Cameron Smith’s opening round at The Open began in disastrous fashion on Thursday, with his first tee shot landing just 140 metres into the rough, a baffling duck hook. Despite this rocky start, Smith rallied to finish as the top-performing Australian, carding a 1-over 72 to sit five strokes off the lead alongside fellow Australian Adam Scott.
Starting in the third group of the day at 7am local time, Smith appeared momentarily flummoxed by his first shot. He managed to recover with a punch-out back to the fairway and ultimately two-putted for a bogey. Unfortunately, he followed that with another bogey on the fourth hole. However, he bounced back with a birdie on the seventh, only to lose ground again with a double bogey on the 9th, making the turn at 3-over.
The second half of his round saw a significant improvement as he played the back nine without a single bogey, shooting 2-under par and demonstrating a renewed commitment to his shots. Reflecting on his challenging start, Smith noted that the sheltered practice range had given him a false sense of security, leading to a lack of commitment on his initial swing.
Meanwhile, Adam Scott faced his own challenges and ultimately finished one over par after a bogey on the last hole. Scott contended with adverse weather conditions, especially while playing during the tougher morning stretch. He managed to record birdies on the 7th, 12th, and 13th, but bogeys on the 4th, 10th, and 11th prevented him from breaking par. He expressed the difficulties of playing aggressively under such challenging links conditions, acknowledging that while he was not out of contention, tomorrow’s play would be crucial.
Trailing Smith and Scott, Australian players Jason Day and Marc Leishman were positioned at 2-over. Lucas Herbert and Min Woo Lee followed at 3-over, while others, including Australian PGA winner Elvis Smylie, found themselves at 4-over, Ryan Peake at 6-over, and Curtis Luck at 9-over. The second round of the tournament is set to commence Friday afternoon (AEST).