Records shattered as Aussie claims $2m payday

2 years ago 414

No 1 ever finished a PGA Tour lawsuit much shots nether par than Cameron Smith, and helium needed each 1 of them to outlast Jon Rahm and triumph the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

In the champion scoring conditions Kapalua has seen successful the 24 times it has hosted the winners-only commencement to the caller year, Smith was relentless each the time down to the 3-foot birdie putt helium made connected the 18th spread for an 8-under 65 and a one-shot victory.

Smith finished astatine 34-under 258, a tourney grounds by 3 shots. Ernie Els won astatine 31 nether successful 2003, and that was the PGA Tour grounds for shots nether par.

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Three players bushed that successful this surreal week connected the occidental borderline of Maui.

"Unreal round," Smith said. "Something I'll ne'er forget."

Not lone did helium smash the record, the Australian went toe-to-toe with the No.1 subordinate successful the satellite connected the play and pipped him by a azygous shot.

Cameron Smith celebrates with the trophy aft winning the Sentry Tournament of Champions astatine the Plantation Course astatine Kapalua Golf Club. (Getty)

Rahm, playing for the archetypal clip since October 15, did each helium could and Smith ne'er gave him an opening. They started the last circular tied for the lead. Smith pulled up with a 4-foot birdie putt connected No.4 and a 20-foot birdie putt connected the par-3 eighth.

Rahm closed wrong 1 changeable with a 15-foot birdie connected the 11th.

They matched birdies and pars connected the aforesaid holes the remainder of the way. Rahm closed with a 66 to decorativeness astatine 33-under 259.

"I person each crushed to beryllium smiling," Rahm said astir his score. "It's a bittersweet moment."

Matt Jones of Australia tried to articulation the race, holing retired for eagle connected the 13th, making a 4-foot eagle putt connected the 15th and holing a 50-foot birdie putt connected the 17th. A last birdie allowed Jones to necktie the Plantation people grounds astatine 61 — Justin Thomas and Rahm each changeable 61 connected Saturday — to decorativeness third.

He was astatine 32-under 260.

Until this week, lone 3 players had ever finished a 72-hole lawsuit astatine 30 nether oregon little — Els successful 2003, Jordan Spieth astatine Kapalua successful 2016 and Dustin Johnson astatine rain-soaked Liberty National successful 2020.

Cameron Smith of Australia reacts aft making his putt to triumph the Sentry Tournament of Champions astatine the Plantation Course astatine Kapalua Golf Club. (Getty)

And past 3 players topped that successful this week of lukewarm and nary wind, on with a brushed play people from dense rainfall earlier the strongest tract arrived. The greens were brushed and rolled smooth. There was nary stopping them.

Smith picked up his 4th PGA Tour triumph — 2 were squad titles successful New Orleans — and became the sixth subordinate to person won astatine some Hawaii stops connected the PGA Tour. He won the Sony Open successful Honolulu 2 years agone successful a playoff.

Rahm easy kept his No.1 ranking and did small incorrect successful his instrumentality from the longest interruption of his nonrecreational career. He had a 20-foot birdie putt to necktie for the pb connected the 17th, his past bully accidental to drawback Smith, that narrowly missed.

On the par-5 closing hole, Smith came up conscionable abbreviated of the green. His putt from 90 feet slowed to a halt astir 3 feet from the hole. That meant Rahm had nary prime but to spread a 50-foot eagle putt from conscionable disconnected the green, and it conscionable missed connected the precocious side.

The erstwhile grounds for debased people to par without winning was Bryson DeChambeau, who finished astatine 27 nether successful the BMW Championship astatine Caves Valley past twelvemonth and mislaid to Patrick Cantlay successful a playoff.

Cantlay, playing for the archetypal clip since the Ryder Cup, closed with a 67 to decorativeness astatine 26-under par. That was lone bully for 4th spot this week.

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