The first cut is the deepest.
Cameron Smith vowed to return in a year and make amends for squandering a golden opportunity after a heartbreaking free-fall from Masters contention to his first ever missed cut at Augusta National.
Smith, the 2022 British Open winner, had never missed the cut in eight starts at the Masters since debuting in 2016. Of those, Smith had registered five top-10s including a T-2 in 2020 and T-3 in 2022.
On Friday (Saturday AEST), Smith was flying in the second round when he birdied the short, par-4 third to climb within five shots of the lead. He then proceeded to bogey the par-3 sixth and par-4 10th before a double-bogey at the par-4 11th. Three more bogeys on the back nine sealed Smith’s fate as he signed for a 78. At five-over Smith was assured to miss the cut.
But the affable Queenslander fronted up to Australian Golf Digest after the round. He was shaken, but reiterated his love for Augusta National.
Asked was it a bitter pill to swallow, Smith said :”Yeah it is; I don’t feel like I did that much wrong there and don’t really know what to make of it. “The wind … didn’t quite get it right on a few shots. Didn’t hole any putts. It’s a bit rough but it is what it is.”
Smith was bewildered as to how his round sank, but the ball-striking deserted him hitting just seven greens in regulation and eight of 14 fairways.
“We did a really good job of committing to shots and doing al the right stuff but it just didn’t really work out. I just got nothing out of it,” he said.
The 31-year-old vowed to come back in 2026 and give the green jacket another try.
“I still love the place, I don’t think there’s any bad feelings there,” he said. “I’ve had rounds like this before here and it can just come up and bite you. I can’t wait to get back [next year] and do a bit better job.”
