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Gender-weighted cut axes star Cameron Smith from Australian Open

A dejected Cameron Smith hangs his head in dismay after another missed shot. <i>Photo: Getty</i>

A dejected Cameron Smith hangs his head in dismay after another missed shot. Photo: Getty

Cameron Smith’s wildly successful 2022 season is over after the tournament drawcard failed to do enough to make the Australian Open’s contentious second cut.

Smith posted a one-under-par 69 at Victoria Golf Club on Saturday, the world No.3’s best round of the week.

But he was still sitting at one over for the tournament and three shots outside of the projected cut line of two under.

Only the top 30 players and ties after Saturday’s third round will secure a Sunday tee slot.

Breaking with more than a century of Australian Open tradition, the double cut was only introduced this year to free up enough fairway space for a final round featuring both men and women for the first time.

The 2022 Australian Open is the first dual-gender national championship in the world.

But the radical innovation has come at the expense of the new Pied Piper of Australian fairways, with Smith easily the highest-profile casualty.

The 150th British Open champion made an early charge, picking up two birdies on his outward nine to reach the turn at even par.

But a bogey on the par-4 third hole, his 12th of the day after starting on the 10th, proved the beginning of the end for Smith.

Elusive birdies

Despite hearty and vocal support from the big gallery following his every shot, Smith was unable to buy another birdie down the stretch.

He was sharing 52nd spot when he signed his scorecard, nine shots behind co-leaders Adam Scott and David Micheluzzi, who were scheduled to tee off at 1.45pm AEDT.

Smith won’t officially be cut until after the completion of Saturday’s third round.

But he has no chance of adding a fifth victory of the year to his successes at the PGA Tour’s Sentry Tournament of Champions, the Players Championship, the Open at St Andrews and last week’s Australian PGA.

-AAP

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