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Cameron Smith could be heading for the Australian Open exit gates after the tournament favourite slipped further down the leaderboard on day two in Melbourne.
Smith's one-over-par 71 on Thursday left the superstar world No.3 a distant eight shots off the pace entering the second round and needing to make up ground to avoid the halfway chop.
Instead he carded another lacklustre one-over on Friday - this time a 73 at the co-hosting Kingston Heath course - to be hovering one shot below the projected cut line.
Smith was languishing in a tie for 80th at two over when he signed off, with only the top 70 players and ties to secure a Saturday tee time.
No Smith in weekend action would be a hammer blow to Open officials.
A four-time winner around the world in 2022 and coming off his third Australian PGA Championship victory, the 29-year-old was the tournament's major drawcard.
The 150th British Open champion arrived in Melbourne as a hot favourite to complete a prestigious summer double.
Alas, Smith - seemingly sapped after his emotional and triumphant homecoming last week in Brisbane - mixed another five bogeys with four birdies on Friday.
He finished his round nine shots behind first-round leader David Micheluzzi, who was due to tee off in the afternoon at Kingston Heath.
Even if scores blow out and Smith miraculously survives Friday's cut, he would need to climb in to the top 30 on Saturday to make the Open's first-ever second cut, which has been introduced to accommodate the simultaneous running of the women's tournament.
Josh Geary reduced Micheluzzi's three-stroke overnight advantage to two shots with a one-under 69 at Victoria on Friday.
But the rest of the Victorian's morning chasers struggled to make any major inroads.
Haydn Barron and Frenchman Pierre Pineau were both one under for the day late in their second rounds and sharing third spot.
PGA Tour star Lucas Herbert, at two under, and former world No.1 Adam Scott, at one under, were among the big guns with afternoon starts.
