Drained Smith dreams of beach, margaritas

Golf superstar Cameron Smith dreams of sleep, the beach and margaritas after a spectacularly successful but sapping 2022 campaign. 

Smith on Friday blamed mental fatigue for the lacklustre showing that threatens to rob the Australian Open of its leading drawcard.

Smith faces an anxious wait to see if he makes the halfway cut after posting a second successive one-over-par round on Melbourne's sandbelt.

The world No.3 was hovering one shot below the projected cut line when the afternoon starters teed off for their second rounds.

Only the top 70 players and ties will secure a Saturday starting slot at Victoria Golf Club.

A four-time winner around the world in 2022, Smith confessed to being drained after enjoying an emotional and triumphant homecoming last week in Brisbane with a third straight Australian PGA Championship victory.

"I can't wait for sleep. I've played a lot more golf than I thought I would have at the start of the year," he said.

"I'm looking forward to four or five weeks off here and just kind of mentally reset.

"I think the brain has been going pretty hard the last few months so, yeah, it'd be good time to sit down on the beach somewhere and have a few margaritas."

He may yet have to wait, though, if the afternoon starters also falter.

But even if Smith miraculously survives Friday's cut, the 150th British Open winner would need to climb in to the top 30 on Saturday to make the Australian Open's first-ever second cut.

The double cut was contentiously introduced to accommodate the simultaneous running of the women's tournament for the first time ever.

And after mixing five bogeys with four birdies on Friday, Smith found himself trailing first-round leader David Micheluzzi by nine shots.

"That was pretty rubbish out there today," he said.

"I was just really uncomfortable all day, kind of similar to yesterday. I just couldn't quite hit the ball out the middle of the club face for some reason.

"My mind was a little bit foggy, obviously a little bit tired as well.

"But I need to play better than that, even when I am tired. It's probably the easiest this place is going to get."