Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods ‘both had COVID going into the Open’ at St. Andrews

“The whole week of the Open I didn’t have any taste, and everything smelled like vinegar to me. Everything.”

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy have been attached at the headline hip over this past year.

The pair have been active in their side of the PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf battle and started a new company and tech-driven competition. They’ll team up in the latest edition of The Match in December and also finished Nos. 1 and 2 in the PGA Tour’s Player Impact Program for 2022.

In a recent interview with the Independent, McIlroy revealed he and Woods both had COVID-19 a week ahead of the 2022 Open Championship at St. Andrews. McIlroy said the pair began to feel symptoms on Thursday, July 7, after they played in the JP McManus Pro-Am at Adare Manor in Ireland ahead of the Open.

“So we both had COVID going into the Open,” said McIlroy.

“We had played two days of golf at Adare and the plan was to play Ballybunion on Thursday. I woke up that morning feeling a bit achy but didn’t really think anything of it. JP gave us his chopper and we went down with (McIlroy’s manager, Sean O’Flaherty) and (Woods’ manager, Rob McNamara). We got around fine, flew back to Adare for lunch, and as I’m getting up from the table, I’m sore and stiff and super tired,” McIlroy explained. “I said to (wife Erica ), ‘I’m feeling a bit weird. I’m just going upstairs to lie down for a bit.’ I slept for maybe two hours, and the sweat was just pouring off me, then Erica took my temperature and it was sky high. I rang Tiger: ‘I’m not feeling so good here.’ And he goes, ‘Oh, I feel OK.’ But he texted me at 10 o’clock that night, chills, fever, and I’m like, ‘(expletive) hell, I’ve just given Tiger COVID! This is horrendous!’ (laughing).”

McIlroy finished third that week at the Old Course, while Woods missed the cut.

He further explained in the interview that he planned to arrive at the Open early but instead quarantined at Adare Manor.

“The whole week of the Open I didn’t have any taste, and everything smelled like vinegar to me. Everything,” said McIlroy. “It was really strange.”

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Photos: Cam Smith through the years

View photos of Cam Smith throughout his career.

The 2022 Champion Golfer of the Year, Cameron Smith, has come into form and become one of the world’s best golfers in what seems like a blink of an eye.

The newest Aussie to become a face of golf, Smith joined his countrymen Adam Scott and Greg Norman a major champions after winning the 2022 Open Championship at St. Andrews.

It hasn’t been all mullets and trophies for Smith. Turning pro in 2013 following an amateur career that included victories at the Australian Amateur and Australian Boys’ Amateur, Smith battled his way through the PGA Australasia before hopping over to the Asian Tour in 2014.

Earning his first PGA Tour start through the Asian Tour, Smith never looked back.

Through a few sponsor exemptions and good finishes in a handful of majors, Smith earned his PGA Tour card in 2015 and regained status both in 2016 and ’17.

As an Australian, Smith has represented his country on golf’s biggest stages. At the 2019 Presidents Cup, Smith went 1-1-1 in his debut and at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he finished 10th.

In his most dominant year to date, the Brisbane native won the 2022 Players Championship and the 150th Open Championship. The pair of wins launched Smith to No. 2 in the world.

According to countryman Cam Percy, Smith’s next jump appears to be to LIV Golf.

Here’s a look at Smith’s career in photos.

Dressed for Success: Cam Smith at the 2022 British Open

Check out the Original Penguin apparel worn by Cameron Smith at the 2022 British Open.

The final round of the 150th Open Championship did not disappoint and nor did Cameron Smith.

The Aussie came from behind, carding a 64 on Sunday to win his first major championship. Just wait until you hear how he plans to spend his time with the Claret Jug.

Smith pocketed a cool $2.5M and looked great doing so, rocking his Original Penguin apparel.

Though they don’t get as much fanfare as some other apparel brands on the PGA Tour, Original Penguin, owned by Perry Ellis, has been making fun and unique golf shirts for more than 60 years.

