Kobori dazzles to take lead at Australian PGA Championship, Smith falters

New Zealand's Kazuma Kobori shot an eight-under-par 63 in the second round of the Australian PGA Championship on Friday to take sole lead of the DP World Tour's season opener at Royal Queensland, while local favourite Cameron Smith missed the cut.

Kobori, who had a hole-in-one on the rain-hit opening day, produced a round of nine birdies, including four on the trot, with a single bogey to go 10-under overall, leading a trio of challengers by a stroke.

SOLO LEADER 🏅

Kazuma Kobori takes the solo lead thanks to this birdie at the Dabble Party Hole 📈#AusPGA pic.twitter.com/Y546VUJLDf

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 28, 2025

The chasing pack included China's Ding Wenyi (66) and Australians Anthony Quayle (66) and Brett Rankin (69), who were all on nine-under for the tournament in a share of second place.

Three-time champion Smith had a shocking day with the putter and carded a four-over 75 to miss his seventh straight cut.

The 2022 British Open winner said he never saw his woeful round coming.

"If you told me that was going to happen this morning, when I was warming up, I'd have told you otherwise," a dejected Smith told reporters.

"I don't know, I just don't know. I'm so confused. I was feeling good, really confident and just couldn't get anything going. It was weird. I was in between clubs a lot today.

"I hit a couple of bad shots that I'd have liked to have again. Drove the ball well ... hit a lot of nice shots. Tough lies killed me today ... and then couldn't get up and down," added Smith, who missed the cut at all four major tournaments this year.

Rankin had emerged as the surprise clubhouse leader at the halfway mark after having to complete his first round earlier in the day due to poor weather on Thursday.