Cameron Smith runs away with LIV Bedminster title

 

[August 14, 2023]  Cameron Smith of Australia posted a 3-under-par 68 to complete a wire-to-wire victory at LIV Golf Bedminster on Sunday in Bedminster, N.J.

Smith's 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.

"I played two really good days of golf, so there's no reason for me to go out there today and have 5- or 6-over and give the tournament away," Smith said. "It was just about getting back to what we know."

The team Smith captains, the all-Australian Ripper GC, also picked up its first-ever victory in the team competition. Ripper ran away with the title at 20 under thanks to Smith's score, along with Jediah Morgan's 5-under 66 and Matt Jones' 1-under 70 Sunday.

Bryson DeChambeau's Crushers GC and the all-South African Stinger GC finished a distant second at 9 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 5 and picked up another at No. 3.

But the major champion birdied the par-4 sixth hole before rolling in three more at Nos. 8-10. He would not bogey again, adding one last birdie at the par-5 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 events this year.

"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."
 

Abraham Ancer of Mexico (69), Patrick Reed (71) and South Africa's Dean Burmester (72) tied for third in the individual competition at 4 under. Branden Grace of South Africa (71) was sixth at 3 under.

Phil Mickelson, who was tied for second with Burmester after Saturday's round, posted a quintuple-bogey 8 at the seventh hole en route to a 4-over 75. He tied Charles Howell III (71) for ninth at 1 under.

--Field Level Media

[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.