Cameron Smith was once at the top of the professional golf world, but the 2022 Open Championship winner has experienced nothing but pain and frustration on the links lately.
The former world number 2 entered the Australian BMW PGA Championship, a home event, this week hoping to complete a missed streak that includes all four major championships this season. Smith missed the cut at last week’s Saudi International and would have missed the cut at the Dunhill Links had it not been shortened due to weather.
The 32-year-old opened with a two-under 69 and put himself in line to make the cut at Royal Queensland before things were undone in Friday’s second round.
Smith birdied No. 2 to get to three under, but then dropped shots at four, 11, 13 and 14 to sink below the cut line. With four holes to go, the Ripper GC frontman had to make a furious charge to play the weekend, but he played the last four holes at one over par to go home for the weekend.
After the second round, Smith described the shock he felt with another missed cut.
“Yes, it was st,” said Smith, via Golf Digest Evin Priest from Australia. “If you had told me this morning when I was warming up that this was going to happen, I would have told you something different. I don’t know, I just don’t know. I’m so confused. I felt good, very confident and just couldn’t get anything going. It was weird. I was between clubs a lot today. I hit some bad shots that I wish I could have done again. I drove the ball well… hit a lot of nice shots. Hard lies killed me today …and then I couldn’t do it anymore.”
Cam Smith is known for his laid-back personality, but it’s clear that the golf rut he’s found himself in has taken its toll.
“It can definitely get into your head, I think it’s in my head; it’s just frustrating,” Smith said. “It’s been my story of the year. I feel like I’ve worked hard all year and haven’t gotten 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 the right things, for whatever reason, it doesn’t come together on the course.”
Smith’s quest to rediscover his game will continue next week at the Australian Open on Royal Melbourne’s Composite course. It’s a quest that fellow Australian Adam Scott believes it could end soon. In golf, one swing can create a run.
“If you’re as good as he is, obviously he can do it too, and it’s one swing, one chip, one putt here or there, and the momentum changes and the confidence can grow quickly in a hole or two, you know?” Smith said, through priest. “It’s just four good swings and two putts in a row and sometimes it’s very difficult to do that, but that’s the way it goes and I have no doubt he can do that.”
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