There’s no way Australian golfer Cameron Davis will be ranked 1494 in the world ever again.
Yesterday the 22-year-old fired in a superb final-round 64 at The Australian course in Sydney to snatch the 102nd Australian Open crown, leaving two former world number ones – Jordan Spieth and Jason Day – in his wake.
As he gazed at the coveted Stonehaven Cup, he fought back tears, with the names of legends like Jack Nicklaus, Arnie Palmer, Gary Player, Peter Thomson, and Greg Norman etched on the base.
But there was no surprise from members of the Monash Club in Sydney’s north, Davis’ home club.
In 2015, Davis was the Australian Amateur champion on the same course – The Australian.
In 2016, Davis led the Australian team to capture the Eisenhower Trophy in Mexico – the world championship amateur team event – where he took out the individual honours as well.
Davis followed in the footsteps of Nicklaus (1960), Jerry Pate (1974), Hal Sutton (1980), Rickie Fowler (2005), and Jon Rahm (2014) to claim the individual.
Not even Tiger Woods in 1994 could achieve the feat.
But Cameron Davis is a cool customer.
He led the elite field after a sensational opening-round 63 which included nine birdies and a sole bogey.
(Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Davis lost his way in the second and third rounds with 72, including three birdies and four bogeys, and a third-round 74 to seemingly drop out of contention thanks to just three birdies, two bogeys, and two doubles,
But Davis proved in his amateur days he has the necessary ticker, with his final round 64 of an eagle, six birdies, and a lone bogey on the 16th to lose the lead.
His final-hole birdie regained the lead, and he had to wait an hour before Swede Jonas Blixt missed his ten-foot birdie putt on the last to avoid a play-off.
Davis finished 11-under, while Blixt and the 2015 Australian Open champion Matt Jones were done at 10-under with all three winning automatic qualification to the 2018 The Open at Carnoustie.
It was Davis’ birdie blitz that won through in the end.
He topped the tournament birdie count with 22 from Cameron Smith’s 20 who finished two off the pace, and Jason Day’s 19.
Third round leader Day never really threatened where it counted, despite a first hole birdie.
A bogey and a double on the outward nine saw him turn two over, with an eagle and two bogeys on the way home for a 73, by far his worst round of the tournament that left him three shots off the Davis pace.
Defending champion Spieth was never in the hunt from the opening round and it took an eagle at the 72nd hole for a rare highlight over the four days.
He finished with that eagle and 14 birdies, but ten bogeys never let him be in contention.
It’s doubtful Spieth will be so out of sorts once he settles into 2018.
But all the accolades rightfully belong to Davis.
To overcome ordinary second and third rounds to fire in a 64 yesterday says volumes for his powers of recovery.
One tournament doesn’t make a career, but it was a high-quality win against high-quality opposition.
Keep an eye on him in the future, you won’t be disappointed.