Cameron Smith was spotted having a blast at the Australian PGA Championship on Saturday, particularly after he scored a birdie on the Party Hole at Royal Queensland Golf Club. Amidst his remarkable performance in the second round of the 54-hole tournament—which was shortened due to Friday's rain delay—no moment stood out more than when he conquered the 17th on Saturday.
The hole, transformed into a stadium-like atmosphere for the event, saw the crowd erupt in cheers as Smith's perfect tee shot left him a mere six feet away from a birdie.
The Party Hole concept, though recently associated with LIV Golf and their Australian event in Adelaide, has been embraced by the DP World Tour. Smith, a LIV Golf member and captain of the Ripper GC, seemed right at home amidst loud music encircling the green.
His putt sailed smoothly into the hole, prompting another wave of applause from onlookers, with Smith himself celebrating by gesturing to crank up the music.
Post-round, Smith couldn't hide his joy: "It was nice to get a birdie their on 17, the Party Hole. That was pretty cool," he beamed.
Smith, a LIV competitor, made seven birdies in the second round, shooting a six-under 65 to tie for the lead with just 18 holes remaining. He's neck and neck at 10-under with fellow Aussie Elvis Smylie, but Smith is tipped as the favourite heading into the final round.
The former Open champion is on the hunt for his first win of 2024 and his fourth Australian PGA Championship title. Smith has always relished playing golf in his homeland, and this week appears to be no different, particularly after Saturday's performance.
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"It was nice," said Smith. "It was a better day today, which always puts a smile on your face and obviously the golf was pretty good as well. Started really solid and kind of kept it going the whole way through. Maybe a few kind of errant shots there at the end, but you kind of expect that throughout round of golf. So yeah, pretty solid, all in all."
Looking forward to an exhilarating third round, he added: "It is awesome. This what you want to do as an Australian. Be in contention at your home events and I have been fortunate to have in the last couple. I haven't quite got it done yet so hopefully tomorrow will bring better things and hopefully I can go out there and just play like I did today."
