Cameron Smith made his LIV Golf debut in Boston a few weeks ago, eventually tying for fourth. He’s 18 holes away from winning his first event on the Saudi-backed circuit just outside of Chicago at Rich Harvest Farms.
The Australian’s lone bogey of the day came at the par-5 11th but five birdies scattered throughout the rest of his card had him signing for a second-round 4-under 68 after opening the event with a 66. He’s 10 under and leads by three.
Smith’s last worldwide win came at the 150th Open Championship.
LIV Chicago: Leaderboard
Three shots behind him is Dustin Johnson, who stumbled to a 2-over 74 after firing a first-round 9-under 63 Friday. A bogey at No. 3 and a double at No. 4 put him behind the eight ball and he didn’t do enough down the stretch to make up for the lost strokes.
If Johnson comes from behind Sunday to win, he’ll be the first multiple-time winner on the LIV Golf Series.
Peter Uihlein is tied with Johnson at 7 under, while Laurie Canter and Charl Schwartzel are tied for fourth at 6 under.
If you’re attending the event in the Windy City on Sunday and want to give back, LIV is donating $1000 to charity for every fan who receives Smith’s mullet haircut.
On the team side, the 4 Aces GC leads Punch by one shot, with Smash GC lurking two shots back.