Cameron Smith posted a near-perfect closing round at St. Andrews that included five straight birdies on the back nine to beat out Cameron Young and the favorite Rory McIlroy.

“All the names on there, every player that’s been at the top of their game has won this championship,” Smith, 28, told reporters following his British Open win. “It’s pretty cool to be on there. It really hasn’t sunk in yet. I don’t think it will for a few weeks. Yeah, it’s just unreal.”

Under pressure, Smith was flawless. He posted eight-under 64 in the final round, which is good for the lowest final round by a champion at St. Andrews ever.

Young came in second one shot behind Smith.

With the win, the Australian golfer moves up to No. 2 in the world behind only Masters champion Scottie Scheffler.

McIlroy, who had been poised to break his eight-year majors drought in front of a home crowd, struggled to putt early. The four-time major champion before the age of 25, who joins Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus in that category, has finished in the top 10 of 17 majors since 2015 but has failed to win one.

He congratulated Smith on his big win.

“The putter went cold on me,” McIlroy said. “When both Camerons – especially Smith – went on that run on the back nine, I had to dig deep to make birdies. And I just couldn’t. I got beaten by the better player this week. To go out and shoot 64 to win the Open Championship at St. Andrews is a hell of a showing. Hats off to Cam.”

Team USA’s Justin Thomas, former world number one, decided to have a little fun and prank fans outside of the Ritz Carlton in Atlanta. He was attending a USA team dinner with other golfers who automatically qualified for the Ryder Cup when he decided to stir the pot by saying, loud enough that the nearby fans could hear, “I can’t believe we’re picking Phil? What do you guys think about that?”

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Of course, he meant Phil Mickelson, and it was a cruel joke for any USA golf fan. Mickelson, 51, nicknamed Lefty, has won six major championships and 45 events on the PGA tour — accolades that make him one of the all-time great golfers and veteran of the Ryder Cup. However, this year, Mickelson will play the role of assistant captain and will not be involved in actual play.  

The Ryder Cup is a bi-annual golf tournament that pits team USA up against Europe. The event takes place on the Whistling Straights golf course in Wisconsin. Team USA will bring along 12 golfers — six that qualify automatically through their performances throughout the year and six that are chosen. 

Listen to Thomas’ account of his interaction with the fans:

The 2019 Presidents Cup saw the first U.S. comeback in history and adds to the legend of Tiger Woods as he captained the U.S. to victory. The U.S. defeated the International team led by Ernie Els to give them their eighth consecutive defeat.

The Presidents Cup began in 1994 and puts the best golfers from the U.S. on a team against an International team, representing the rest of the world minus Europe. Europe competes against the U.S. in the Ryder Cup.

Woods has tacked on another record at this years Presidents Cup. He won all three of his matches at Royal Melbourne and has become the most successful player at the Presidents Cup for the United States. He has never really been seen as a team man, but lately has seemed more comfortable at the Presidents Cup. His Ryder Cup appearances have seemed to be the trouble, winning only 13 times in 37 contests.

His individual glories speak for themselves. The reigning Masters champion has 15 major titles under his belt, and this past Presidents Cup seems to show his leadership is still intact.

The first ever come from behind win came out close, with the U.S. narrowly winning 16-14.

As the Americans began to rack up the points, the Internationals came back to tie it 11.5-11.5. With Webb Simpson defeating Ben An 2&1 on the 17th hole, the Americans jumped up 15-12. Matt Kuchar‘s stiff approach and birdie putt to go up one on Louis Oosthuizen, had victory in sight for the U.S. Rickie Fowler added a half point later and tied Marc Leishman.

“We did it together,” Woods said. “We came here as a team. My teammates and my boys all played well. The captains did an amazing job of just being there for every little detail. I couldn’t have done it without all their help.”

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Kuchar said of Woods, “What a thrill. To play for the greatest ever, arguably, and to have him as a playing captain, just so cool. Watching him go out and still be just the best player on the golf course…To be able to come back the way we did was such a thrill.”

Tiger Woods finishes the second round of the British Open at Portrush, Northern Ireland summing up +6 after his Friday round. He will fail to qualify for the weekend championship, and has to call his time in the U.K. short after starting Thursday short of success. He finished -1 on Friday, but it wasn’t enough momentum to throw himself into the weekend tournament after a poor Thursday first round. Woods says in interviews that his body isn’t cooperating at 43-years-old.

