The Australian didn't make it to Sunday at his national open, but that was one of his few mistakes on the course this year.

Cam Smith missed what was the first-ever 54-hole cut at the Australian Open - mainly because he didn't believe he'd make the 36-hole cut.

Smith, the reigning British Open champion, was even par through 36 holes and believed it would not be enough to get him into the weekend rounds in Victoria.

“I got to the pub quite quickly (after the second round) and I was probably a few beers too deep,” he said. water for the rest of the night."

Smith shot a 69, but it was two strokes too many. The Australian Open, which also included a women's singles event, introduced a 54-hole limit of just 30 players to the final round.

It was a disappointment for Smith, who had won the Australian PGA Championship a week earlier in this homecoming after three years.

But it couldn't detract from an amazing year when he won the Players Championship and the Open at St. Andrews in a five-win season.

Smith said afterward that he was looking forward to some time off and spending the holidays with his family. "It's been a busy 12 months,".