass.
His momentum would dwindle however, with three straight bogies at the turn leaving the door ajar for Paul Casey and Anirban Lahiri as the three shared the lead to start the back nine.
Smith would recover after the setback to finish the front nine, making birdies from 10 through to 14 to reclaim the outright lead.
Casey and Anirban remained in the chase however, and were given another glimpse when Smith hooked his drive on the 16th, forcing him to lay up on his approach. Yet he made no mistake once finding the green with his approach shot, saving for par to retain a two-shot lead.
Leading by two strokes heading into the iconic par 3 17th – viewed by many as golf’s deadliest hole – Smith showed incredible nerve – perhaps even recklessness – to go after the pin on the island green, which was tucked in against the water, and landed it within five feet, before draining another short-range putt for birdie.
It was undeniably the biggest moment of the tournament and at such a crucial stage. Although, the drama wouldn’t end there.
At the par-four 18th, where Smith had failed to find the fairway all weekend, he sprayed his drive into the trees on the right-hand side of the fairway, before his lay-up attempt to get out of trouble overran the fairway and plunged into the water.
With Lahiri two strokes back, Smith needed to put his next shot close, and made absolutely no mistake, dropping it within two feet and sinking the putt to bogey and drop one stroke.
He faced a nervous wait back in the clubhouse with Lahiri in the group behind and in position to make birdie and tie the lead after finding the centre of the fairway off his tee shot.
However, Lahiri left his approach shot short and to the right, leaving himself with a must-make chip-in to force a playoff that he was unable to execute, as he tapped in for par to claim second.
The win for Smith at golf’s ‘fifth major’ is the highlight of his professional golf career so far and marks his fifth PGA title.
“It’s huge. It’s going to take a while to sink in. It’s cool being here in Jacksonville, I call this place home,” Smith said after the victory.
“I feel as though one of these big ones was the next step for me. I’d knocked on the door a few times and felt like it was my time.
“I hit lots of quality shots, didn’t really back down and kept trying to make birdies.”