There have been no world rating factors on supply however Cameron Smith saved his greatest for final in his 2023 homecoming when he and Adam Scott carved up the course on the Cathedral Invitational because the fledgling match continued to make an imprint on the summer time schedule.
Being staged for simply the second time on the Greg Norman-designed Cathedral Lodge course about three hours’ drive from Melbourne, this 12 months’s line-up has three main champions in Smith, Scott and 2006 US Open winner Geoff Ogilvy, and officers are formidable concerning the development of the occasion.
The presence of Smith’s LIV teammate Marc Leishman and an growing calibre of feminine gamers this 12 months, highlighted by rising stars Grace Kim and Steph Kyriacou, who completed tied for fifth finally weekend’s Australian Open in Sydney, gives further kudos to the two-round match that has $300,000 in prizemoney.
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Chasing an excellent finish to the 12 months and the $100,000 winner’s cheque, Scott took his final-day kind from the Open, when he grabbed the lead earlier than an out-of-bounds drive cruelled his possibilities, to the signature Victorian structure to equal the course file with 10 birdies and a double bogey in an eight-under spherical of 64.
Smith, who was pissed off after lacking the reduce on the Australian PGA however improved with 16 birdies throughout 4 rounds on the Open combined with 10 bogeys, lapped up the right scoring situations and the tamer environment on Tuesday.
He obtained in on the birdie motion to nail eight and had only a single bogey in his spherical of seven-under 65 to take a seat just under Masters champion Scott after the primary spherical.
Ogilvy additionally turned again the clock with a bogey-free spherical of six-under 66 to offer the match an unbelievable opening-round leaderboard.
Scott, who performed within the inaugural occasion in 2022, has excessive hopes for the expansion of the match, which organises hope will turn into a mainstay on the Australian {golfing} panorama.
“We actually shouldn’t be afraid of taking a couple of possibilities on issues and seeing the way it works out,” Scott mentioned.
“We’re fairly gradual within the golf business typically to make modifications. I’ve to credit score anybody who’s keen to take an opportunity … and I feel this can be a nice likelihood to let this occasion develop organically via phrase of mouth.”
The Cathedral Invitational will conclude on Wednesday.
LEADERBOARD
8-under – Adam Scott
7-under – Cameron Smith
6-under – Geoff Ogilvy, Jeffrey Guan
5-under – Jasper Stubbs (a), Daniel Gale, Gabriela Ruffels