“We congratulate Cameron for winning the 150th Open in a stirring come- from-behind record setting fashion,” said Oscar Feldenkreis, President and CEO of Perry Ellis International. “We are proud to have Cameron, with 10 career worldwide victories and a major, as an Original Penguin brand ambassador.”

We’ve already taken a deep dive inside Smith’s Winner’s Bag but now we get to open up the champion’s closet and see how Cam Smith dressed for success at the 2022 British Open.

More Dressed for Success: Matt FitzpatrickJustin Thomas | Jordan Spieth

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What the Pros Play: Cameron Smith

Cameron Smith, the winner of the 150th British Open, has a bag filled with gear designed for versatility and control.

After winning the 2022 Players Championship, Australia’s Cameron Smith moved from No. 11 to No. 6 on the Official World Golf Ranking. Simply winning that event against the strongest field in golf would have made for a great year, but on Sunday, his win at the 150th British Open at St. Andrews made his season historically significant. He woke up Monday morning ranked No. 2 in the world, a major winner and only the second golfer in history to win the Players Championship and British Open in the same year, joining Jack Nicklaus.

Golfweek talked with PGA Tour reps from Titleist to learn about the gear that Cameron Smith used at St. Andrews, what he looks for in his clubs and to discover any changes he made in preparation for this season’s final major. Here’s what we learned.

Can’t wait for the 2023 British Open? Here’s how you can attend the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club

Want to cross an item off the sports-vacation bucket list?

The 150th Open Championship has come and gone, and while Cam Smith will likely be reveling in the volume of the Claret Jug for days to come, the fans of links golf turn their attention to 2023.

It doesn’t get much better than the Old Course at St. Andrews for the British Open, but the 151st playing of the Open Championship will provide a worthy successor at Royal Liverpool.

Nearly 300,000 fans attended this year’s Open Championship, and you could be a part of the group attempting to break that record number in 2023.

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Holylake Links at Royal Liverpool Golf Club has provided some signature major winners including Walter Hagen, Bobby Jones, and more recently a couple of guys named Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

McIlroy won the most recent Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, cruising to a wire-to-wire win in 2014. Perhaps a familiar setting is just what Rory needs to earn another Gold Medal as the Champion Golfer of the Year.

Royal Liverpool packages include tickets and hotel accommodations for Thursday and Friday, tickets and hotel accommodations for Saturday and Sunday and tickets and hotel accommodations to all four days of the 2023 Open Championship.

Book the trip of a lifetime to enjoy the oldest major in golf, explore beautiful North West England, and maybe even play a round at the prestigious Royal Birkdale or Royal Lytham & St. Annes, two other nearby Open Championship courses.

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Best 150th Open Championship apparel and accessories

Suit up with some of the best apparel and accessories from the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews.

The British Open has come and gone. Cameron Smith was crowned the Champion Golfer of the Year, Tiger Woods had his curtain call and now with the final men’s major of the year under our belts, we turn our eyes to 2023 and wait for the azaleas to bloom, right?

Not so fast. Just move on from the 150th playing of the most storied major at the Home of Golf? How could you not want some of the coolest treasures that this special week at St. Andrews had to offer?

We’ve curated a list to help you take advantage of some of the best items made for the 150th Open Championship.

We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Golfweek operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

2022 British Open: Cameron Young shows at St. Andrews that he’s the real deal

Cameron Young is emerging as the latest American with a bright future.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – It’s time to start taking Cameron Young seriously.

The 25-year-old PGA Tour rookie is turning into the next Scottie Scheffler: he’s done everything but win. Of course, that likely is a matter of when not if for Young who is emerging as the latest American with a bright future.

Young posted a final-round 7-under 65 at the Old Course, including an 18-foot eagle at the last, to shoot 19-under 269 and finish second to Cameron Smith at the 150th British Open. It’s not often a player shoots four rounds under par, including a 64 and 65 and doesn’t hoist a trophy Sunday, but that was the case for Young.

