Australian PGA: Cameron Smith misses cut after day two nightmare, full leaderboard

Australia’s top-ranked golfer Cameron Smith was reduced to tears after he missed the Australian PGA cut by nine shots following one of the worst rounds of his professional career.

A devastated Cameron Smith broke down in tears after his Australian PGA title defence ended with a shocking early exit when he missed the cut by nine shots.

Smith was inconsolable after posting one of the worst rounds of his professional career — a seven over par 78 — following a horror second round where he made six bogeys and a double.

Needing to shoot under par in his second round just to make it into the weekend, Smith finished the tournament at 9-over par, among the bottom 10 players in the 156-player field.

When Smith spoke to the media just after signing his card, he was so overwhelmed with emotion that he began sobbing and struggled to talk.

“It’s shit,” he said.

“I’ve performed under pressure before, it’s just unacceptable.”

The British Open champion last year, the sight of Smith’s game unravelling - and his emotional breakdown - was as distressing as it was unexpected from the flamboyant Queenslander.

Smith during his disastrous second round. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Erratic off the tee, inaccurate with his approach shots, the most obvious sign that was seriously amiss was when his normally impeccable short game started to falter.

One of the best clutch putters in the game, he just couldn’t get anything going and was at a complete loss to explain what had gone wrong after trudging off the final green after closing with two more bogeys .

“I actually had a really good range session yesterday and I was actually feeling pretty good this morning as well,” he said.

“And then just for whatever reason I just couldn’t commit to what I was doing...there was a lot of sneaky pins and I just got on the wrong side a bunch of times and was trying to do a bit too much I think.

“I know what I’m doing. It’s just like going out there and committing to something is another thing. So, it’s very frustrating.”

Smith’s next assignment is the Australian Open, starting in Sydney on Thursday.

He has made no secret of the fact he’s desperate to win his national open but is now just hoping he can regroup in time.

“I guess that’s the positive, two weeks in a row. You got a few more days to prepare and sort some stuff out,” he said.

“I’m definitely getting a bit tired towards the end of the year, but that’s golf, that’s not really an excuse.

“Australia’s been so good to me even when I have been tired so there’s no reason to really perform that way. I just hope that I can continue next week and put up at least a better showing than that.”

LEE’S PERFECT START, HOLE-IN-ONE ON PARTY HOLE

Min Woo Lee has made a perfect start to his second round at the Australian PGA to grab the outright lead at Royal Queensland.

Playing in the same group as defending champion Cameron Smith, Lee birdied the opening hole when he spanked his drive down the middle of the fairway then pitched to within four feet of the pin.

Fresh from winning the Macau Open, the in-form Lee then made another birdie at the third hole to get to 9-under, one clear of Lucas Herbert, Curtis Luck and Spaniard Joel Moscatel, who was yet to tee off after shooting a course record 63 on Thursday.

Luck — who lived up to his name with an ace at the 125m ‘party hole’ with a gap wedge — birdied the last for a second successive 67 to climb up the heavily congested leaderboard.

Adam Scott put himself in contention for a third Australian PGA title when he birdied the third and fourth holes to reach 7-under.

Needing to shoot a low score to make the cut after a poor first round, Smith parred the first three holes to remain at 2-under.

Herbert, playing in one of the morning groups when conditions were ideal for low scoring, dropped three shots in his first five holes before storning home with birdies in four of his last five holes to card a 68 after a 66 on day one.

“If the wind picks up and stays like it is this afternoon, I’m definitely happy sitting at home having a nap rather than being out here and fighting that,” Herbert said.

“Look, Min Woo could go and shoot 65 this afternoon but I still think I’m in a good spot. I could be leading into tomorrow. I still think I’m in a good spot.

“We’ll see where it lands at the end of the day, but realistically, I’ve just got to give

myself a chance with nine holes to go on Sunday. That’s all that matters really at the

moment. You can kind of be in any position.”

