Consistent Cameron Smith captures LIV Golf Bedminster crown
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Cameron Smith of Australia celebrating on the podium after winning the LIV Golf-Bedminster event.
PHOTO: AFP
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BEDMINSTER, New Jersey – Australia’s Cameron Smith posted a three-under 68 to complete a wire-to-wire victory at LIV Golf Bedminster on Sunday in Bedminster, New Jersey.
His three-day total of 12-under 201 was seven shots better than India’s Anirban Lahiri, who had a final-round 70 at Trump National Golf Club.
It is Smith’s second win in as many months, after prevailing at the LIV event outside London in July. He also won in Chicago in September 2022.
“I played two really good days of golf, so there’s no reason for me to go out there today and have five- or six-over and give the tournament away,” he said. “It was just about getting back to what we know.”
The team Smith captains, the all-Australian Ripper GC, also picked up their maiden victory in the team competition.
Ripper ran away with the title at 20 under thanks to Smith’s score, along with Jediah Morgan’s 66 and Matt Jones’ 70 on Sunday.
Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC and the all-South African Stinger GC finished a distant second at nine under.
Smith, who led the tournament by one shot after the first round and by four after Saturday, opened his final round with a bogey five and picked up another at No. 3.
But the 2022 British Open champion birdied the par-four sixth hole before rolling in three more at Nos. 8-10. He would not bogey again, adding one last birdie at the par-five 15th.
“It’s a weird golf course,” Smith said. “You can’t play defensive and play for pars, but you can’t play too aggressive and try to make birdies. You’ve almost got to let the birdies come to you.”
Jones compared Smith’s dominance on the LIV Golf circuit to Scottie Scheffler’s successful season on the PGA Tour.
“Everyone talks about Scottie Scheffler having a finish of top 12 every week. Cam does it every week out here, and he wins these two events,” Jones said of his teammate, who has eight top-12s in 11 tournaments in 2023.
“If there’s talk about Scottie, there’s got to be talk about Cam in the same breath. That’s all I have to say.”
Cameron Smith posted a three-under 68 to complete a wire-to-wire victory at LIV Golf Bedminster on Sunday.
PHOTO: AFP
Abraham Ancer of Mexico (69), Patrick Reed (71) and South Africa’s Dean Burmester (72) tied for third in the individual competition at four under.
Branden Grace of South Africa (71) was sixth at three under.
Phil Mickelson, who was tied for second with Burmester after Saturday’s round, posted a quintuple-bogey eight at the seventh hole en route to a four-over 75.
He tied Charles Howell III (71) for ninth at one under. REUTERS
