Australian PGA Championship: Reigning champion Cameron Smith makes an emotional exit from tournament
Min Woo Lee shot a five-under-par 66 to move to 12 under and leads fellow Australian Adam Scott by a shot; Spaniard Joel Moscatel Nachshon equalled the course record when he shot a 63 in the first round and is still in contention at eight-under after a 71
Friday 24 November 2023 17:30, UK
Reigning champion Cameron Smith made an emotional exit at the Australian PGA Championship on Friday after he missed the cut by nine shots.
The former Open champion carded a second-round 78 to finish nine over in his home city of Brisbane and took out his frustrations with a swing at his bag.
Min Woo Lee shot a five-under-par 66 to move to 12 under and leads fellow Australian Adam Scott by a shot.
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"Australia's been so good to me even when I have been tired so there's no reason to really perform that way. I've performed under pressure before, it's just unacceptable," an emotional Smith said.
"I just got on the wrong side a bunch of times and was trying to do a bit too much I think, it's very frustrating."
Former US Masters champion Scott sunk back-to-back birdies at the third and fourth holes, lipped out with his approach shot at the 10th and narrowly missed out on an albatross when his tee shot pinged off the flag at the 12th.
"It's always nice to have a bogey-free round, I probably haven't had many of them this year," said Scott, who won the title in 2013 and 2019.
"I feel like my swing from the tee to the green is feeling better than it has for a while and that's a nice thing for me."
Australian counterpart, John Lyras, was in third place on 10 under after carding 67 to move two shots clear of compatriots Lucas Herbert (68) and Curtis Luck (67), the latter firing his round with an early hole-in-one at the par-three 17th.
Joel Moscatel Nachshon equalled the course record when he shot a 63 in the first round and is still in contention at eight-under after a 71.