The Queenslander heads into the final round four strokes adrift of 54-hole co-leaders Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland after a lacklustre one over 73.

Having ridden his hot putter to the top of the leaderboard after 36 holes with rounds of 67-64, Smith couldn’t buy a putt for most of the round after making his first three-putt of the championship on the 1st green. It was his first dropped shot since failing to get up-and-down from behind the 11th green in the opening round.

Having seemingly made every putt he looked at in the second round – when he made an incredible 253-feet of putts – he grew frustrated over the course of the front nine as one birdie try after another slipped by the cup or pulled up short.

His only birdie on the outward nine came at the short par-4 9th, the easiest hole on the course this week, when he nailed his driver 331 yards onto the green and two-putted for birdie from 52 feet.

Then he copped his first real bad break of the tournament when his drive on the difficult par-4 13th flew left on the wind and across the adjoining 6th fairway. His ball trickled to a stop just outside a pot bunker that left Smith with a stance nearly two-foot below the ball.

Cam Smith rues another missed putt, this time for birdie on the 18th hole. PHOTO: Getty Images.

He compounded this bad break by trying to grip down on a long iron to hit over gorse bushes between him and the green some 160-170 yards away. Instead, the shot finished in gorse, as did his attempted recovery and, ultimately, he pencilled in a double bogey that saw him drop to 11 under.

Smith bounced back with a birdie at the next hole and parred back to the clubhouse, having missed an opportunity to move within three shots of the leaders with a birdie putt from 11 feet on the closing hole.

“The golfing gods weren’t with me today. I felt like I hit a lot of good putts with nothing really dropping,” Smith said.

“I stuck in there pretty good and I hit the ball pretty good. It’s probably actually the best I’ve hit it all week. Had lots of opportunities, just no putts were dropping which was quite frustrating.”

History remains on Smith’s side as no player has come from more than four shots back after 54 holes to win the Open Championship at St.Andrews. 

That is history that birthday boy Adam Scott is hoping to re-write with hopes of chasing a record-braking final round to surge into contention.

Adam Scott found trouble early in his third round. PHOTO: Getty Images.

Scott dropped shots on the front nine but fought back with some brilliant ball-striking and putting on the inward half. He turned what was a likely 74 or 75 into a very good two under 70 with four birdies. He will start the final round seven shots off the lead.

That might be a mountain to climb, but the now 42-year-old believes if he can run hot early in his final round “you just never know” what might happen.

“I'm playing plenty of good golf out there. There was lots of good stuff. I putted well again today, and unfortunately a couple of my good putts lipped out instead of going in. It just wasn't all going my way, but tomorrow will,” Scott said.

“But I need to get out of my own way as much as possible tomorrow heading out. If it's possible to attack a couple of pins, maybe attack a couple pins and have a bit of fun and try and shoot 6- or 7-under somehow on the front nine and put myself in the mix with nine to go … you never know.

Is a 10 under 62 realistic?

“It is. I mean, I know it's not been done in The Open here, but it's possible. Guys early today were really shooting some numbers. It's not easy getting it in the clubhouse,” he said.

“I mean, the pins are probably harder – there are more hard pins on the way round kind of preventing you from getting it really low, but you never know. You can also make long putts around here.”

Anthony Quayle carded a superb four under 68 to surge up the leaderboard. PHOTO: Getty Images.

The best round of the day for the seven Australians who made the halfway cut came from Anthony Quayle, who was out early and fired a four-under-par 68 to reach five under for the tournament. The round saw him leapfrog 31 spots to be T24 in what has been a solid performance for the Northern Territory-born, Queensland-based Japanese Tour player.

Quayle made eight birdies, including three in four holes after making a double bogey on the par-3 11th.

Victoria’s Lucas Herbert (73) and West Australian Min Woo Lee (73) slipped down the leaderboard but remain in the top-25 at five under.

Queensland’s Brad Kennedy had an even par round of 72 to stay at four under and is T35. Three dropped shots over the final five holes saw WA’s Jason Scrivener sign for a one under 71 and he is two under the tournament.