It’s been a rough week at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open for LIV Golf star Cameron Smith, who made his displeasure known about course conditions, hoping to build off a second-place finish at the recent Australian PGA Championship.
The Aussie Open, which is being held at Kingston Heath and Victoria Golf Club, has presented some slower conditions after wet weather swept through the region, but Smith said he thought organizers were using the rain as a cop-out.
“The weather down here the last couple of weeks has been pretty good, I know they got some rain over the weekend and again this morning. But I’ve played down here in rain before and it’s still been like that the next day,” Smith said before the event started. “So, I think that’s a bull—- excuse, to be honest. think it’s been prepared like this for a reason and it’s now how these golf courses are meant to be played.”
After an opening round 65 that had him near the top of the leaderboard, Smith fell apart on the back nine while playing Kingston Heath. His group was warned about slow play and Smith shot a 41 on the back in falling to an even-par 72.
“It didn’t seem like we were playing that slow, and it felt like we were just rushing,” Smith said after the second round. “I made some really poor choices mentally, I think, that led to a few bogeys. You kind of get on that train in that wind and it’s not a good spot to be in.”
In the third round, things got even worse. Thanks to three bogeys, the 2022 Aussie Open winner made the turn at 38 and he didn’t fare any better on the back, finishing with a 76 that has him down to a tie for 49th place.
Lucas Herbert struggled in the third round with an even 72, but still holds a piece of the 54-hole lead in the event with American Ryggs Johnston. Both are 14 under. By virtue of a 64 in the third round, Joaquin Niemann is in a five-way tie for third at 12 under.
