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The past has a funny way of informing us about the future. For the majority of the final round of the 150th Open Championship, this inference was expected to apply to Rory McIlroy -- the clear crowd favorite at St. Andrews -- but the same rang true for Cameron Smith after his come-from-behind emergence as 2022 Champion Golfer of the Year.

Smith began the day four strokes off the pace of co-leaders McIlroy and Viktor Hovland. A poor third-round saw the Australian relinquish his 36-hole lead as he was unable to match his putting prowess of the first two rounds. Smith's main point of contention Saturday came when he attempted a head-scratching shot from a baseball stance on the par-4 13th, a decision that ultimately resulted in a double bogey.

"I was really frustrated yesterday with how the round went. I just really put it down to links golf. I think you really have those days on these courses where you get a bit of a weird bounce here and there and puts you in a bad spot," Smith said. "So, I shrugged it off pretty good, I think, last night. I really didn't dwell on it too much."

Comments of Smith "throwing away the championship" flooded the broadcast and internet Saturday, yet that didn't stop Smith from remaining true to himself. After turning in 2-under 34 to start Sunday's final round, Smith stood on the 10th green having cut into McIlroy's margin by only a single stroke with an outside chance to run him down over the final nine holes at the Old Course.

Rattling off a major championship-best five consecutive birdies from Nos. 10-14, Smith kept his foot on the gas as he has done throughout his Player of the Year-caliber season. Leapfrogging McIlroy atop the leaderboard in the process, the 28-year-old remained assertive all the way until the end where he redeployed an aggressiveness in attacking the 72nd hole to deliver a championship-winning birdie.

"I sometimes think that being behind on certain golf courses and in certain situations is maybe a good thing," Smith said. "I think it's very easy to get defensive out there and keep hitting it to 60, 70 feet, and you can make pars all day, but you're not going to make birdies."

Defensive he was not -- nor has he ever been -- as Smith signed for his second 64 in four rounds and tied the major championship scoring record by finishing 20 under par. His 6-under 30 on the back nine was also the lowest for any major winner in his final round. Yet none of this could have been achieved if not for his biggest ally returning to his corner.

Smith ranked seventh in strokes gained tee to green for the final round, but more importantly, sixth in strokes gained putting -- a vast improvement after he placed 66th in the third round. Gaining more than 11 strokes with the putter in hand on the week, Smith's effort was eight strokes better than that of McIlroy on the greens as the Northern Irishman two-putted his final 39 holes of the championship.

To say this style of play has always been conducive to producing championship moments would be a fallacy as we need not to look back too far into the past to find negating evidence.

"I've definitely kicked myself a couple of times over the past few years," said Smith of his prior close calls in majors. "To do it the way I did today was pretty cool to be back and really apply pressure, keep holing putts. Yeah, it was awesome."

After a disappointing T3 finish at the Masters back in April, Smith cited encountering "shots that you have to hit to win golf tournaments," noting "sometimes, they just don't work out."

Smith was referring to his tee shot on the par-3 12th in the final round at Augusta National, which found the bottom of Rae's Creek as his aggression sunk his green jacket aspirations. Fast forward to present day, and while time has passed, Smith's mindset has remained the same despite things not working out for him three months ago.

"I don't think I've changed a lot mentally, Smith said. "I think sometimes you get away from what you're doing, and I think it's just a thing of just getting back to what you know and what you know works. ... I knew it wasn't going to be too long before I got one of these. I've knocked on the door, I think, maybe one too many times now. So, it's nice to get it done."

This mindset of his has become a double-edge sword. There have been numerous occasions where Smith's inability to yield has bitten back, but it's also the reason why he's so great and why he can now be known as 2022 Champion Golfer of the Year.

Rick Gehman, Kyle Porter and Mark Immelman breakdown Cameron Smith's 2022 Open Championship victory. Follow & listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.