Cameron Smith cards opening nine-over to be tied 145th at British Open

In 2022, Cameron Smith was unstoppable on his way to winning the British Open at St Andrews, but his opening at Royal Troon was the painful opposite.

Things didn’t go well for Cameron Smith on day one of The 152nd Open championship at Royal Troon. Picture: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Revised expectations of a single-digit winning score at Royal Troon as the weather takes its toll may not be enough to save 2022 British Open winner Cam Smith after a “crappy start” ended with him at the wrong end of the leaderboard, carding a nine-over first round of 80.

While Adam Scott (70) and Min Woo (71) enjoyed their early tee times to keep themselves in contention, Smith battled in the afternoon, a triple-bogey seven at his second hole starting a spiral that left him languishing in a tie for 145th after his worst ever round in a major championship.

In trying wet and windy conditions only five players shot worse scores than Smith who finds himself 15 shots behind surprise leader, Englishman Daniel Brown and with work to do just to make the cut at the year’s final major.

“Just a bad day, really. I mean, if you had have told me yesterday that I was going to shoot that, I wouldn’t have said that was possible,” Smith said.

Cameron Smith had a bad day. Picture: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

“Just a bit of a crappy start and didn’t really manage to hole any putts when I needed to get back in it. It was just a bad day and some bad breaks, as well.”

Smith said he gave himself a boot in the “butt” after his second-hole calamity but didn’t get the recovery he was hoping for.

“There’s a couple of things that roll over in your mind just to boot you in the butt and get you thinking. But it was just a brutal day, really,” he said.

“I really was quietly confident this week after last week, and yeah, just a bad day.”

Jason Day, who will play in the Olympics after the Open, with a trip back to the US in between, said his wife always believed he played better in bad weather, and his one-over 72 left him well in contention.

“My wife calls me a mud runner. Typically, when the weather gets worse, I start playing a bit better,” he said.

“I actually dislike playing in bad weather, but I just feel like most people … their attitude just gets worse, and if you can kind of have a good attitude, you’ll play better in the end. Plus I’ve got a good short game, for the most part.”

Jason Day is a mud runner. Picture: Paul Ellis / AFP

Day said the weather could change everyone’s approach, and the winning score may not be the one everyone thought before the tournament.

“At the start of the week, you’re thinking 12, but it might be … if it stays at four and the wind kind of stays the way that it is, you’re most likely looking at single digits,” he said.

“So you’ve just got to kind of ease your way back in, don’t be silly and take yourself out of the tournament. Just get yourself into contention on Sunday, and then who knows what will happen on the back side.”

Of the other Aussies in the event, Elvis Smylie shot a five-over 76, while amateur Jasper Stubbs had an Open debut to forget, shooting the same score as Smith, a nine-over 80.