Best putter on planet earth?
Cameron Smith.
Best short-game wizard on the PGA Tour?
Cameron Smith.
Your 2022 Players Champion put on a virtuoso performance late Monday afternoon at the Stadium Course — it was pure artistry — pure putting, pure scrambling, showing how to put a number in a box even when you don’t have your best ball-striking stuff.
That’s what it takes to win the big ones and young Cameron now has a big one to go with his other four PGA Tour wins. This is the flagship trophy on the PGA Tour and it was good for $3.6 million — a small part of a fast-rising career that should lead to a major championship sooner than later for this steel-nerve Aussie.
He is the owner of a putting stroke that works best when the pressure is greatest. That was so very evident down the stretch, down the treacherous back nine at The Players when so many players had a shot at this huge title.
When the heat was on, and it showed on a nervous Monday finish to this weather-wrecked championship, all Mr. Flat Stick did was one-putt 13 greens, including eight of the final nine. Seriously? And it’s not that the puts went in — it’s how they went in — solid, dead-center. No lip-ins, no lucky turns, just dead-center accuracy. If Will Zalatoris could putt like that, he’d probably have a half-dozen wins by now.
Truth be known, when it comes to putting — professional golf is a world of haves and have-nots. Smith is one of the haves, perhaps the best of all of them. It’s a gift, it’s about feel, it’s about touch, it’s about innate talent.
Monday was a battle. Smith had to beat at least a half-dozen would-be winners. Give tons of credit to Anirban Lahiri, who goes by “Baan.” You’d figure he was the guy who snuck in to this finale. Ranked 322 in the world, he’s not about to scare anyone with his game yet there he was giving a gritty, gutsy performance. He had been fighting his irons for months until he made a switch coming into the championship — added just under four grams to the swing-weight. Still, they let him down from 160 at the 72nd hole when he had a chance to tie the championship. His approach came up short. Yes he saved par and yet, he shot 69 to post 12-under and collect a career-changing $2.1 million. Baan didn’t lose it, Smith won it. “Cam played phenomenal golf,” Baan was quick to say afterward. “He won the tournament.”
Cam won it with an amazing 10 birdies over the final 18 — five on the front — five coming home. His start looked like it would turn into a blowout — five birdies over his first six holes. But the Stadium Course has a way to getting back at you. Bogeys on seven, eight and nine brought a swarm of contenders back into the hunt — Lahiri, Kevin Kisner, Keegan Bradley and Smith’ playing partner — Paul Casey.
After that three-hole stumble — Smith got back to work with four straight birdies to start the final nine — more flat-stick magic from the David Copperfield of putters. As good as the putter was, his driver made it difficult but he made huge saves at 14 and 15 — the save at 14 was from 14 feet. Who outside of Tiger Woods makes those when it counts most? At 16 there was more trouble. He hit his worst drive of the day, a quick snap hook deep into the woods. He had to punch out near sideways and left himself close to 240 for his third. What did he do? He hit a terrific third, albeit one that left him with nearly 49 feet for a two-putt par. No worries — done.
That was the turning point because Casey hit a perfect drive that wedged itself into one of those big fairway ball marks that wasn’t tamped down. “They wasn’t very good luck was it?” Casey said after all the shouting was over. He had to lay up, explaining — “Brave but foolish to go for it.” It took sure birdie, possible eagle out of the equation for a guy who is an incredible long-iron artist.
The second key shot came at the 17th — where hearts were broken and triple-bogeys lurking. Smith would surely hit a conservative shot. But no, he aimed just left of the hole and the breeze carried it right over the flag, leaving him just outside four feet for the birdie he’d make to go 14-under and three clear of Lahiri and Casey.
Things got interesting for the final time when Lahiri made his own birdie at 17 while Smith was in trouble and pulling an Adam Scott at 18 — hitting his second, a punch-out from the right pine straw, into the drink. No problem saving bogey. A magical pitch from 57 yards left him just three-feet for five. Of course he made it, shot 66 and posted what would be the winning 13-under.
Lahiri’s perfect drive at 18 left him a stock shot in from 160 but there was no magic in that final iron shot. Smith beat him by a shot.
“It’s huge,” was how Smith put it. “It’s gonna take a while to sink in.”
He added that his superb putting “it’s the strength of my game. Nice to see ’em go in.”
