Cameron Smith has hit out at his compatriot and playing partner Elvis Smylie for putting their group on the clock in the second round of the Australian Open at Kingston Heath.
Smith, 31, raced out the blocks in the second round with an eagle on 1 followed by birdies at 3, 5 and 6 to charge to the top of the leaderboard.
But then as his group – which included last week’s Australian PGA champion Smylie and PGA Tour pro Victor Perez – was put on the clock at the start of the back nine, the wheels flew off for Smith.
The Open champion of 2022 was extremely infuriated of being timed and it clearly reflected on him as he bogeyed 10,12 and 15, and ended up with a doubly bogey at the 16 ^{th} .
It witnessed Smith get wiped off all his good early work on the front nine to record a level-par 72.
Smith is now nine strokes behind the contenders and heading into the weekend his compatriot and fellow LIV Golf player Lucas Herbert is at 15-under-par.
After the round, Smith when asked about his group being put on the clock suggested that it was all due to Smylie, who get the better of him at the Australian PGA last Sunday.
Smylie and Smith were also on the clock during that tournament as well
Cameron Smith fuming with playing partner Elvis Smylie.
“I don’t get put on the clock too often, I feel like we do a pretty good job, but there is a common denominator there that’s a little bit slower,” said a frustrated Smith.
“It’s not something I like because I feel like I’m a pretty fast paced player as it is, so being put on the clock is just another thing. I feel like I did my best to play as quick as I can, and I feel like I’m running around.
“I just made a couple of poor choices. We got on the clock there and it didn’t seem like we were playing that slow, and it felt like we were just rushing. Made some really poor choices mentally, I think, led to a few bogeys. You, kind of, get on that train in that wind and it’s not a good spot to be in.”
Smith was then asked if he would speak to Smylie about speeding up his pace of play on the golf course, to which he replied: “It’s not my job to…”
He added: “I think there’s better ways to go about that stuff, but that’s another topic.”
Elvis Smylie fires back at Cam Smith criticism.
The slow play warning most certainly did not disrupt Smylie’s game, however, as the talented 22-year-old Australian fired an 8-under 64 to vault into contention for back-to-back wins on the DP World Tour.
Smylie now finds himself at 9-under par in T3 heading into the weekend.
He very much considers Smith one of his idols.
But Smylie also considers their slow play warning in the second round was not all down to him.
It’s a group thing, it’s not an individual,” said Smylie.
“I feel like I do a very good job whenever I am in the position when I have to keep up with the pace of play.
Well, I think I did a really good job of just trying to concentrate on what I have to do and not worry about the rest of the team’s pace when we were falling behind. I was just attempting to warm up and walk to the ball, ensure I did routine, procedure and be ready for the ball as soon as I got there to enable me maintain the pace.
For me I wasn’t really too concerned what Victor and Cam were doing, but 8-under today? I am more than happy. But it has certainly boosted me up to the top of the leaderboard and looking forward to the next two days.”
Smylie added of the slow play warning by tournament officials: However, I basically said, ‘Well I just got into an assertive speed with it.’ I still did a really good job of it and you can see that I went through my routine and process. Still, when you are put on the clock, you definitely get a lot more nervous.”
Smith’s latest barbs arrive just days after he criticised the greens at Kingston Heath in Melbourne.
Smith, who earlier this week announced on social media that his wife Shanel is pregnant with their first child, said the course was ‘soft and slow’.
When Golf Digest’s Evin Priest put it to the golfer that that could be attributed to heavy rainfall, Smith snapped back: “That’s bull—-“.
Speaking to the publication, he said: “It’s seems there’s been a lot of water and it’s not exactly what I was expecting.”
>The courses are immaculate but ironically play like completely different game to as they were intended and that is quite frustrating.
This was to be my first time playing in Melbourne and I had been following the weather here and I could not wait to get on firm and fast Sandbelt.