Needing to shoot a low score to survive into the weekend after 2-over 73 on day one, Smith is in massive trouble at 6-over with only seven holes remaining.

Erratic off the tee and unable to get anything going with his short game, the defending champion made bogey at the fourth, sixth and ninth holes.

With the cut likely to be around 1-under, Smith will need to find something special to avoid an early exit from his home tournament but with the wind picking up in Brisbane, his prospects look slim.

His playing partner Min Woo Lee was having no problems at all, making four birdies on the front nine to get to 11-under, before dropping a shot at the 10th.

Two-time winner Scott rolled in six birdies to get the outright lead at -11 after 12 holes, one ahead of Lee.

Scott almost made an albatross at the short par-4 12th, hitting the pin with his drive.

The clubhouse lead is currently shared by two players – Lucas Herbert and Curtis Luck – at 8-under.

Herbert made up for a sloppy start by picking up four shots in his last five holes, while Luck aced the 125m party hole with a perfectly struck wedge.

“Once I saw it land, I was pretty confident that it was going to stick pretty close and then obviously I think it might have just spun back a little bit back in the hole. So, pretty electric stuff,” Luck said.

“My wedge play this week particularly has been unbelievable but I think playing out there on that Tour you sort of almost get a bit like, you don’t realise how good you’re wedging it because everyone seems to wedge it so good out there.

“Then I’ve come here and I’m wedging it amazingly.”

LEE’S PERFECT START, HOLE-IN-ONE ON PARTY HOLE

Min Woo Lee has made a perfect start to his second round at the Australian PGA to grab the outright lead at Royal Queensland.

Playing in the same group as defending champion Cameron Smith, Lee birdied the opening hole when he spanked his drive down the middle of the fairway then pitched to within four feet of the pin.

Fresh from winning the Macau Open, the in-form Lee then made another birdie at the third hole to get to 9-under, one clear of Lucas Herbert, Curtis Luck and Spaniard Joel Moscatel, who was yet to tee off after shooting a course record 63 on Thursday.

Luck — who lived up to his name with an ace at the 125m ‘party hole’ with a gap wedge — birdied the last for a second successive 67 to climb up the heavily congested leaderboard.

Adam Scott put himself in contention for a third Australian PGA title when he birdied the third and fourth holes to reach 7-under.

Needing to shoot a low score to make the cut after a poor first round, Smith parred the first three holes to remain at 2-under.

Herbert, playing in one of the morning groups when conditions were ideal for low scoring, dropped three shots in his first five holes before storning home with birdies in four of his last five holes to card a 68 after a 66 on day one.

“If the wind picks up and stays like it is this afternoon, I’m definitely happy sitting at home having a nap rather than being out here and fighting that,” Herbert said.

“Look, Min Woo could go and shoot 65 this afternoon but I still think I’m in a good spot. I could be leading into tomorrow. I still think I’m in a good spot.

“We’ll see where it lands at the end of the day, but realistically, I’ve just got to give

myself a chance with nine holes to go on Sunday. That’s all that matters really at the

moment. You can kind of be in any position.”

WHERE’S THE BEER SHOWER? LUCK NAILS HOLE-IN-ONE AT PARTY HOLE

There was no beer shower for Curtis Luck when he nailed a hole-in-one at the Australian PGA’s party hole early on Friday morning.

The purpose-built grandstands surrounding the short par three were sparsely populated when the 27-year-old West Australian got the perfect amount of spin from his gap wedge off the tee.

A sellout crowd of 3000 fans are expected to fill those same stands at Royal Queensland across the weekend when a similar effort could get the same treatment as Chase Koepka when he nailed an ace at the “watering hole” during the LIV event in Adelaide in April.

But Luck had to settle for some enthusiastic applause and a high-five from a young fan as he walked to the 18th tee.

His effort helped lift Luck to towards the top of the leaderboard and he was six-under, just two behind Spanish leader Joel Moscatel, as he started his back nine.

Party holes have become a must at golf tournaments looking to both attract more fans and take the game forward, copying the success of the Phoenix Open in the US, which attracts tens of thousands to the huge grandstands lining the 16th hole.

Adelaide’s inaugural LIV event was highlighted by Koepka’s stunning effort and the resultant celebrations with he and his player partners surrounded by beer cups after nailed the first and only hole-in-one during the tournament at the Grange Golf Club.

There were about 200 people in the stands. Luck, who plies his trade on the US Korn Ferry Tour, gave his hole-in-one ball to Theo Smith, the four-year-old son of his caddie Duane Smith.

Theo’s mother, Australian professional golfer Sarah Jane Smith, was also among the “party hole” spectators fortunate enough to see Luck’s ace.

SMITH VOWS TO GO ON ATTACK AFTER ‘CRAPPY’ START

Cameron Smith has vowed to go full-out attack to avoid the unthinkable idea that he could miss the cut at the $2 million Australian PGA, his most successful home tournament.

Smith has won three of the last five editions in his home state of Queensland but the defending champion is facing an uphill battle to make it into the weekend after shooting an opening round of 73 — which he labelled ‘terrible’ and ‘crappy’.

That left him tied for 109th heading into today’s second round at Royal Queensland, and almost certainly needing to shoot a sub-par round to survive with only the top 65 players making the cut.

The 150th British Open champion, Smith admitted he had a shocker in the first round and started to lose confidence.

“It was getting to the point out there where it was just hard to really just commit to a shot,” he said.

“I felt like I was over the ball not knowing what I was going to do, which is a pretty bad place to be in on a golf course, especially when you’re trying to beat these guys.”

Playing in the same group as fellow Aussie Min Woo Lee and Scottish Ryder Cup hero Bob MacIntyre, Smith is due to tee off in his second round at 12:10 (AEDT) after being up at the crack of dawn on Thursday.

Lee posted eight birdies in his opening round of 64 to finish the first day one shot behind surprise leader, unheralded Spaniard Joel Moscatel, whose sparkling 63 equalled the course-record.

Lee spent Thursday night celebrating at a concert with US rapper Post Malone, and wants one of his songs aired whenever he plays the ‘party hole’ — the rowdy 17th at Royal Queensland.

There were only a few early starters there on Thursday but it should be a full volume on Friday afternoon and over the weekend.

“I know if it is to its full potential it will be crazy,” Lee said.

Two-time Australian PGA winner Adam Scott was also looking forward to an animated reception at the party hole after getting a little extra sleep after being in the first group at 6am on Thursday.

Australia’s lone Masters champion will also tee off around lunchtime Friday, playing in the group ahead of Smith, with a little rain and wind forecast.

“I’ve played in plenty of squalls here and there. I’m just happy to have played a solid round and starting on the right foot anyway,” he said.

Originally published as Australian PGA: Day 2 leaderboard live, latest news