Cameron Smith’s Claret Jug runneth over with beers

LAST summer at St Andrews, Cameron Smith delivered a performance for the ages in the 150th Open. 

His final round of eight-under 64 helped him overtake heavy favourite Rory McIlroy for his first major championship and the right to take home the Claret Jug. 

Smith’s win put him in some strong company of not only past Open champions, but impressive Open champions at the Old Course including Tiger Woods, Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo. 

It’s quite a group he’s joined and Smith reflects here on the win, the celebration and what being an Open champion means to him. 

GJ: Can you believe it’s been a year since you won The Open at St Andrews?

Cam: Yeah, it’s crazy – time flies. It’s been a good year, I think. My golf is starting to feel a bit nicer now than what it did at the start of the year, which is good. I’m heading back into the time of the year where I’ll have to defend my trophy at The Open. Yeah, I’m looking forward to getting back there to Liverpool and giving it a good crack.

GJ: What stands out from the final day in the 2022 Open?

Cam: It was pretty crazy, the atmosphere that day. There was a lot of pressure on that final round. To be honest I can’t remember much of it. It was such an intense moment that I kind of blacked out and I can’t remember much of the final round. It is such a cool place. If you’re a golfer you need to go there at some point in your life and experience it.

GJ: You’ve also mentioned before how much you like the town of St Andrews, what do you love about it?

Cam: With the town of St Andrews, I really enjoy all of the golf stores, the history of it all. They have a bunch of museums where you can have a look around. I wouldn’t say I’m much of a golf nerd, but when I’m there I can’t help myself by going and having a look around.

GJ: What do you recall from that amazing putt on the 17th hole you made to set-up a par-save?

Cam: I’ve gone and re-watched it and seen it. It was a tricky spot to be in with a one-shot lead but that’s one of the best shots I’ve ever hit, especially around a green. The degree of difficulty, the pressure of the moment, knowing that I needed to come through there – all of that combined to be one of the best shots I’ve ever hit in my life. It was pretty intense, that whole final round and the putter felt good all day. On 17, I knew I needed to give myself a good chance at making par and, with the 18th being a drivable hole for most of us with a look at birdie, that was all that was going through my head in that moment. 

GJ: Why were you able to play so well that week?

Cam: I think when I’m putting well I kind of free up a little bit with other parts of my game … it allows me to hit some more aggressive shots and maybe some shots that are maybe a little show-offy. You know some big, high cuts and stuff like that. There’s something about knowing that you’re going to make a par that allows me to hit my irons a little bit better. And I had that control and that freedom that week at St Andrews. When you can play aggressive golf around the Old Course as I did, that can lead to a great round like Sunday’s 64.

GJ: How much did you enjoy winning and celebrating with your long-time caddie Sam Pinfold?

Cam: I remember more of the celebration than I do of the actual round. Yeah, we had a really good Sunday night and we’ve had a few really good nights with the trophy but that night there at St Andrews in the Old Course Hotel was pretty special. That’s a celebration that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. In the end it was just a couple of beers and a few lads.

GJ: Just a couple of beers? Come on, you’ve got to enjoy the moment too, right?

Cam: We actually had to fly back to the US the next day so I didn’t want to be that person on the plane (laughs). You know the person that’s loud and rude.

GJ: How many beers could you fit in the Claret Jug?

Cam: It’s two. It’s exactly two because I think it’s 750ml. But that got refilled a few times that night.

GJ: There’s that viral video of you celebrating back in a bar in the US afterward with a number of fans. How nice was it to be a man of the people in the aftermath of that?

Cam: I don’t even know how that video got out to be honest (laughs), but I think that was our first night back in Jacksonville. Yeah, I just had a few people around, a few good friends, and we just had a really good night. A fun memory, for sure.

GJ: When you have to give back the Claret Jug, what will be the saddest part of having to let that go?

Cam: Probably that, not having that Claret Jug anymore and no longer being the ‘champion golfer of the year’. It’s an amazing piece of silverware. Everyone that sees it is just so amazed by it and they all have a look at the names. There’s obviously a lot of history behind that, it was so cool to have, but I’ll try my best to keep my hands on it for as long as I can.

GJ: How good does it feel to be among the names on the Claret Jug?

Cam: It’s almost hard to fathom that I’m in that group. I just want to play golf and I want to be the best golfer I can, but when you’re on trophies like that it makes a difference for your career for sure. I’m honored to be remembered with some of those great names. It’s humbling, really, but also satisfying to have made it to the list of past Open champs.

GJ: What do you know about the course at Liverpool and how will you prepare for it?

Cam: We’ve got a couple of weeks out there before the Open and I’ve got the week off before the Open this year so I’ll probably head up a little early and get to know the golf course a little bit and get familiar with conditions. Links golf is definitely different with how the ball runs out and there’s so many humps and hollows so I’ll just have to get used to that environment and just go out there and try to play some good golf. 

GJ: Do you like the bumps and challenges of links golf?

Cam: Yeah, I think I’ve learned to love it. I don’t think I really loved it to begin with. I didn’t really have the best career in the Open Championship starting off, but I think over time I’ve just learned to love it. I think I manage my expectations out there a bit better than I used to. What it comes down to is that golf isn’t fair in any scenario and definitely not in links golf. You can hit a couple of good shots that end up in really bad spots and you hit a couple of bad shots that end up not so bad, so you just have to understand that give-and-take and just live with it. 

Garrett Johnston has covered golf for 12 years as a journalist and he also hosts the Beyond the Clubhouse podcast with players, caddies, and broadcasters and which you can listen to here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-the-clubhouse/id1522077847