Cameron Smith’s proud father Des, has praised his son’s hardworking demeanour after he became the first Australian golfer in 29 years to win The Open Championship on Monday.
With a stunning final round 64 at St Andrews, the 28-year-old secured his first major victory, one stroke clear of American Cameron Young.
“The whole family is very proud of him, [it’s an] amazing effort,” Smith told Nine’s Today.
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“Everyone’s that close to him realises how hard he works and he’s probably worked a bit harder on his body and his driving the last 12-18 months, so it’s paying off great for him now.”
Smith made five birdies in a row between the 10th and 14th holes, and also birdied the last, his 64 the lowest final round at the historic Old Course.
Asked what it was like watching at home in Brisbane, Smith Snr said sitting through the final nine holes was “nerve-wracking”.
“When he made those five birdies in a row that’s when I started to get really excited, thinking, oh God, it’s really game on here,” he said.
“Then when he missed the green on (hole) 17 that was another emotional oh no (moment), but he made a good par there and birdied the last and now he’s the champion.”
Able to speak with his son for a few moments after he finished scoring, Des said he got a few words in before becoming overwhelmed with emotion and shedding a few tears.
Smith attended The Masters in April where Cameron finished equal third, but erroneously decided to skip the trip to Scotland – a painful mistake Cameron wasted no time in rubbing in.
“He was having a dig at me for pulling out and not going, so I’ll get that for a couple of months,” Smith said.
With his son’s trademark moustache, mullet and effervescent personality, Smith said his boy was “hard not to like”.
After the victory was confirmed, the newly minted champion was lost for words, but not short of ideas, saying he was eager to find out just how many beers he could fit into the iconic Claret Jug.
Proving the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, Des was eyeing a similar celebration to recover from the rollercoaster of emotions he experienced during the final round.
“There’s nothing 12 schooners and a bit of a sleep won’t fix,” he said.
Cameron will now take three weeks off ahead of the FedEx Cup finals before returning to Australia later in the year. It will be the first time he’s been home in three years.
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