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Cameron Smith was dragged into a bizarre rules drama which resulted in a playing partner taking almost 15 minutes for a shot as Australia\u2019s top-ranked golfer narrowly missed another victory before returning home.<\/p>\n
Smith, the British Open champion from 2022, surrendered a late lead as he tried to keep Australia\u2019s great record in the Hong Kong Open before a one-shot defeat in the Asian Tour event on Sunday.<\/p>\n
But it didn\u2019t come without major controversy when Smith\u2019s playing partner, Thailand\u2019s world No.261 Phachara Khongwatmai, was involved in a debate with Smith and eventual winner, New Zealand\u2019s Ben Campbell, about addressing a ball on the 16th hole of the final round. Khongwatmai had skewed his tee shot into thick bushes, and took an inordinate amount of time to assess whether he had a swing for his second.<\/p>\n
Having called a rules official to help with the situation, Campbell and then Smith protested Khongwatmai and his caddie\u2019s traipsing through the dense scrub was affecting a branch on a tree which was connected to the undergrowth. Clearly frustrated with Khongwatmai\u2019s treatment of the area and explanation from the rules official, Campbell even quipped: \u201cI think we need to get another rules official.\u201d<\/p>\n
Khongwatmai (-17), who had a one-shot lead at the time, couldn\u2019t scrap his ball out of the bushes on his first attempt. He was forced to get down on his knees to muscle his third shot only a few metres onto the nearby rough.<\/p>\n
He eventually signed for a double-bogey six and surrendered his lead after the controversy, but Khongwatmai and Campbell both made birdie on the 17th hole to ensure a three-way tie heading down the last.<\/p>\n
After leaking his drive right, Smith was forced to pitch back onto the fairway and then almost holed his third from just inside 100 metres.<\/p>\n
Smith (-18) eventually rolled in the par putt, but it mattered little as 32-year-old Campbell (-19) made birdie to win the event, the first time he had held the lead at any stage throughout the tournament.<\/p>\n
Khongwatmai and Smith were tied for the 54-hole lead and the Australian was shooting for his seventh worldwide win in the past two years.<\/p>\n
But his closing two-under 68 came up just short with Campbell signing for 66.<\/p>\n
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