The Punter's De-brief: McNealy wins dramatic RSM Classic

• Impressive Elvis wins in style Down Under

• McNealy gets off the mark on the PGA Tour

• Read my Australian Open preview here

The 8/19.00 pre-event favourite, Cam Smith, and Elvis Smylie, who was generally a 70.069/1 chance before the off, began the final round of the Australian PGA Championship tied for the lead and trading at 2.8415/8 and 6.411/2 respectively.

Smith could barely have started the fourth round better and, having stiffed his approach to tap in range on the opening hole, the 2022 Open champion was matched at a low of 1.8910/11. That was as good as it got for the 31-year-old Queenslander.

Smylie, who has described Smith as one of his mentors, knocked his approach shot in close too. After both men had recorded birdie threes at the first, the 22-year-old backed his up with another at two to take the lead.

Smith drew level again with a birdie at three, but he played his next six holes in one-over-par (two birdies and three bogeys) as the left-handed youngster played his first seven holes in four-under-par to assume command.

Smylie led by three as they made the turn, and after four brilliant par saves in-a-row, the result was never in doubt.

FOUR par saves in a row for Elvis Smylie to maintain his three shot lead #AusPGA pic.twitter.com/xdErR40IaQ

-- DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 24, 2024

Smith closed the gap to two at the end with birdies at 15 and 17 (after he'd bogeyed the 14^th) but the well backed youngster was always in command.

Smylie had been backed for plenty at 120.0119/1, when the market first opened, but he was a popular pick. It will be interesting to see what price he goes off at this week at the Australian Open.

Maverick gets off the mark

Over on the PGA Tour, pre-event 42.041/1 chance Maverick McNealy and Vince Whaley began the final round of the RSM Classic two clear of the remainder and trading at 3.55/2 and 5.04/1 respectively. Although Whaley soon lost ground with a double bogey at five and a bogey at eight, McNealy was matched at just 1.654/6 when he birdied the eighth to go two clear of the remainder.

The amateur, Luke Clanton, who had been a 75.074/1 chance before the off, closed the gap to a stroke with back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11. Nico Echavarria came with a run from off the pace top get to within one when he birdied the 13^th. Daniel Berger drained a monster birdie putt at 11 to also get to within one of McNealy, who holed a lengthy putt of his own on the 11^th to save par.

Pre-event 90.089/1 chance, Echavarria, who I backed at 50.049/1 when he trailed by four with a round to go, drew alongside McNealy with a birdie at the par five 15^th and he led on his own after McNealy had bogeyed the 14^th.

Matched at a low of 3.1511/5, Echavarria hit a great drive at the par four 16^th and he would have been matched at lower had he not missed the 16^th green from just 100 yards out.

Echavarria saved par from a tricky spot below the 16^th green but momentum swung in favour of Clanton when he holed for birdie to draw alongside the Colombian.

Berger and McNealy both found the green in two at the par 15^th and it looked odds-on that we'd very soon have a four-way tie at the top, but it wasn't to be.

McNealy and Berger both missed short birdie putts and, after matching pars at the par three 17^th, Clanton and Echavarria both hit great tee shots at the 72^nd hole.

The door was opened wide for Clanton when Echavarria missed the green long, but he then pulled his approach into the greenside bunker.

Echavarria hit a poor chip to around 10 feet. Clanton's bunker shot ran six feet past the hole but he was still matched at a low of just 1.674/6 when the Colombian missed his par save.

With the final group still on the 17^th tee, level with Echavarria in the clubhouse at -15, Clanton looked likely to be the second amateur to win on the PGA Tour this season, following Nick Dunlap's win at The American Express in January. But Clanton missed the par save left and we had a four-way tie again.

McNealy was back at the head of the market and, after Berger had missed his birdie attempt from 15 feet at 17, McNealy was matched at odds-on again. But he too missed from 11 feet.

It looked odds-on that we'd witness a seventh playoff at he RSM Classic in 15 years. But just as I was readying myself for some extra-time trading, McNealy hit this stunning approach.

185 yards 5 feet

Maverick McNealy hits a CLUTCH approach and will have a birdie putt on the 72nd hole.

: GOLF Channel pic.twitter.com/IDl6j4I44D

-- PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 24, 2024

Having played his previous nine holes in one-over-par, McNealy was perhaps slightly fortunate to still be in the hunt but you couldn't fault either the drive or the approach on the 72^nd hole. He cooly stepped up and holed the birdie from five feet to win by one.

McNealy one for the stats backers

McNealy was the fourth 54-hole leader or co-leader to win the RSM Classic in the last five years and, at 29-years-old, he was the sixth winner in-a-row to be aged at 30 or below.

He was also the fourth winner in-a-row to be getting off the mark on the PGA Tour and that's a strong trend now given he was the 10th first time winner in the last 13 years.

There's no PGA Tour action this week but we'll be back a week on Thursday with the Hero World Challenge and we do have some DP World Tour action this week from Down Under again with the Australian Open which I've previewed.

Now read my Australian Open preview here

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