Add Category
Cameron Smith trusts history can still repeat itself after he discovered plenty of hay, sand and misfortune in a troublesome start to his British Open title defence at Hoylake.
- Defending champ Cameron Smith shot one over par, leaving him six shots behind the leaders
- Fellow Australians Adam Scott and Jason Day also struggled, joining Smith on a 72-shot round
- Min Woo Lee and Lucas Herbert led Australia's charge, both sitting on par for the round
Australia's champion shot a one-over par 72 on his return to defend the Claret Jug at Royal Liverpool, and finds himself already having to play catch-up after a calm day on the Dee Estuary designed for plenty of red figures.
Yet he reckoned he could take inspiration from having also had an over-par round at St Andrews last year before he went on to win the title.
That third-round 73 at the Old Course left Smith four off the pace, but he went on to record one of the great final rounds, a 64, to grab the title.
So he wasn't about to get too despondent about "one of those up-and-down days" on Thursday despite finding himself six behind the early leaders, insisting he can still go on and regain the "auld Jug" he gave back on Monday.
"Absolutely I can get back in this," said the 29-year-old, reminded of his Saturday shocker at St Andrews.
"Just a couple of good rounds, I should be right back in it. I don't feel like I'm out of the tournament."
But his big day, he admitted, had been "a little bit tricky" as four times he visited bunkers and on another eight holes ended scrabbling around in the rough.
"There was lots of good today for myself, but probably just as much or even more bad," he shrugged, still feeling he was in good shape after his recent win at Centurion on the LIV tour.
"Nothing really to work on, to be honest. It still feels really good."
Asked what it would take to change his fortunes, he smiled: "Geez, I don't even know. Probably just a little bit more commitment to some shots. That's really about it. The swing feels good. Saved a couple of pars there with some good putts (including a 12.8-metre monster to save par on the 14th) and everything is feeling really nice."
Smith thought he hit his best drives on the 16th and 18th, even though they both ended in fairway bunkers.
"Sums up links golf," shrugged the ever laid-back Brisbane star.
His illustrious compatriots all had their own trying days too, with Adam Scott enduring a final-hole calamity when he drove out of bounds, hitting a spectator who was left bloodied but fortunately not severely injured, and ended up taking a double-bogey seven which turned a sub-par round into a 72 alongside Smith.
Jason Day, the third of the Australian major-winning triumvirate, also shot 72, and was particularly frustrated by a double-bogey six at the 10th.
"It's the first day, so I'm not going to get too disappointed by it," he shrugged.
It left Min Woo Lee and Lucas Herbert, who both shot level-par 71s in very different fashion, as the leading Australians.
Herbert was joint-leader in the morning at three under when he became the first victim of the troublesome newly-created, short 17th hole, taking a triple-bogey six after failing to extricate himself from a pot bunker at the first attempt.
Lee had his double-bogey disaster on the third but was delighted at how he recovered to end up birdieing the last alongside Australian amateur Harrison Crowe, who, like Scott, finished with a seven.
Along with his fellow Aussie debutants Haydn Barron (74), David Micheluzzi (77), Travis Smyth (78) and Connor McKinney (76), Crowe (76) was set for an uphill battle to make the cut.
AAP
Loading