“It probably hurts a little worse to come up one shot short,” Young said. “If you lose by eight you don’t really care. But, yeah, I played well today. I would have signed up for 65 this morning. And to watch Cameron shoot what he did (64), it was pretty amazing.”

So far this season, Young has recorded four runner-up finishes and twice tied for third, including at the PGA Championship. He entered the week ranked No. 32 in the world and 13th in the FedEx Cup standings. There’s nothing flukey about what the former Wake Forest product has achieved, and if he wasn’t already on Davis Love III’s short list for the U.S. Presidents Cup, he is now.

“The more I put myself there, I think I said at the PGA one of these times I’ll shoot 5-under on the back and that will be enough. And today I did, and it wasn’t,” he said. “So I guess one of these times I’ll shoot 6 on the back on Sunday and that will be enough.”

Young made bogey at the first and ninth holes on Sunday, but sandwiched four birdies in between to turn in 34. He tacked on birdies at Nos. 10, 13 and 14 before his eagle deuce at 18.

“I did everything I could,” said Young who tied for the lead momentarily at the last hole until Smith sank his tap-in birdie to seal the deal. “The way Cameron Smith chips and putts, I didn’t really think he would make a 4.”

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Cameron Smith deflects question if he’s heading to LIV Golf – ‘I just won the British Open, and you’re asking about that?’ – as rumor mill heats up for more big-name signings

The question seemed inevitable and yet Cameron Smith acted miffed that he was asked.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – The question seemed inevitable and yet Cameron Smith acted miffed that he was asked during his winner’s press conference to address rumors that the newly crowned Champion Golfer of the Year is on the verge of signing a deal to join LIV Golf, the upstart golf league.

“I just won the British Open, and you’re asking about that?” Smith responded. “I think that’s pretty, not that good.”

Pressed to answer the question and either confirm or quash such talk that has been circulating in golf circles all week, Smith instead did neither.

“I don’t know, mate,” he said. “My team around me worries about all that stuff. I’m here to win golf tournaments.”

LIV Golf kept a low profile this week, but the Saudi-backed league is expected to ramp up its spending spree with more high-profile signings. Among those expected to join LIV in the coming week may include Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, who earlier this year was named Europe’s Ryder Cup captain. Swedish newspaper Expressen was first to report the move, which likely would cost Stenson the Ryder Cup job and make England’s Luke Donald a leading candidate to assume the role.

When asked Friday after missing the cut at the Open to share his upcoming schedule, Stenson would only say, “Undecided.”

Stenson isn’t the only European Ryder Cupper to have his name bandied about as possibly headed to LIV Golf. Several player agents have said England’s Tommy Fleetwood is ready to make the jump. Fleetwood also was non-committal on his future tournament schedule.

“To be honest, I planned the schedule which got up to about now, and then we’ll just reassess and go again,” he said. “I’m happy with the progress I’m making.”

Not sharing one’s upcoming schedule, of course, doesn’t mean one is headed to LIV, but neither player gave any assurances that they planned to continue on with the PGA Tour or DP World Tour.

The other name that received a lot of mileage as shifting his allegiance to LIV is former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama. The Mirror reported he will announce his decision after the FedEx St. Jude Championship next month.

Gaining the Japanese star would be a boon for LIV’s efforts to gain an international TV deal, especially in Japan, where Matsuyama is a top attraction. He likely would become the captain of LIV’s Japan team just as Smith would likely take over the reigns as captain of a team of Australian golfers should he make the leap.

American Jason Kokrak, who has represented Golf Saudi, is also expected to confirm he’s joining LIV and will compete in the next event, which is being held July 29-31 at Trump Bedminster in New Jersey.

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Rory McIlroy on feeling the pain of coming up short at 2022 British Open: ‘It’s one that I feel like I let slip away’

“I felt like I didn’t do much wrong today, but I didn’t do much right either.”

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Rory McIlroy had said all the right things in his post-round press conference and with those duties complete, he slumped into a four-passenger golf cart and buried his head into wife Erica’s left shoulder and all the emotions came flooding out.

