Cameron Smith's offered for a third progressive Australian PGA Championship title got off to a rough start on Thursday as the twofold safeguarding hero drooped to a two-more than 74 at the Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast.
The world No. 53 will begin the second cycle seven strokes uncontrolled of countrymen Lucas Herbert and Brett Rankin, who each opened with five-under-standard 67s to lead the A$1.5 million ($1.02 million) occasion co-endorsed by the European Tour.
Smith, who began the tenth gap, plunged down the leaderboard in a frightfulness run of three openings with a twofold intruder on the second and consecutive intruder at the third and fourth.
Smith said weariness had an influence in his poor round following a major week at the Presidents Cup where he was an individual from the International group that lost to the United States at Royal Melbourne on Sunday.
"I'm simply drained," he told correspondents.
"Only a long couple of weeks and it was as simple as it will get out there toward the beginning of today, so it was quite frustrating to shoot what I shot."