Nice?
Heck, seems like everything he looked at went in.
Which is the reason he’s a threat to win any of the four majors this season.
He does have unfinished business at Augusta National.
He finished second last year.
So when you’re making your picks, remember — Fear The Mullet!
3 Comments
baxter cepeda
Cam Smith was always going to be on the short list of picks for the Masters; now he may be the pick for the first major of the year.
He is sometimes squirrelly off the tee but just gets better and better as he gets closer to the hole, which is so refreshing; reminiscent of Tiger on the greens. He just puts on a show. Clinics really.
Like Tiger Cam is so good for business compared to all those have nots on the greens whom regularly kill the business with so many flat performances in that critical part of the game which anyone can do. The worst thing for pro tour golf is fans justifiably saying ‘I can putt better than that’.That doesn’t happen with Cam.
If Cam can win the Players, which is quite penal off the tee, he has to be dripping saliva licking his chops for Augusta.
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Zalatoris also has all the tools Tom describes that Cam has on the greens. But Tom left out the one Will is missing, which is technique, which as McGinely said “begins and ends with that “. Cams technique, tempo, rhythm, are pretty much perfect by all accounts.
Speaking of which Keegans technique looks amazing with the regular putter. He took a 2 stroke penalty early in the week for something and playing to win down the stretch cost him a few more, but Keegs reminded me of his major winning days. I would watch out for him. Zalatoris should as well.
Casey was too conservative on 12 and 16. He made birdie on 12 and par on 16 but could have gone eagle-birdie on those two risk-reward holes if he sacked up and played bold in those moments.
Lahiri certainly put it on the line. The birdie at 17 was just as aggressive and impressive as Cams. Leaving it short on 18 was disappointing—maybe too much there —it happened to players all day. But the chip was pretty. It just wasn’t meant to be. Still getting 2.1$ million it’s hard not to feel Lahiri who had been struggling mightily was a big winner this week; especially considering he mostly attributed his random success to adding the equivalent of 3 dollar bills of lead tape weight to each of his irons.
Overall the course was a winner in how it held up but while so many things went well, we saw so much more evidence yet again of why it is still not a major.
17. First, I wouldn’t change a thing about it. You cannot change a thing about it as Chamblee and Steve Williams of all duos suggested this week. If they do change 17s design or when it is played in the round or whatever, they should listen carefully for Mr Dye rolling over in his grave.
17 is an iconic hole and you simply don’t change icons. As Phil may say Chamblee thinking he can improve the iconic Dyes iconic 17th is obnoxiously arrogant. And I must say chamblees argument that too much is left to chance there is not well though out as well imo. While I appreciated his arguments because they help reinforce this is not a major, which it isn’t—this is hardly a course the other majors would use much less use every year— but he is just wrong arguing so much comes to chance and luck there. When the wind is in from the left, the hole punishes all those one dimensional style players whom cannot control spin and play a pull fade exclusively. Shot makers who can take a little off it like JT. Guys with little draws like Kisner. Guys whom can step up and hit a shot like Cam. There’s a lot of ways to be successful playing 17 in any conditions.
The problem for many of these guys don’t have those shots because most courses don’t test those shots. I wouldn’t change a thing about the hole because theoretically it rewards guys whom still have some of these lost arts in how to play these shots properly.
The problem for Sawgrass is there seems to be no time of year for it to be just right for a major. March clearly has problems. We saw this week why they ditched March in the first place.
They struggled in May growing grass. Growing conditions would only get tougher in the other summer months. Unless they are going to start the season at tpc sawgrass in The fall, wait the NFL…your get my point. No good time.
Florida is an amazing golfing state but there’s a reason few majors have been held there and when they are they are not the most popular.
Cam on the other hand is getting more and more popular. Chicks may dig the long ball but golf fans are suckers for a beautiful putter.
Tom Edrington
If your girls can develop a putting stroke like Cam’s, they’ll win a LOT of tournaments!!
baxter cepeda
They can both putt but Cam is giving us a lot to review today because he pretty much does everything right IMO.
Especially in this not so penal era of golf I tell them it’s one of the most important parts of the game in order to separate themselves. Meanwhile Im sometimes confounded overhearing pga teaching pros telling their junior students it’s not that important. I’m not saying they all say that but I’ve definitely heard it.