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ST. ANDREWS, Scotland—Cameron Smith stepped right into a fairway bunker about three toes under his ball, which was perched precariously on the lip of the entice.
The Australian had seen his in a single day lead disappear in a irritating third spherical on the British Open and right here he was on thirteenth gap of the Previous Course with an enormous choice to make.
Play it secure and in some way get the ball again in play. Or go for the daring shot that had hazard throughout it.
He selected the flawed choice.
Reaching up and out of the bunker together with his iron, Smith skimmed a low, ugly shot about 100 yards right into a heather bush and swung his membership in anger. Then he hacked out into extra tough on a financial institution in entrance of the inexperienced, and did not rise up and down.
A double-bogey 6 was the low level of a spherical that ended on No. 18 like so many holes did for the person with maybe probably the most well-known haircut in golf—Smith leaning over in anguish after lacking a birdie putt.
He started Saturday with a two-shot lead, the bottom 36-hole whole in a British Open at St. Andrews, and in a powerful place for a run at a primary main title.
He ended it 4 behind Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland, and with loads of regrets after his 1-over 73 that left him tied for third place at 12 below.
“It wasn’t my day,” Smith mentioned, “to get one thing like that (on No. 13) after an already irritating 11 or 12 holes.”
Smith made 255 toes of putts on Friday, when he shot an eight-under 64, however solely about 50 in his third spherical. He missed a par putt from 4 toes on the first gap and extra quick birdie putts on the fifth, fifteenth and 18th holes.
“It was fairly irritating,” Smith mentioned. “It’s most likely the very best I’ve struck the ball all week. I had a number of alternatives.”
Additionally heading within the flawed course late on Shifting Day was Dustin Johnson, the previous No. 1 who—as one of many gamers to have joined the Saudi-funded LIV Golf tour—is used to solely taking part in 54 holes nowadays.
Whereas Smith was making unhealthy choices within the tough on No. 13, Johnson was on the par-5 14th, rolling an eagle putt by means of the inexperienced and right into a bunker, from which he needed to splash out away from pin.
A sensible likelihood of a birdie become a tap-in for bogey, and that mistake appeared to get to him.
Johnson bogeyed two of his subsequent three holes, then hit a drive decrease than he needed to on No. 18 and almost struck Swilcan Bridge in entrance of the tee field. One way or the other, Johnson emerged with a birdie for a spherical of 71 that began with birdies at Nos. 2 and three, placing him one shot off the lead on the time.
Johnson was alone in seventh place, six pictures off the lead. He’s the best-placed LIV participant however unlikely now to be lifting the claret jug, which can little doubt go well with the R&A.
Because the solar disappeared and the stress mounted within the early night, there have been errors in all places on the closing stretch of the Previous Course on Saturday.
Take Cameron Younger, the 25-year-old American taking part in in his first British Open and within the remaining pairing of the third spherical.
He was at 14 below and only a shot off the lead when he took on the flag on the par-4 No. 16, which was taking part in one of many hardest holes all day. Younger’s ball bounced off to the appropriate over the inexperienced, and his return chip flew previous the pin and down the slope. He wound up with a double bogey.
Younger regarded like dropping one other when he hit his second shot manner too laborious and thru the 18th inexperienced, however managed to save lots of par.
He begins the ultimate spherical 4 pictures off the lead, like he was on the Skilled Golfers Affiliation Championship at Southern Hills in Might the place he completed in a tie for third.
Picture credit: AP
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