The 150th Open Championship, the one McIlroy labeled his Holy Grail earlier in the week, was his to win or lose. After sharing the 54-hole lead with Viktor Hovland, McIlroy had built a two-stroke lead with nine holes to go. The World No. 2 had his strut back this week and was playing chess against the fabled seaside links in a way that would have made past champions here like Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods proud. McIlroy could almost taste the alcohol he surely would have consumed from the Claret Jug once he regained possession of the winner’s trophy for the first time since 2014 and ended his nearly eight-year winless drought. Only problem is Cameron Smith of Australia had other plans and vaulted into the lead by reeling off five back-nine birdies in a row en route to shooting 8-under 64 at the Old Course. McIlroy, who closed in 2-under 70, two shots back, and finished in third, was left to wonder what more he had to do claim his elusive fifth major title.

“I’ll be OK,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s not life or death. I’ll have other chances to win the Open Championship and other chances to win majors. It’s one that I feel like I let slip away, but there will be other opportunities.”

British Open: Winner’s bag | Prize money

Except he didn’t look OK as he drove off. He rued failing to convert on birdie chances at Nos. 3, 6 and 9, which could have nipped Smith’s charge in the bud. McIlroy hit every green in regulation in the final round and had a wonderful sense of speed with his putter, but he picked a bad time for it to go cold. He didn’t make a single putt of consequence.

“I felt like I didn’t do much wrong today, but I didn’t do much right either,” he said. “It’s just one of those days where I played a really controlled round of golf. I did what I felt like I needed to just apart from capitalizing on the easier holes – around the turn, 9, 12, 14. If I had made the birdies there from good positions, it probably would have been a different story.”

This one will hurt because McIlroy knows he had every chance to step on Smith’s neck but with every birdie by Smith his confidence grew and the pressure on McIlroy tightened.

150th Open Championship
Rory McIlroy reacts after a putt on the sixth green during the final round of the 150th Open Championship golf tournament at St. Andrews Old Course. (Photo: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports)

“I can’t be too despondent because of how this year’s went and this year’s going,” he said. “I’m playing some of the best golf I’ve played in a long time. So it’s just a matter of keep knocking on the door, and eventually one will open.”

But despondent is what he looked like as he hid his face in his wife’s embrace. He finished second at the Masters, eighth at the PGA Championship, T-5 at the U.S. Open, and third at the Open – a banner-type year for Rickie Fowler in 2014 but for McIlroy it is close but no cigar. The end result is a failure and like Vesuvius he has to wait until April to begin the quest of pushing the ball up the mountain again.

It hurt because he admitted that he had dreamed of winning the 150th and allowed himself moments to look ahead and think about what it might be like to hold the trophy and be celebrated on the 18th green as the Champion Golfer of the Year.

“I’m only human. I’m not a robot. Of course, you think about it, and you envision it, and you want to envision it,” he said. “My hotel room is directly opposite the big yellow board on 18 there right of the first. And every time I go out, I’m trying to envision McIlroy at the top name on that leaderboard and how did that feel? At the start of the day, it was at the top, but at the start of tomorrow, it won’t be.”

It’s enough to make even one of the greatest golfers in the world bury his face in his wife’s warm embrace.

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Cameron Smith earns $2.5 million and the full prize money payouts for each player at the 2022 British Open at St. Andrews

It pays to play well in major championships, just ask Cameron Smith.

It pays to play well in professional golf tournaments, especially at major championships. Just ask this week’s winner, Cameron Smith.

The 28-year-old Aussie shot an 8-under 64 at the Old Course at St. Andrews in the final round of the 150th playing of the Open Championship to overcome a four-shot deficit and earn a one-shot win over Cameron Young to claim his first major title. Smith finished at 20 under to earn the top prize of $2.5 million, with Young taking home $1.46 million. Not a bad consolation prize.

Check out how much money each professional player made this week at the Open at St. Andrews (remember, no cash for the amateurs).

