BRISBANE, Australia – After shooting a 78 in the second round, Cam Smith slumped to nine shots on Friday, falling 21 strokes off the pace and missing out on a spot in his Australian PGA Championship title defense.
Lee Min-woo, who shot a 5-under 66 on Friday, was in the lead at 12 under at the halfway point, followed by Adam Scott, who shot a 65 in the second round, in second place at 11 under.
Local favorite Smith was 2 over after the first round, but the 2022 British Open champion suffered a double bogey, six bogeys and his only birdie in the second round, only to fall further out of contention. was.
He missed the cut by nine strokes and said he doesn’t remember playing a worse round as a professional.
“Oh, there are no words,” Smith, one of LIV Golf’s stars, emotionally said of his performance. “I’ve performed under pressure before and it’s not acceptable. I’m actually a little upset.”
John Rylas was third on 10 under, while the other two Australians, Lucas Herbert and Curtis Luck, were fourth on eight under, behind Spain’s Joel Moscatel.
Luck had an ace on the 17th, posting a second-round 67, and last night’s leader Moscatel, who opened with a 63 to match the course record, had a 71 on Friday.
Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino was also among the three players at 7 under par.
The tournament will be held at the Royal Queensland Golf Club, the proposed golf venue for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.
Smith missed putts, struggled with his driver and hit an iron short on the riverside course.
He recovered after 4 over, but made a double bogey on the 10th hole, almost ending his chances of defending his title.
He is scheduled to compete in the Australian Open in Sydney next week.