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Cameron Smith claimed the most important win of his profession – and the most important payday in golf – as a Gamers Championship that featured storm delays and close to freezing temperatures concluded in heat sunshine at TPC Sawgrass on Monday.
The 28-year-old Australian secured the PGA Tour’s flagship occasion – and the $3.6m first prize – with a closing 66 for a 13-under whole, ending one shot forward of India’s Anirban Lahiri, with Paul Casey carding a 69 to finish third on 11 below.
Smith holed 4 consecutive birdie putts from the primary gap of the ultimate spherical to race away from the sphere, and a fifth got here at his sixth gap to get to 12 below. However the momentum began to shift on the par-four seventh as Casey rolled in his first birdie putt to get inside two as Smith bogeyed.
And the lead was eradicated on the par-five ninth, with Smith carding a 3rd successive bogey, whereas Casey once more birdied as each began the again 9 on 9 below.
Elsewhere, strain was coming from American Keegan Bradley, who had 4 birdies from the ninth to get to 10 below, whereas Scotland’s Russell Knox birdied three of his first 4 holes to get to 9 below earlier than fading with bogeys on the fifth and seventh.
Spherical-three chief Lahiri reached 10 below after seven holes, however a double bogey on the par-three eighth seemed ruinous for the Indian. Nevertheless, he hit again with an eagle on the eleventh to get proper again within the hunt on 11 below.
Smith was on one other birdie run although, holing 4 in succession from the tenth to get to 13 below and put daylight between himself and the sphere.
Casey hung in with birdies on the eleventh and twelfth to get to 11 below, however his luck ran out on the par-five sixteenth. After an enormous drive, his ball ended up in a divot, stopping him from going for the inexperienced in two, with the specter of water to the fitting of the inexperienced.
Casey needed to accept par, as did Smith and the Australian additional prolonged his lead with a birdie on the par-three seventeenth after hitting his tee shot to 4 ft.
Lahiri, within the group behind, additionally birdied the seventeenth to maneuver inside two and he watched from the 18th fairway as Smith, who had inexplicably hit his second from the bushes into the water, holed a brief putt for a bogey.
That left Lahiri needing a birdie to drive a play-off, however his method got here up in need of the inexperienced and when his birdie chip pulled up a foot in need of the opening, Smith may lastly have fun.
“I really feel as if one in all these huge ones was the subsequent step for me,” mentioned Smith, who gained the Sentry Event of Champions in January. “I’ve knocked on the door a number of instances and I felt it was my time. I’m enjoying the perfect I’ve ever performed, I hit plenty of high quality golf pictures and didn’t again down.”
CAMERON SMITH’S WINNING GEAR
Driver: Titleist TSi3 (10°)
Fairway Woods: Titleist TSi2 3 (15°), Titleist TS2 7 (18°)
Irons: Mizuno Professional Fli-Hello (3), Titleist T100 Black (5-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (46°, 52°, 56°, 60°)
Putter: Scotty Cameron 009M Prototype
Ball: Titleist Professional V1x
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