CAMERON SMITH had to fight back the tears when he handed back the Claret Jug yesterday - but told his mates: "It'll only be a week and we'll be drinking out of it again."
Emotion got the better of Smith when he returned one of sport's most iconic trophies at the start of the 151st Open week at Royal Liverpool.
And as the countdown to Thursday's opening round continued (Patrick Reed, Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy, above), Smith said: "It's nice to be back. I just had to hand back the trophy there. I thought I was going to do all right but I was actually holding back from tears.
"A bit of a moment, I guess, that crept up on me."
This story is from the July 18, 2023 edition of Irish Daily Mirror.
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This story is from the July 18, 2023 edition of Irish Daily Mirror.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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