We get that Austin Smotherman is eager to win his first PGA Tour title. And he’s laser focused at hitting his targets to ensure he gives himself the best shot at lifting the 2026 Cognizant Classic trophy on Sunday evening. But he ended up damaging the cup while finding an accurate stroke on the PGA National Champion Course.

Underdog Golf shared a video of the effect on Smotherman’s accuracy on the course with a tweet that read, “Smotherman hits such a dart at 2 he damages the hole.”

Playing the par-4 second hole, his approach shot hit the bottom of the flag and bounced onto the top of the cup. It was hit with so much power that it ended up caving the curve around the cup in. The PGA Tour X account also shared a close-up view of the hole, which showed how it was damaged.

Smotherman was still at the top of the leaderboard at that point, tied with Shane Lowry. However, Taylor Moore had joined them after he had scored a birdie on the second hole. Thankfully, the 31-year-old’s accurate approach shot helped the ball land only 10 inches away from the cup. That was enough for him to get a birdie of his own.

Lowry failed to score under on the same hole and fell to T3 at that point. That would have given Smotherman the motivation to fight harder in his battle to win his first PGA Tour title.

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While his eagle-eyed accuracy may have gotten him an eagle on the second, Smotherman wasn’t able to maintain his form for much longer. And that put him at a disadvantage midway through his round.

Austin Smotherman may have gotten too desperate in the end

After making 81 PGA Tour appearances without a win, Austin Smotherman is finally making a run for the big money. However, he is still relatively inexperienced in high-pressure situations. This is the first time he has been a serious contender for a title on the Tour.

Not long after his brilliance on the second hole, Smotherman was finding it difficult to find the green accurately. He missed the target on the sixth hole and ended up scoring a bogey. With Nico Echavarria also in the competition now, he can’t afford to make such mistakes.

Smotherman did manage to recover with an eight-hole birdie. But he’s still sitting 1 stroke behind Echavarria’s 15-under par. With half a round to play, he needs to get back on track if he wants to win the $9.6 million event in Palm Beach this Sunday.