“I’m just not moving as well as I’d like. And unfortunately, you’ve got to be able to move, and especially under these conditions, shape the golf ball. And I didn’t do it,” Woods said, according to FOX News. “I didn’t shape the golf ball at all. Everything was left-to-right. And wasn’t hitting very solidly.”

The three-time Open champion scored a 78 on the opening day in Northern Ireland, shooting 7-over. After his four back surgeries, it doesn’t seem to always comply on the golf course. He racked up a bogey on the fifth, double-bogey on the sixth, then another bogey on the seventh. After his 78 score to round off Thursday, he was placed seventh-to-last on the leaderboards, with favorite Rory McIlory just behind him at a score of 79 on Thursday. McIlory crumbled early on the first tee shot, obtaining a quadruple-bogey.

“Just Father Time and some procedures I’ve had over the time. Just the way it’s going to be,” Woods said, according to FOX News. “One of the reasons why I’m playing less tournaments this year is that I can hopefully prolong my career, and be out here for a little bit longer.”

Woods won the Masters back in the spring, but has failed to live up to his performance at August this year. His body is worn down, as he as only played 10 rounds of golf since his victory at the Masters.

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“I have to be realistic about my expectations and hopefully peaking at the right time,” Woods said, according to FOX News. “I peaked at Augusta well. And hopefully I can peak a few more times this year.”

John Daly has officially announced his withdrawal from the upcoming British Open after he was denied being able to use a golf cart to travel between holes. According to Daly, he has a cited medical condition, which the R&A declined.

“While I trust the R&A’s decision was made with good intentions, I could not disagree more with their conclusions,” Daly tweeted after finding out about his denial of the cart request. “Just visited my good friend Dr. Jim Bradley yesterday in Pittsburgh. He is the orthopedic surgeon for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He reconfirmed bi-compartmental degenerative arthritis grade 3-4 of my right knee … Fingers crossed I can make it (through) the pain.”

According to ESPN, the R&A, who oversees the British Open, denied his use of a golf cart earlier on Tuesday. Saying that walking to the player’s ball was “an integral part of the Championship.” There has been a repetitive and longstanding policy against the use of golf carts for players on the Royal Portrush Golf Club field. Daly referred to the Americans with Disabilities Act, saying that he could receive a golf cart for the PGA Championships in May when he played at the Bethpage Black. His knee condition limits his ability to walk.

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Daly won the British Open back in 1995, and received an invite to attend this year’s open. According to CBS Sports, Daly has mentioned repetitively his battling with osteoarthritis that could eventually lead to a surgery to replace his knee. He tweeted earlier this week that he was bitten by a spider in England that resulted in a sepsis diagnosis and an infection was spreading.

Along with saying the carts aren’t allowed on the Royal Portrush, the Open’s statement reads, “we must also ensure that, as far as possible, the challenge is the same for all players in the field.”

Tiger Woods made quite the memorable comeback at Augusta National on Sunday to earn his fifth Masters trophy and 15th major tournament title.

Woods Ends Long Title Drought With Masters Win

The 43-year-old hit a bogey on the final hole and immediately pumped up his fists in celebration, and the crowd went as wild as it possibly could for a major golf event. Woods finished with a two-under-par 70 in the closing round. He edged out Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and 25-year-old San Diego native Xander Schauffele for the win.

Woods quickly received congratulations from other players and his caddie, Joe LaCava, as well as from multiple celebrities. He also gave his son Charlie a big embrace. Woods captured his first Masters title in 1997, long before he became involved in scandals like extramarital affairs and driving under the influence.

“It’s unreal for me to experience this,’’ Woods said in a television interview following his triumph. “It was one of the hardest I’ve ever had to win just because of what’s transpired the last couple of years.”

Now, several setbacks — including rehabilitation for alcohol and painkiller addictions, surgeries and more — later, Woods has climbed his way back to pro golf glory with a victory at the sport’s premiere annual event and got the chance to wear the famous green jacket, which seemed to fit him very nicely.

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Another reason Wood’s victory on Sunday was so big was that this marked his first major championship title since the 2008 United States Open.