Smith carded a four-over 75 on Friday at Royal Queensland GC to finish at two over; four shots behind the projected cut line with some players still to complete their second rounds on Saturday.

It was the 2022 British Open champion's seventh-straight missed cut in world-ranking events after he was the only player to miss all four weekends at the majors this year.

The easy-going Brisbane star has won three Australian PGA titles and had amassed six PGA Tour trophies - three in 2022 alone to threaten the world's No.1 ranking - before defecting to the LIV Golf tour.

Smith was runner-up in Brisbane last year and then second in a play-off in Saudi Arabia soon after, but his last solo win is now more than two years ago.

He's worked rigorously on his short game in the lead-up to his hometown event and thought his flat stick was talking after 10 one-putts on Thursday, only to watch his best efforts slide past on Friday.

"I've worked hard all year and got nothing out of it," he said.

"It's been frustrating ... I don't think about golf often, but in the last couple of months, I've thought about it a lot and I want to get back to where I was."

Scott, the former world No.1 and Masters champion, hasn't won himself since 2020, but is again in the hunt at six under, four behind leader Kazuma Kobori entering the weekend.

Min Woo Lee, Marc Leishman, Cam Davis and emerging English talent Marco Penge are among a 16-strong group within three of the leader.

Scott was playing in the group behind Smith and gave his fellow Queenslander a boost ahead of next week's Australian Open, where they'll tackle career grand slam winner and star attraction Rory McIlroy.

"Can you turn it around in the space of a week?" the 45-year-old asked. 

"Yeah. Absolutely. When you're as good as him, of course he can.

"It's one swing, one chip, one putt here or there, and the momentum changes and the confidence can grow quickly in a hole or two. You know, it's just putting like four good swings and two putts together in a row.

Cam Smith plays a chip shot on the seventh hole on day two of the BMW Australian PGA Championship 2025 at Royal Queensland Golf Club. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

"Sometimes, it's really hard to do that, but that's how it turns around and I've no doubt he can."

Scott made a long birdie putt at the 17th to liven up a round which began promisingly, but again featured a frustrating dropped shot on the gettable par-five ninth hole.

"It started great today and then it kind of got a little slow with the putter out there and the ninth hole's been a bit costly," he said.

"Somehow I've just got to get in the right mindset on these greens."