Cameron Smith unhappy after being put on the clock twice, says it impacted his Australian Open campaign

Cameron Smith has expressed frustration after being put on the clock twice at the ongoing ISPS Handa Australian Open. The second round concluded on Friday, November 29 at the Kingston Heath Golf Club and Victoria Golf Club.

Smith carded 6-under 65 in the first round and tied for fourth. He continued his performance in the front nine of the second round. On the first hole of the second day, he scored an eagle. He scored three birdies on the 3rd, 5th, and 6th holes.

However, the back nine was a nightmare for the 2022 Open Championship winner. He scored three bogeys on the par-4 10th, par-5 12th and par-3 14th. He also committed a double bogey on the par-4 16th. He finished the day with an even par-72 and slipped to T16. After the round, he expressed unhappiness over being put on the clock (via News Australia):

"I don’t get put on the clock too often. I feel like we do a pretty good job. There is a common denominator there that’s a little bit slower, but, yeah, no, it’s not something I like, because I feel like I’m a pretty fast place player as it is. So being put on the clock is just another thing. I feel like I do my best out there to play as quick as I can, and then I feel like I’m running around."

Cameron Smith is now eight shots behind the leader at the Australian Open, Lucas Herbert. However, he's still optimistic about his chances:

"It's rough, but, you know, there’s still a lot of golf to be played, and I think that’s the way we got to look at it. And, you know, be aggressive out there, but also be quite patient, because there is a lot of birdies out there."

Ahead of the tournament while talking to Golf Australia, Smith said that if he thought about tournaments he hadn't won, the Australian Open and the Masters were probably the top two. He hoped to win them both soon.

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A look at Cameron Smith's performance in 2024

Cameron Smith has had a great 2024 season. He finished seventh in the LIV Golf standings this year. In 13 starts, he had three runner-ups and seven top-10 finishes. His three runners-up finishes came at LIV Golf Singapore, LIV Golf United Kingdom, and LIV Golf Hong Kong. His other notable performances include a T6 at the Masters tournament and a T6 at LIV Golf Andalucía.

Here's a look at Cameron Smith's performance in the 2024 season:

2024 LIV Tournaments

• LIV Golf Mayakoba: T8
• LIV Golf Las Vegas: T15
• LIV Golf Jeddah: T41
• LIV Golf Hong Kong: 2-y
• LIV Golf Miami: Withdrawn
• LIV Golf Adelaide: T14
• LIV Golf Singapore: T2
• LIV Golf Houston: T48
• LIV Golf Nashville: T9
• LIV Golf Andalucía: T6
• LIV Golf United Kingdom: T2
• LIV Golf Greenbrier: T8
• LIV Golf Chicago: 52

2024 PGA TOUR Tournaments

• Masters Tournament: T6
• PGA Championship: T63
• U.S. Open: T32
• The Open: Missed Cut

2023-24 DP World Tournaments

• Fortinet Australian PGA Championship: Missed Cut
• ISPS Handa Australian Open: T17