British Open: Winner’s bag | Cam to party with Claret Jug
Cashing in: Players to earn most money in a single PGA Tour season

Position Player Score Earnings
1 Cameron Smith -20 $2,500,000
2 Cameron Young -19 $1,455,000
3 Rory McIlroy -18 $933,000
T4 Tommy Fleetwood -14 $654,000
T4 Viktor Hovland -14 $654,000
T6 Brian Harman -13 $469,500
T6 Dustin Johnson -13 $469,500
T8 Bryson DeChambeau -12 $325,667
T8 Jordan Spieth -12 $325,667
T8 Patrick Cantlay -12 $325,667
T11 Sadom Kaewkanjana -11 $231,000
T11 Abraham Ancer -11 $231,000
T11 Dean Burmester -11 $231,000
T11 Tyrrell Hatton -11 $231,000
T15 Lucas Herbert -10 $165,583
T15 Xander Schauffele -10 $165,583
T15 Anthony Quayle -10 $165,583
T15 Francesco Molinari -10 $165,583
T15 Adam Scott -10 $165,583
T15 Si Woo Kim -10 $165,583
T21 Billy Horschel -9 $120,286
T21 Min Woo Lee -9 $120,286
T21 Trey Mullinax -9 $120,286
T21 Shane Lowry -9 $120,286
T21 Kevin Kisner -9 $120,286
T21 Matt Fitzpatrick -9 $120,286
T21 Scottie Scheffler -9 $120,286
T28 Tony Finau -8 $90,917
T28 Corey Conners -8 $90,917
T28 Harold Varner III -8 $90,917
T28 Will Zalatoris -8 $90,917
T28 Dylan Frittelli -8 $90,917
T28 Thomas Pieters -8 $90,917
T34 Thomas Detry -7 $68,906
T34 Robert MacIntyre -7 $68,906
T34 Talor Gooch -7 $68,906
T34 Lee Westwood -7 $68,906
T34 Sahith Theegala -7 $68,906
T34 Victor Perez -7 $68,906
T34 Jon Rahm -7 $68,906
T34 Aaron Wise -7 $68,906
T42 Sam Burns -6 $51,000
T42 Jason Kokrak -6 $51,000
T42 Thriston Lawrence -6 $51,000
T42 Adrian Meronk -6 $51,000
T42 Chris Kirk -6 $51,000
T47 Garrick Higgo -5 $40,600
T47 Patrick Reed -5 $40,600
T47 Jordan Smith -5 $40,600
T47 Yuto Katsuragawa -5 $40,600
T47 Joohyung Kim -5 $40,600
T47 Filippo Celli (a) -5 $0
T53 Joaquin Niemann -4 $35,656
T53 Danny Willett -4 $35,656
T53 Robert Dinwiddie -4 $35,656
T53 Lars Van Meijel -4 $35,656
T53 Justin Thomas -4 $35,656
T53 Paul Casey -4 $35,656
T53 Jason Scrivener -4 $35,656
T53 Brad Kennedy -4 $35,656
T53 Nicolai Højgaard -4 $35,656
T62 Cameron Tringale -3 $33,625
T62 Sebastián Muñoz -3 $33,625
T62 John Parry -3 $33,625
T62 David Carey -3 $33,625
T62 Ian Poulter -3 $33,625
T62 Russell Henley -3 $33,625
T68 Hideki Matsuyama -2 $32,525
T68 Sergio Garcia -2 $32,525
T68 Richard Mansell -2 $32,525
T68 Christiaan Bezuidenhout -2 $32,525
T72 David Law -1 $32,012
T72 Kurt Kitayama -1 $32,012
T74 Marcus Armitage E $31,762
T74 Justin De Los Santos E $31,762
T76 Wyndham Clark 1 $31,512
T76 Adri Arnaus 1 $31,512
T76 Aaron Jarvis (a) 1 $0
T79 Laurie Canter 2 $31,325
T79 Barclay Brown (a) 2 $0
T81 Sam Bairstow (a) 4 $0
T81 Sungjae Im 4 $31,200
83 Jamie Rutherford 8 $31,075

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