Smith out first as Aussie nine target Open challenge
The 31-year-old Queenslander goes out just before 7am local time Thursday (15:57 AEST), the third group on the course, and the status of his playing partners - amateur Cayman Islander Justin Hastings and unheralded Englishman Marco Penge, underlines his fall from grace.
Smith, who switched to the LIV Golf circuit not long after winning at St Andrew's, has missed cuts at this year's Masters, US Open and US PGA and is now outside the world's top 200.
That is in part as LIV events don't garner ranking points, but his form has been modest on the rebel circuit too.
Jason Day, Australia's top-ranked golfer at No.30, goes out in the following group with Ryan Peake in the next. The former bikie gang member and convict will be in illustrious company, accompanying the West Australian is six-time major winner Phil Mickelson, who won the Open at Muirfield in 2013.
Other Australians paired with former Open winners are Lucas Herbert with Darren Clarke (2011) and Marc Leishman with Stewart Cink (2009).
Adam Scott plays his 97th consecutive major alongside Rikki Fowler while Elvis Smylie's three-ball includes Sergio Garcia.
Min Woo Lee is in a form group with Tyrrell Hatton and Russell Henley, both of whom made the top 10 in the US Open, while Curtis Luck is the last of the Australians onto the County Antrim links.
Ireland's two-time major winner Padraig Harrington will have the honour of striking the first tee shot at the 153rd Open Championship while local hero Rory McIlroy will tee off alongside American two-time major winner Justin Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood, who is bidding to become the first Englishman to hoist the Claret Jug since Nick Faldo in 1992.
McIlroy, 36, will be desperate to banish the ghosts of 2019, when his dream turned into a nightmare with a quadruple-bogey eight at the par-four opening hole after going out of bounds en route to a tournament-wrecking 79.
Xander Schauffele begins his title defence in a powerful group featuring Spain's Jon Rahm and this year's surprise US Open champion J J Spaun.
World No.1 Scottie Scheffler is in the next group alongside fellow American, 2021 champion Collin Morikawa, and Ireland's Shane Lowry, who romped to an emotional victory on this very Dunluce course six years ago.
Tee times could be crucial with heavy rain showers forecast for Thursday and the breeze expected to strengthen, that could make the scenic par-71 course, which has been left firm and fast by recent hot weather, much trickier for the later starters such as McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau and Lee..
FIRST ROUND (selected, AEST, Thursday unless stated)
15:57 Justin Hastings (Cay)*, Marco Penge (Eng), Cameron Smith (Aus)
16:08 Jason Day (Aus), Jacob Skov Olesen (Den), Taylor Pendrith (Can)
16:19 Phil Mickelson (US), Ryan Peake (Aus), Daniel van Tonder (SA)
16:52 Darren Clarke (NI), Lucas Herbert (Aus), Davis Riley (US)
18:58 Jon Rahm (Spa), Xander Schauffele (US), JJ Spaun (US)
19:09 Shane Lowry (Ire), Collin Morikawa (US), Scottie Scheffler (US)
20:26 Stewart Cink (US), Marc Leishman (Aus), Matteo Manassero (Ita)
21:09 Ethan Fang (US)*, Rickie Fowler (US), Adam Scott (Aus)
21:20 Laurie Canter (Eng), Sergio Garcia (Spa), Elvis Smylie (Aus)
23:37 Tyrrell Hatton (Eng), Russell Henley (US), Min Woo Lee (Aus)
23:48 Bryson DeChambeau (US), Robert MacIntyre (Sco), Justin Rose (Eng)
Friday 00:10 Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Rory McIlroy (NI), Justin Thomas (US)
Friday 01:05 Curtis Knipes (Eng), Curtis Luck (Aus), Daniel Young (Sco)
SECOND ROUND (selected, AEST, Friday unless stated)
15:35 Stewart Cink (US), Marc Leishman (Aus), Matteo Manassero (Ita)
16:08 Ethan Fang (US)*, Rickie Fowler (US), Adam Scott (Aus)
16:19 Laurie Canter (Eng), Sergio Garcia (Spa), Elvis Smylie (Aus)
18:36 Tyrrell Hatton (Eng), Russell Henley (US), Min-Woo Lee (Aus)
18:47 Bryson DeChambeau (US), Robert MacIntyre (Sco), Justin Rose (Eng)
19:09 Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Rory McIlroy (NI), Justin Thomas (US)
20:04 Curtis Knipes (Eng), Curtis Luck (Aus), Daniel Young (Sco)
20:58 Justin Hastings (Cay)*, Marco Penge (Eng), Cameron Smith (Aus)
21:09 Jason Day (Aus), Jacob Skov Olesen (Den), Taylor Pendrith (Can)
21:20 Phil Mickelson (US), Ryan Peake (Aus), Daniel van Tonder (SA)
21:53 Darren Clarke (NI), Lucas Herbert (Aus), Davis Riley (US)
23:59 Jon Rahm (Spa), Xander Schauffele (US), JJ Spaun (US)
Saturday 00:10 Shane Lowry (Ire), Collin Morikawa (US), Scottie Scheffler (US)
* denotes amateur
with Reuters
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
‘Knee cooked': Kyrgios blow before major return
