Cameron Smith was once on top of the professional golf world, but the winner of the 2022 Open Championship found only pain and frustration recently on the links.
The former world No. 2 entered the Australian BMW PGA Championship, a home event, this week hoping to end a failed streak that included all four major championships this season. Smith missed the cut at last week’s Saudi International and would have missed the cut at Dunhill Links had it not been shortened due to weather conditions.
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The 32-year-old opened with a 6-under 69 and put himself in contention to qualify at Royal Queensland before things unraveled in Friday’s second round.
Smith birdied No. 2 to move to three under, but then dropped shots at four, 11, 13 and 14 to fall below the cut line. With four holes remaining, the Ripper GC leader was expected to make a furious charge to play the weekend, but he played the final four holes in one over par to return home for the weekend.
After the second round, Smith described the shock he felt at another missed cut.
“Yeah, it was shit,” Smith said, via Evin Priest of Golf Digest Australia. “If you told me this was going to happen this morning, when I was warming up, I would have told you otherwise. I don’t know, I just don’t know. I’m so confused. I felt good, really confident and I just couldn’t do anything. It was weird. I was between clubs a lot today. I hit a few bad shots that I wish I had again. I drove the ball well… hit a lot of good ones Hard lies killed me today…and then I couldn’t go up and down.
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Cam Smith is known for his laid-back personality, but it’s clear the golf rut he’s found himself in has taken its toll.
“It can definitely cross your mind, I think it’s in my head; it’s just frustrating,” Smith said. “That’s my story of the year, I feel like I worked hard all year and didn’t get anything out of it. I know what the answer is, it’s just keep working hard and try to be patient. I’ve tried to do everything right, but for some reason it’s not coming together on the course.”
Smith’s quest to rediscover his game will continue at next week’s Australian Open on the Composite Course at Royal Melbourne. This is research that my fellow Australian Adam Scott thinks this can end quickly. In golf, a single swing can start a run.
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“When you’re as good as him, of course he can, and it’s a swing, a chip, a putt here or there, and the momentum changes and the confidence can grow quickly in a hole or two, you know? Smith said, via Priest. “It’s just about stringing together four good swings and two putts in a row and sometimes it’s very difficult to do that, but that’s how it works and I have no doubt he can do it.”
Smith’s last victory came at LIV Bedminster in August 2023. His last non-LIV victory came at the 2022 Australian PGA Championship.
The position ‘In my head’: LIV star Cam Smith baffled by poor form after another missed cut appeared first on Golf.
