Lee Leads Scott as Smith Misses Cut at (78)

In a stunning turn of events, Cam Smith, the defending champion of the Australian PGA Championship, failed to make the cut after a disappointing second round left him at 9-over for the tournament, a whopping 21 shots behind the leader.

Meanwhile, Min Woo Lee surged into the lead with a stellar 5-under 66 in the second round, finishing at 12-under for the halfway mark. Hot on his heels was Adam Scott, sitting at 11-under after a remarkable 65 on Friday.

The hometown favorite, Smith, struggled to find his footing, finishing 2-over after the first round and sliding further down the leaderboard with a disastrous second round that included a double-bogey, six bogeys, and only one birdie.

Expressing his frustration, Smith admitted, “I’ve performed under pressure before and it’s not acceptable, a bit upsetting actually.”

John Lyras claimed third place at 10-under, with Australians Lucas Herbert and Curtis Luck and Joel Moscatel of Spain sharing fourth place at 8-under. Luck’s hole-in-one on the 17th hole propelled him to a second-round 67, while Moscatel, who set a course record in the first round, had a 71 on Friday.

Japanese golfer Rikuya Hoshino was part of a trio of players at 7-under, as the tournament unfolded at the Royal Queensland Golf Club, the proposed site for the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane.

Struggling with his putting, driver, and irons, Smith’s hopes of a title defense were dashed as he finished the front nine at 4-over and ultimately missed the cut by nine strokes. His next event is the Australian Open in Sydney.