Adam Scott grabbed a share of the lead at the Australian Open with a sparkling seven-under 63 today as headline act Cameron Smith scraped in above the cut after another messy round on Melbourne's 'Sandbelt'.
Major winner Hannah Green led the women's component of the inaugural dual gender event after firing a six-under 66 at Victoria Golf Club, with South Korea's former world number one Shin Jiyai lurking two shots behind.
With his putter on fire on a sun-drenched afternoon, 2009 champion Scott capped his bogey-free round by curling in an eagle putt from off Victoria's 18th green to trigger a huge roar from the gallery.
The former world number one strutted to the clubhouse two strokes adrift of overnight leader David Micheluzzi, but the unheralded local surrendered the outright lead with bogeys on 16 and 18 at Kingston Heath, the other of the two courses in play.
Scott and Micheluzzi, who shot a second round 71, were tied on an eight-under total of 134, three strokes ahead of American Gunner Wiebe, New Zealand's Josh Geary and Western Australian Haydn Barron.
Irishman Conor Purcell shot 72 to slip back to two under but was still in a share of 16th.
After a bogey-strewn 71 at Kingston Heath on Thursday, Scott said he toned down the aggression."I really felt like I had to .... not take any chances, not push anything. If it was tricky at all, to play safe," he said. "I executed most of the day."
A wayward Smith teed off in the morning and flirted with an early exit as he laboured through a second consecutive one-over round.
His 73 at Kingston Heath on Friday was weighed down by five bogeys, leaving him right on the cut-line at two-over.
With a second cut after Saturday leaving only the top 30 players for Sunday, Smith has plenty of ground to make up.
Melbourne has been a big come-down for Smith after claiming his third Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane on Sunday, a triumphant return home after three COVID-interrupted years.
"I think it's just kind of all hit me at once and just got a little bit tired," said Smith, whose new fame as a major winner has turned his life upside down in Australia.
"Yeah, a lot's changed in the three years since I've been here. Just going to shops and dinner and stuff is a lot different. It gets frustrating at times, but it is what it is."
Australian Green also finished with a flourish, rolling in birdies on the 16th and 18th after an eagle on the par-four 15th to keep Shin (68) at bay.
"I felt like I hit pretty much everywhere I wanted to," said Green, the 2019 Women's PGA Championship winner.
British Open champion Ashleigh Buhai shot a 69 at Kingston Heath to be four strokes behind Green in a group on seven-under with South Korea's former world number one Ryu So-yeon (69).
Home favourite Minjee Lee, the world number four, was two shots further back on five-under after a 70 at Kingston Heath.