WHERE’S THE BEER SHOWER? LUCK NAILS HOLE-IN-ONE AT PARTY HOLE

There was no beer shower for Curtis Luck when he nailed a hole-in-one at the Australian PGA’s party hole early on Friday morning.

The purpose-built grandstands surrounding the short par three were sparsely populated when the 27-year-old West Australian got the perfect amount of spin from his gap wedge off the tee.

A sellout crowd of 3000 fans are expected to fill those same stands at Royal Queensland across the weekend when a similar effort could get the same treatment as Chase Koepka when he nailed an ace at the “watering hole” during the LIV event in Adelaide in April.

But Luck had to settle for some enthusiastic applause and a high-five from a young fan as he walked to the 18th tee.

His effort helped lift Luck to towards the top of the leaderboard and he was six-under, just two behind Spanish leader Joel Moscatel, as he started his back nine.

Party holes have become a must at golf tournaments looking to both attract more fans and take the game forward, copying the success of the Phoenix Open in the US, which attracts tens of thousands to the huge grandstands lining the 16th hole.

Curtis Luck nailed a hole-in-one at the Australian PGA’s party hole early on Friday morning.

Adelaide’s inaugural LIV event was highlighted by Koepka’s stunning effort and the resultant celebrations with he and his player partners surrounded by beer cups after nailed the first and only hole-in-one during the tournament at the Grange Golf Club.

There were about 200 people in the stands. Luck, who plies his trade on the US Korn Ferry Tour, gave his hole-in-one ball to Theo Smith, the four-year-old son of his caddie Duane Smith.

Theo’s mother, Australian professional golfer Sarah Jane Smith, was also among the “party hole” spectators fortunate enough to see Luck’s ace.

SMITH VOWS TO GO ON ATTACK AFTER ‘CRAPPY’ START

Cameron Smith has vowed to go full-out attack to avoid the unthinkable idea that he could miss the cut at the $2 million Australian PGA, his most successful home tournament.

Smith has won three of the last five editions in his home state of Queensland but the defending champion is facing an uphill battle to make it into the weekend after shooting an opening round of 73 — which he labelled ‘terrible’ and ‘crappy’.

That left him tied for 109th heading into today’s second round at Royal Queensland, and almost certainly needing to shoot a sub-par round to survive with only the top 65 players making the cut.

The 150th British Open champion, Smith admitted he had a shocker in the first round and started to lose confidence.

“It was getting to the point out there where it was just hard to really just commit to a shot,” he said.

“I felt like I was over the ball not knowing what I was going to do, which is a pretty bad place to be in on a golf course, especially when you’re trying to beat these guys.”

Playing in the same group as fellow Aussie Min Woo Lee and Scottish Ryder Cup hero Bob MacIntyre, Smith is due to tee off in his second round at 12:10 (AEDT) after being up at the crack of dawn on Thursday.

Cameron Smith endured a rough start to his Australian PGA Championship defence. Picture: Getty Images

Lee posted eight birdies in his opening round of 64 to finish the first day one shot behind surprise leader, unheralded Spaniard Joel Moscatel, whose sparkling 63 equalled the course-record.

Lee spent Thursday night celebrating at a concert with US rapper Post Malone, and wants one of his songs aired whenever he plays the ‘party hole’ — the rowdy 17th at Royal Queensland.

There were only a few early starters there on Thursday but it should be a full volume on Friday afternoon and over the weekend.

“I know if it is to its full potential it will be crazy,” Lee said.

Two-time Australian PGA winner Adam Scott was also looking forward to an animated reception at the party hole after getting a little extra sleep after being in the first group at 6am on Thursday.

Australia’s lone Masters champion will also tee off around lunchtime Friday, playing in the group ahead of Smith, with a little rain and wind forecast.

“I’ve played in plenty of squalls here and there. I’m just happy to have played a solid round and starting on the right foot anyway,” he said.