Australian golfing superstar Cameron Smith will have to produce some final-round magic if he's to finally grab his first triumph of 2024 at the last attempt in the lucrative Saudi International.
In his final event of the year, the busy Queenslander Smith had looked in good shape as joint-halfway leader to break his duck this year after several near-misses.
The 31-year-old is trying to keep alive a sequence of winning at least one tournament worldwide each year since 2020 across the PGA, European and LIV Golf tours -- but he's slipped five shots off the pace being set by his fellow LIV Golf star Joaquin Niemann with one round left.
Smith shot a one-under par 70 on Friday at Riyadh Golf Club to fall back into a nine-way tie for 11th place on 12 under for the tournament.
Chilean Niemann, who'd led at halfway alongside Smith and American duo Logan McAllister and Peter Uihlein, moved into the solo lead with a 65 on moving day to go with his opening two rounds of 65 and 66.
Niemann, winner of the Australian Open last year, holed a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole to take a one-shot advantage into Saturday's finale on 17 under, one stroke clear of Uihlein (66) and another American Caleb Surratt, who moved sensationally into contention with a blistering 10-under, course-record 61.
McAllister (67) is now joint-fourth, one shot further back, alongside Briton Tyrrell Hatton and American Jason Kokrak, who both fired 66s in the chase for the $US1 million ($A1.6 million) winner's cheque amid a prize pot of $US5 million ($A7.8 million).
Smith's often red-hot putter was running cold on Friday after back-to-back birdies at the second and third holes promised much, only for him to par the next 14 holes before bogeying the last.
Among the top 36 players on the leaderboard, Smith's round proved the worst of the day.
So, after three runner-up finishes on the LIV Golf tour in 2024 - although he was a part of the tour's title-winning team Ripper GC - and second places in both the recent New South Wales Open and Australian PGA Championships, he requires something spectacular to continue his individual win streak.
Smith may, though, be flagging slightly as he's playing his fifth event in six weeks, while a lesser Australian light Travis Smyth is actually better placed than him in joint-eighth on 13 under after a third-round 68.
Veteran Matt Jones is alongside his 'Ripper' teammate Smith on 12 under after a 68.
