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Royal Melbourne played host to a dramatic finish to the Australian Open on Sunday as Cam Smith missed a five-foot putt on the final hole to hand Denmark’s Rasmus Neergard-Peterson a one-shot victory.
Smith, who only a week ago had missed the cut at the Australian PGA Championship in his home state of Queensland, was unable to force a play-off and push for his first notable win since his victory in front of US President Donald Trump on the LIV tour in New Jersey in August 2023.
It was a cruel twist for the local superstar after he pulled off a miracle at the 17th to keep a share of the lead going to the final hole.
Cam Smith holds his head in his hands after missing a crucial putt on 18.Credit: Getty Images
After pumping his driver to the perfect spot on the right side of the 18th fairway, Smith was the darling of the 33,000-strong crowd lining the fairway ropes and surrounding the green.
It was an astonishing finish for the 104,900 fans who packed into Royal Melbourne over the four days.
Level with Neergaard-Peterson and one shot in front of South Korean See Woo Kim, Smith watched as both of his opponents got sucked into a pin tucked on the right-hand side.
As the Melbourne sun began to set over the clubhouse, Kim landed in the traps, while Neergaard-Peterson was worse, his approach finishing in the thick native rough in between the bunkers.
All Smith had to do was hit a solid wedge to the middle of the green. He did precisely that and the crowd erupted.
He stormed up the 18th fairway knowing only two specific disasters could force him to lose.
One; Smith would have to three-putt. Two, the great Dane would have to make an up and down for the ages.
Even if one of those things happened, he would head back to the 18th tee for a play-off hole, the Stonehaven Cup still in reach.
But Neergaard-Peterson hit the shot of his life to land the ball just short of the pin and watch it trail 20 feet past. Smith then hit a very solid putt that lagged up the right-hand side and finished pin-high, five feet away from the hole.
And as the Dane sunk his par-putt, the hearts of Australian fans took a similar route.
When Smith stepped up to his short putt, Royal Melbourne turned deathly quiet. The situation was clear – sink the putt and head back to the tee for the play-off. No damage. Smith had been putting solidly all week, especially inside six feet.
He missed. Both disasters become reality.
Sitting next to the Stonehaven Cup, Neergaard-Peterson said the chances of him going up and down to make par from that spot on the course were about one in 100.
“About where I hit it, I could probably get there 20 per cent of the time, 40 per cent of the time it’s in the front bunker and 40 per cent of the time it’s over the back. And then from there you have a 30-footer, which I’m probably only making five per cent of.”
Smith would make close to nine out of 10 of those putts.
Whether the pressure got to him, whether he slightly misread the putt or whether he just pulled it, is not clear. Though he signed autographs and posed for selfies with fans, de didn’t speak to host broadcaster Nine – owner of this masthead – nor address the waiting media pack.
It was a poor putt by Smith’s standards, especially considering it didn’t even lip out. While a win at Royal Melbourne may not have been exactly career-defining for Smith, it would have represented a significant moment for the Queenslander.
In his first media conference for the week on Tuesday, Smith said he felt so close to unlocking something in his game, despite missing the cut at Royal Queensland just days earlier.
He was right. He played well for the best part of 71 holes.
The week at Royal Melbourne should prove to Smith that he can still contend with the world’s best players on a world glass golf course. But his final putt will be the shot everyone remembers.
Adam Scott finished four shots back on -11 in a tie for fifth, giving him automatic entry into next year’s Open Championship.
Min Woo Lee had a disappointing final round of three-over to finish in a tie for 14th, while Victorians Marc Leishman and Lucas Herbert were one shot behind him in a tie for 18th.
Rory McIlroy birdied his final two holes of the tournament to finish seven-under for the tournament, just outside the top 10.
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