Cameron Smith has fought again tears describing his worst day as a professional golfer, the native favorite capturing a seven-over 78 to overlook the reduce in his Australian PGA Championship defence.
Whereas Min Woo Lee and Adam Scott are primed for a title shootout, the three-time occasion champion Smith could have the weekend off to ponder what went fallacious in Brisbane.
He began 10 pictures off the lead on Friday at Royal Queensland however slid additional behind.
A double bogey at 10 and bogeys on the ultimate two holes lowered him to 9 over for the match, nicely behind the one-under reduce line and 21 pictures behind chief Lee (12 below) in equal-148th place.
The previous world No.2 mentioned he could not bear in mind a worse day on the golf course as a professional.
“Yeah, no phrases. S–t,” Smith mentioned whereas choking again tears.
“I’ve carried out below strain earlier than and it isn’t acceptable, a bit upsetting truly.
“I do know what I am doing, it is simply going on the market and committing to one thing is one other factor.”
Smith missed putts, sprayed drives, discovered bunkers and once more left irons quick, the 2022 British Open champion shaking his head at what’s believed to be his worst spherical in match golf.
Good showings in Brisbane and at Sydney’s Australian Open subsequent week have been essential for Smith, who as a LIV Golf member has restricted probabilities to spice up his rating and earn choice for subsequent yr’s Paris Olympic Video games.
Smith completed second within the LIV Golf season that concluded a month in the past and was additionally runner-up in his solely different look since, at this month’s Hong Kong Open.
“I hope I can get it collectively for subsequent week and placed on a greater present than that,” he mentioned, earlier than spending the following quarter-hour signing autographs and posing for photographs with followers.
In the meantime, Lee (66) and Scott (65) traded birdies to maneuver clear at 12 and 11 below respectively.
“It is golf, that occurs and subsequent week I am certain he’ll bounce again, it is what good gamers do,” Lee mentioned of his out-of-sorts taking part in associate.
“With household and mates, in his hometown … a number of drinks and loosen up for subsequent week.”
John Lyras carded a spherical of 67, backing up his opening-day 65 to be outright third at 10 below.
An ace on the seventeenth celebration gap helped Curtis Luck (67) to eight below and a share for fourth with Lucas Herbert (68) and in a single day chief Joel Moscatel Naschshon (71).
Lee matched his Thursday haul of 4 birdies on the entrance 9 to assert an outright lead at 11 below earlier than a bogey on the tenth.
Scott had an eagle putt on the seventh gap roll narrowly by after which an iron strategy for eagle bounce out of the ninth cup.
However the 2013 Masters champion birdied each of these and made two extra lengthy birdie putts, earlier than a birdie on the tenth took him to 10 below and equal-first.
It continued on the twelfth, Scott’s drive to the 292m par 4 hitting the flag and bouncing out, earlier than his eagle putt additionally rimmed out.
Scott nonetheless made birdie to assert an outright lead for the primary time, however Lee answered with clutch putts down the stretch to edge forward once more.
Earlier, Herbert revived his marketing campaign with six birdies after rapidly dropping three pictures to complete eight below and Cameron John (65) matched Scott’s spherical to be seven below.
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