Nick Kyrgios took a big step towards a potential US Open return after getting through his first ATP match since March with a doubles defeat at the DC Open but a singles return remains some time off after a knee 'niggle'. The former Wimbledon finalist has entered the re-imagined doubles at next months US Open where he'll team up with Naomi Osaka should his progression continue uninterrupted by any more injuries. It was only the sixth match of the year for Kyrgios, with the rabid basketball fan playing in front of NBA star Kevin Durant, having endured a horror run of injuries which included significant wrist surgery in 2023. Kyrgios, 30, tried to play doubles at the Australian Open in January, but was forced to retire in his opening match and has been sporadic in his playing ever since. But he's part of the crew of stars set to take part in the US Open doubles, with his protected ranking of 21 enough to get him on the official entry list for the final grand slam tournament of the year in New York. There won't, however, be any aningles in his immediate future as he continues to battle his body. 'I wanted to play singles, but six weeks ago I had a bit of a niggle with me knee,' he said. 'So it's just going to take a bit more time.' Kyrgios teamed up with Frenchman Gael Monfils at the DC Open, but went down in two sets to third seeds Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Hugo Nys after which he gave an update on his knee. 'Knee cooked but fans still f***ed with us,' he posted on Instagram. Fellow Aussie Alex de Minaur has entered the singles at the DC Open looking to put his Wimbledon disappointment behind him and start his US Open preparations and rebuild his own ranking having fallen to 13. 'Going into the tail end of the year, I'm excited for the opportunity and hoping I can play good tennis and take care of my chances,' he told 'I've got the experience now. I've got the knowledge, the physicality side of things. Everything is just there for me to go out and perform. 'I can really have a swing these next three or four years and really show that I'm at my peak and break through some barriers. 'I'm ready to go deep into tournaments. It's just up to myself to put those results right.'
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Alcaraz joins fellow big guns in sitting out Toronto
World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz is the latest big name to withdraw from the ATP Tour's Canadian Open, after Italian world No.1 Jannik Sinner and Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic also pulled out. Ahead of next month's US Open in New York, grand slam champions Sinner and Djokovic, along with world No.5 Jack Draper, announced on Sunday they would not be competing at the Toronto tournament, which goes from July 27 to August 7. "After many consecutive weeks of competition without rest, I will not be able to play in Toronto this year," Spanish star Alcaraz, who was beaten by Sinner in last month's Wimbledon final, posted on social media platform X on Monday. "I have small muscles issues and I need to recover physically and mentally for what comes next. To the tournament and to my fans in Canada I am very sorry, I will see you next year!" And it's not just in the men's game where injuries are affecting tournament line-ups. US Open organisers announced on Monday that Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen has withdrawn, two days after declaring she had arthroscopic surgery on her right elbow because of "persistent pain." The sixth-ranked Zheng was coming off a first-round loss to Czech player Katerina Siniakova at Wimbledon last month. The 22-year-old Chinese star enjoyed a remarkable run in 2024, capturing gold at the Paris Olympics and reaching the final of the Australian Open, but will miss the final slam of this year at Flushing Meadows, which begins on August 24. With the AP & Reuters
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Nick Kyrgios went down in his first tour match since March in a doubles clash in the US
Nick Kyrgios took a big step towards a potential US Open return after getting through his first ATP match since March with a doubles defeat at the DC Open with a singles return still some time off after a knee 'niggle'. The former Wimbledon finalist has entered the re-imagined doubles at next months US Open where he'll team up with Naomi Osaka should his progression continue uninterrupted by any more injuries. It was only the sixth match of the year for Kyrgios, with the rabid basketball fan playing in front of NBA star Kevin Durant, having endured a horror run of injuries which included significant wrist surgery in 2023. Kyrgios, 30, tried to play doubles at the Australian Open in January, but was forced to retire in his opening match and has been sporadic in his playing ever since. But he's part of the crew of stars set to take part in the US Open doubles, with his protected ranking of 21 enough to get him on the official entry list for the final grand slam tournament of the year in New York. There won't, however, be any aningles in his immediate future as he continues to battle his body. 'I wanted to play singles, but six weeks ago I had a bit of a niggle with me knee,' he said. 'So it's just going to take a bit more time.' There he is ðŸ'Š @NickKyrgios #MubadalaCitiDCOpen — Mubadala Citi DC Open (@mubadalacitidc) July 20, 2025 Kyrgios teamed up with Frenchman Gael Monfils at the DC Open, but went down in two sets to third seeds Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Hugo Nys. Fellow Aussie Alex de Minaur has entered the singles at the DC Open looking to put his Wimbledon disappointment behind him and start his US Open preparations and rebuild his own ranking having fallen to 13. 'Going into the tail end of the year, I'm excited for the opportunity and hoping I can play good tennis and take care of my chances,' he told 'I've got the experience now. I've got the knowledge, the physicality side of things. Everything is just there for me to go out and perform. 'I can really have a swing these next three or four years and really show that I'm at my peak and break through some barriers. 'I'm ready to go deep into tournaments. It's just up to myself to put those results right.'
