Two shots behind overnight leader JJ Spaun heading into Sunday’s deciding lap, Smith looked well placed for a race to victory, but his hopes were hit hard before he had even started when he was called up to the rules office to discuss an incident. the day before.
The encounter was on Smith’s fourth hole of the third round where, after his tee shot found water, the Aussie took a drop. Smith made the most of an awkward waterside lie to crash onto the green and putt for bogey before continuing his round, but the ball’s proximity to the red penalty line led officials to investigate the shooting Sunday morning.
“When we got back to live action, we saw it [Smith] playing a shot from there, it looked like the ball was awfully close to the line,” PGA TOUR chief umpire Gary Young told NBC Sports.
“But we were convinced that the player knew enough about the fact that he could not play a ball that touched the penalty area line.”
With the official near the hole at the time not noticing any wrongdoing, Young confirmed the incident was reviewed Sunday morning. After being called to the rules office, Young said Smith – believing only part of the ball needed to be in the playing area to be safe – had confirmed his ball had touched the line.
A subsequent two-stroke penalty saw Smith’s score on the hole increased to a triple bogey, bringing him within four strokes of the lead. Yet despite the setback, Smith was praised by Young for his sportsmanship.
“Cam is a real gentleman and he took it that way,” Young said.
“He was completely calm throughout and once he found out it was a 2 stroke penalty he just said to me ‘the rules are the rules’. In the laid back way typical Cam, he just accepted it and left the office that way.”
‘About time’
A final day at 70 saw the Aussie finish the weekend tied for 13th at nine under, six strokes behind champion Will Zalatoris, who beat Sepp Straka in the playoffs to claim his first PGA Tour victory.
After shooting 71 times on Thursday, Zalatoris fought back with rounds of 63, 65 and 66 to force Austrian Straka into a sudden-death shootout. Unable to be separated after two plays of the 18th hole, a Straka bogey on the following 11th saw the American seal his first PGA Tour victory in his 56th Tour start.
Triumph in Memphis boosts that revenue by an additional $2.7 million and sees Zalotoris become the first player since Camilo Villegas in 2008 to win a FedExCup Playoff event as his first PGA Tour title.
“It’s kind of hard to say ‘it was about time’ when it’s your second year on the Tour, but it was about time,” Zalatoris told reporters.
“Considering all the close finishes I’ve had this year, to finally succeed, that means a lot.”
There were tears of joy from coach Josh Gregory who, supporting Zalatoris in the hometown tournament, celebrated a crucial putt so enthusiastically that he injured himself.
“He jumped off the side of a hill and I think he pulled his calf or something, so I didn’t see him until I got the trophy,” he said. said Zalatoris.
“He cried like a baby…He’s been there for me through the ups and downs of the last few years and it’s pretty cool to do that in his hometown and obviously with him here.”
