Cameron Smith has endured another hometown horror show, the three-time Australian PGA champion fading badly to card a four-over 75 and miss a seventh straight cut.
The local hope began his Friday round on the projected cut line at two under and had early looks at birdies, but twice left his ball on the lip of the cup.
After dipping below the line with a bogey on the 11th hole, a scrambling Smith watched par putts slide by on the 13th and 14th in miserable scenes at Royal Queensland Golf Club.
He made an eight-footer for birdie at the 17th party hole to offer a glimmer of hope, but then missed the 18th green and three-putted for a double-bogey to seal his fate.
He finished two over and a distant cry from a clogged leaderboard headed by early clubhouse leader Brett Rankin, Kazuma Kobori, Wenyi Ding and Anthony Quayle, who all had at least one hole to play, at nine under.
Rankin, seven under through 18 holes, earned the clubhouse lead at nine under despite a double-bogey on his penultimate hole.
He was later joined by 2023 champion Min Woo Lee, who made six birdies before a bogey on the last put him one shot back.
Cameron Davis, Daniel Hillier, Marc Leishman and Marco Penge (seven under) are all within striking distance on a crowded leaderboard, while Ryan Fox dropped three late shots to sit at five under.
Adam Scott (six under) is lurking thanks to a long birdie putt on the 17th, defending champion Elvis Smylie (two under) rallied to make the cut, but European drawcards Joaquín Niemann (even par) and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (five over) both struggled.
Smith endured one of his worst days as a pro to miss the cut at Royal Queensland in 2023, in tears after shooting a seven-over-par 78 on the Friday.
But he returned last year to finish runner-up, then lost a play-off at the Saudi International soon after.
That form deserted him, the former world No.2 and 2022 Open Championship winner the only player to miss the cut at all four majors this year.
He then fell short at his next two tournaments and will arrive in Melbourne for next week’s Australian Open on a winless streak that’s approaching two-and-a-half years.
Playing partner Lee, who broke through for his maiden US PGA Tour win this year, was immune to the carnage as he regularly picked up shots, and Davis showed no signs of rust in his first tournament since an early PGA Tour exit in August.
Leishman roused earlier in the day, chipping in for eagle from the seventh bunker then taking driver from the fairway to set up birdie in a thrilling three-hole sequence to finish his round.
The 42-year-old former Greg Normal Medal winner has never won a major Australian title, but pledged to stay bold in his quest for one.
“We’re golfers and entertainers and I really enjoy entertaining, whether it’s a driver off the deck or a cool, spinning bunker shot,” Leishman said.
“Playing the way you’d play at home – not careless shots, just fun shots and taking on pins in different ways.
“I’m battling the whole time and trying to take it on … to get to a lot of the pins that some people can’t.”
