Cam Smith confident he can win the Open Championship again
It was one year ago that Cam Smith leapfrogged Rory McIlroy in the final round at St. Andrews to win the 150th Open Championship and lift the Claret Jug.
Upon returning the coveted trophy this week, Smith admitted that it was emotional to hand it back. However, he is confident that he can have repeat success and spend another year with it.
"That’s what I’ve been saying to all my mates," Smith told reporters on Monday. "It'll only be a week and we’ll be drinking out of it again."
It's easy to see why the Australian is so positive he can win the major two years in a row. He climbed his way into a fourth-place finish at the U.S. Open and is coming off of a victory at LIV Golf London.
Despite falling down the official world golf ranking due to defecting to the Saudi Arabia-funded breakaway league, he is still considered one of the best putters currently playing the game.
Oddsmakers aren't quite as high on Smith defending his title as he is, however. DraftKings lists Smith as having a 9-5 chance of finishing in the top 10 but has him as a 16-1 long shot at getting the Claret Jug back.
This is partially because winning the Open in back-to-back years is no easy feat in the modern golf world, and hasn't been done since Padraig Harrington in 2007 and 2008. But it is also because the competition is quite steep and Smith will be going up against the world's best in McIlroy (13-2), Scottie Scheffler (7-1) and Jon Rahm (13-1).
Clearly, none of that has shaken Smith's faith in himself.
"I think as a golfer, I think I'm actually a better golfer now than what I was last year," he said, via Sports Illustrated.
The 151st Open Championship tees off on Thursday, July 20 from Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England.
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