Cameron Smith‘s 2025 season has been a rollercoaster, but it’s mostly been downhill. After missing the cut in all seven Official World Golf Ranking events he’s contested in, the 2022 Open champion now faces a tough week at the 2025 Crown Australian Open at Royal Melbourne Golf Club. It’s a chance to redeem a year that has otherwise been starkly disappointing for the major champion.

Speaking to the media, Smith was candid about his struggles. “On some reflection, I guess over the weekend, it was a bad tournament,” he said. “I didn’t play my best golf, but it does honestly feel like it’s right there. It’s super-frustrating. I can’t describe the feeling. It feels defeating, to be honest. It feels like I’m right on the cusp of where I should be and [I’m] not really getting anything out of it.”

Outside the majors, Smith has shown flashes in LIV Golf, with five top-10 finishes across 13 individual events, including a T-5 in Mexico City. Yet every other tournament has left him short, often failing to make it past the weekend. As he tees off at Royal Melbourne from December 4–7, all eyes will be on whether Smith can finally turn promise into performance, or if this season will end as the year of near misses.

This is a developing story..